Posted on 10/09/2005 12:53:46 PM PDT by Willie Green
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.
The map seems logical. And thought of renewing an old form of travel with a modern twist is intriguing.
Hop on a train in Cleveland and shoot off to places like Columbus, Detroit, Pittsburgh or Toronto at 110 mph. You'd be in Columbus, for example, in one hour and 38 minutes. It would take around four hours to get to Chicago.
The idea, in various forms, has lingered for decades. But now, in part because of interest from Congress and isolated successes of similar routes across the country, train advocates are singing an optimistic tune for a high-speed rail system that could make Cleveland a hub.
"Twenty-four states are saying we need a rail program," says Randy Wade of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. "There are limits to what we can do to expand the highway system. There isn't a lot of space to add lanes. . . . Our air system is congested. The price of gas is in the $3-a-gallon range."
Train ridership has steadily increased between Milwaukee and Chicago, as it has for trains in California, such as a popular run between Sacramento and the Bay Area. In those cases, the states are paying about half the operating costs, with fares covering the rest.
The Ohio Rail Development Commission, which has studied and refined the Ohio plan, believes fares could pay 100 percent of the operating cost in Ohio. That could mean around $50 each way from Cleveland to Columbus.
The rail commission's Don Damron says studies indicate that enough people would park their cars and pay that fare if the trains operate at sensible times, unlike the Amtrak trains that pass through Northeast Ohio only in the middle of the night.
"For business, you have to look at the value of the time," Damron says. "You could work on the train."
To build the $3.5 billion system, largely by upgrading existing track, Ohio needs federal help. No state money is budgeted for construction.
Rep. Steven LaTourette, a Republican from Concord Township and a member of the House Transportation Committee, supports a bill that has passed the committee and is awaiting a House vote to spend $60 billion on rail improvements. He is one of 72 co-sponsors.
"The future of transportation in this country has to have a strong rail component," LaTourette says. "Passenger rail competes favorably for trips of 400 miles or less. . . . It is a great way to travel."
There is, however, no solid prediction on when such trains could get rolling in places like Ohio.
I could talk European politics for weeks.
Between my wife and I, we have worked in over 30 European countries. And we share our war/love/hate/ stories.
"Swissland" was the BEST.
But the problem with the passenger train in the US is: what do you do when you get there? You need the car that you left in the parking lot. Assuming the train station has one, and that you don't mind paying a parking fee bigger than the train fare.
So you hire a car? Quick - how many train stations have a rental counter, and how many have a parking lot big enough to hold the rental cars. And now you're paying a car rental fee that again is more than the train fare.
That's the issue: public transport has to be a continuous web, otherwise the incentive is gone. And intercity passenger rail is the last piece that should be built, after the intra-city buses, jitneys, light rail, whatever.
If you want to make a start on fixing the US's absurd transit system, start by getting freight off the roads.
Good thinking. Europe has been doing just that for 20 years, and it works. Half-size container from truck to rail to truck. For bulk goods, you're done. For consumer goods, the truck delivers to a "distripark" from which the retailers pick up their share in vans.
There's a plan to extend this entire system across the full width of Eurasia. Details here.
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