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"I think President Obama would like to be known as the high-speed rail president, and I think he can be," said Department of Transportation head, Ray LaHood this morning to National Public Radio in a report about stimulus funding and high speed rail. $8 billion is dedicated to the HSR vision and the radio program took note of California:
The state that may be furthest along in planning is California, where voters approved a $9 billion bond issue last fall for high speed trains. Quentin Kopp, a former judge who is chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, expects a lot of the federal money to wind up in the California system, which would link the state's largest cities."A trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles, which is about 410, 420 miles, will take two hours and 38 minutes with a one-way fare of $55," Kopp says. That's about half to one-third the cost of a plane ticket for a comparable trip.
But the $8 billion from the stimulus bill--and an expected extra billion in the 2010 budget--is likely to be divided across the country, meaning less impact. However, we're ahead statewide: Californians voted in favor of Proposition 1a last November--it authorized a $9 billion bond for the railway.
And with a high-speed rail authority already in place (it has been for years), we've already drawn out the steps and costs needed. “The Department of Transportation will be issuing guidelines for how competitive grants will be awarded within 120 days.," Judge Quentin L. Kopp said in a statement outlining where the money would go to upfront (the full presser is below). The money would go towards grade separations in the Los Angeles to Anaheim corridor so there is no cross traffic between the train and cars/pedestrians, street crossings in the Bay Area, right-of-way purchases, layover storage facilities, design and more.
Media Statement on Federal Economic Stimulus Funding forHigh-Speed Train in California
From Judge Quentin L. Kopp
Chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority
“I’m delighted to see that the momentum has shifted in favor of high-speed train transportation in the U.S. First here in California with voter passage of Proposition 1A last November, and today with the President’s signature on the federal stimulus package which includes an $8 billion appropriation for high-speed train projects.
“The Department of Transportation will be issuing guidelines for how competitive grants will be awarded within 120 days. The California High-Speed Rail Authority has outlined for our Congressional leaders how it can utilize at least $2 billion of the allocation by the September 30, 2012 deadline and will continue to prepare and refine its official application over the next several months as guidelines are known.
“There are several specific projects for which funding can be applied in California by the September 2012 timeline outlined in the legislation. They include:
· Grade separations, which prevent auto or pedestrian cross traffic on the high-speed train line, in the Los Angeles to Anaheim corridor
· Street and pedestrian crossing construction in San Bruno in the Bay Area
· Right-of-way purchase and construction grading of a heavy maintenance facility in the Central Valley as well as two storage “layover” facilities in the Bay Area and Los Angeles basin, respectively
· Design and procurement for the electrification of the system from San Jose to San Francisco, including train controls, and commuter vehicles
“Grade separations are in the jurisdiction of local transportation agencies and we are proud to be working in partnership with CalTrain and Metrolink on these projects to ensure success in securing stimulus funding.
“All of these projects will advance the California high-speed rail construction schedule and will have a significantly beneficial effect on California’s economy throughout construction and permanently thereafter, creating hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs for Californians, as a new California industry, and serving as a catalyst for high-speed rail throughout our nation.”
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Hmm, last airfare I bought between LA & SF was the exact same price each way. Is he adjusting for future airfare inflation when the railway is done? Is that what his calculation is?
I think it's to help Whoopie Goldberg out.
No, but seriously, there's more than just the LA to SF aspect of all of this. Regional travel speed, say from Anaheim to Union Station, will greatly be increased possibly giving more reason for drivers to abandon their cars and the 5 freeway. Also, traveling from the Central Valley to the big cities will be easier and that will probably be cheaper and less timely than flying small planes from small airports.
There's a lot more to this, I hope someone can expand.
Oh don't get me wrong, I was hugely in favor of the high speed rail piece passing, both now and three years ago. While I think it is a great way of more efficient travel, it is more important to responsible growth.
Having a rail network decentralizing major urban areas (such as LA, highest density population in the country) into a tenable network of small towns, therefor encouraging the outwards development and investment of capital into lower population areas as well as avoiding the negative impact of large urban living. It would increase the quality of life all around.
I was just saying having any resemblance of a high speed rail in the United States is great enough, but to promote it by inflating the cost of airfare seems like an unnecessary liability when arguing in favor of this.
wwwwaaaasssstttteee of money.
flying is still cheaper and quicker and what is the long term employment potential for high paying jobs with a rail road?
one nuclear power plant would employee hundreds of high paying positions for years.
I'm not sure how many jobs, of short or long term, this railway will produce, but keep in mind that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is not just about 3.5 million jobs, it's about infrastructure and a lieu of thing goals:
http://www.recovery.gov/?q=content/act
Why is it either/or? Building high speed rail lines would also create hundreds of high paid jobs. It also has the potential of reducing pollution and road fatalities.
Yes we need more power generating facilities, but we also need to augment transportation beyond airplanes and cars.
Explain how flying is cheaper and quicker, I would like to know. High-Speed rail fare is generally on par or less then airfare, with no laundry list of fees for every single item you want to bring. Those fees really add up, for example as someone who loves to travel with a bike to ride at my destination, on a plane that is a $100 fee, Amtrak that is free or $5 depending on the train. Trains are not subject to the weight limitations of planes, which will also create a new avenue for fast cargo carriage.
All this with more comfortable seating and other accommodations at a comparable travel time when you factor airport processing and the distance airports are from city centers and other transit. Since they are all electric, they will not be subject to price fluctuations of oil, which in our recent spike this summer ran many smaller airlines into the ground.
As for job creation, it will be substantial through every phase, from infrastructure creation to eventual operation. It will create both substantial blue collar jobs for the labor of building and maintaining the system, as well as many higher paying jobs for engineering.
So um, how is this a waste of money again?
Also, not to mention the possibility of bringing new urban communities and hub points for local spokes of transit within cities, especially the Central Valley.
Airline fuel will go up and will not be cheap for much longer. Look at the airline business - crumbling. Why not have something better waiting and ready to go when that happens? The rail will be cheaper in the long run.
Don't be so shortsighted.
Not to mention that LAX and SFO are over capacity for passengers and airplanes. What we need, and what we'll hopefully be getting, is a variety of ways to get around. A mix of transportation will help solve the congestion problem in this state and the country. There is no magic bullet. No one way to get from here to there.
Just like most things, diversifying is the way to go.