A bullet train in every pot

WASHINGTON, D.C.
April 16, 2009 7:35am

High-speed rail lines would link all major parts of the United States with passenger trains traveling at 200 miles per hour or more under a preliminary plan released Thursday by the Obama Administration.

California, which is already on track to build its own bullet train route, could become a major player in the national strategy.

The Obama strategic plan identifies $8 billion provided in stimulus money and $1 billion a year for five years requested in the federal budget as a down payment to jump-start what it calls a potential world-class passenger rail system.

(Click on the link below to download the plan.)

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today continued to urge significant federal investment in California’s high-speed rail system, the development of which, he says, is far ahead of any other high-speed rail system in the nation.

“With more than ten years of planning already completed and a commitment last November by voters to issue nearly $10 billion of state bonds, California is once again leading the nation as the first state to commence and fund high speed rail development,” says Mr. Schwarzenegger.

In the Central Valley, the California bullet train would zip from the Merced area to Bakersfield on its route connecting San Francisco with Los Angeles. Subsequent construction is expected to add service to San Diego and Sacramento.

“We have already laid the groundwork for high-speed rail in California and with a boost from our federal partners, nearly 40 million Californians and millions of travelers from around the world will be able to experience the reality of America’s first high-speed rail system,” says the governor.

The Obama strategic plan is to be followed by detailed guidance for state and local applicants. By late summer, the Federal Railroad Administration will begin awarding the first round of grants, the White House says.

Additional funding for long-term planning and development will be sought from legislation authorizing federal surface transportation programs.

The report formalizes the identification of ten high-speed rail corridors as potential recipients of federal funding. Those lines include two in California – the bullet train route through the Central Valley as currently planned by state officials, and one hugging the Pacific coast.

Others would be in the Pacific Northwest, South Central, Gulf Coast, Chicago Hub Network, Florida, Southeast, Keystone, Empire and Northern New England. Also, opportunities exist for the Northeast Corridor from Washington to Boston to compete for funds to improve the nation’s only existing high-speed rail service, the plan says.

Mr. Obama’s vision for high-speed rail mirrors that of President Eisenhower, the father of the Interstate highway system, which revolutionized the way Americans traveled, the White House says.

“My high-speed rail proposal will lead to innovations that change the way we travel in America. We must start developing clean, energy-efficient transportation that will define our regions for centuries to come,” says Mr. Obama in written comments.

“A major new high-speed rail line will generate many thousands of construction jobs over several years, as well as permanent jobs for rail employees and increased economic activity in the destinations these trains serve,” he says.

The plan identifies two types of projects for funding. One would create new corridors for world-class high-speed rail like the kind found in Europe and Japan. Another would involve making train service along existing rail lines incrementally faster.