Won't happen.
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
In several of President Obama's speeches from the first 4 years in office, he spoke about the creation of a high speed train across the country. I was actually excited about the possibilities and I really thought he was serious about it, but it doesn't look as though such a major project will ever get off the ground now for quite some time.
I, for one, would like to see such a system in place. I love to fly, but not everyone does and traveling by Amtrak is just not practical across country when time is of the essence. So, a high speed train seems like the best solution.
There are many hurdles though. Such as, who pays for it? The federal government? The states? Private companies? Then there is our looming national debt of nearly 20 trillion dollars. Then there are the right of way and land issues. I am sure "eminent domain" will be utilized. Which should tie everything up for who knows how long.
Obviously, constructing such a system will require time, energy and of course effort. The plus side of this is jobs and local improvements state by state where the system is placed. Local economies would benefit from such a massive project. The other plus to this is the citizens of this country will have a source of alternative transportation. It will be clean, quiet and smooth.
The TGV and other high speed trains have proven their worth in other countries that have embraced such rail technologies. However, our country is kind of funny about such projects these days and the thing is, our country will benefit from such a long term project. We are in the 21st century now. Most countries around us have very successfully planned, implemented and constructed advanced high rail systems. So, why not us?
I love railroading a great deal. Railroads didn't just help build our country, they facilitated growth that was off the charts once people saw the potential trains could have on their lives. Everything was built due to railroads, but train travel has become almost boring. Even sedate. Nothing new. Well, except perhaps the Acela when it first arrived in the North East. I have ridden the Acela twice and it is truly a work of art in motion. Smooth, fast, even at a poultry 125 mph. I believe our country needs a national system such as the Acela. Again, I fully realize it will be expensive, but so was going to the moon and we did that because we were a challenged society. Now?
A high speed train can carry significantly greater amounts of people versus an airliner. Granted, an airliner can go faster and get to its destination quicker, but that depends on factors that, are greatly reduced when considering high speed train travel. The skies are crowded. Weather and airport conditions. These and many other factors, are why high speed trains seem plausible.
What are your thoughts regarding a national high speed train.
Thank you.
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