Obama's Expensive Train Set

Human Events ^ | 2/10/10 | Donald Lambro

[NormsRevenge]

So besides the plans for high speed rail lines from Tampa to Orlando, Fla., and Los Angeles to San Francisco, suddenly lines are already being added to the project on Capitol Hill, including a line between Minneapolis and Duluth that was not on Obama’s list when he proposed it in 2009.

Why? Democratic Rep. James L. Oberstar of Minnesota, the powerful chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is from Duluth. When the new high speed train map was published last week, it showed Duluth was one of the projects.

--

HSR from Minneapolis to Duluth? Huh?

[AngelesCrestHighway]

Obama's train wreck with our money....

[Starboard]

What about the need for endless enviornmental impact studies or preservation of areas of historical significance? Those types of studies will set the rail projects back a decade. LOL.

[WOBBLY BOB]

What Obama is proposing is a high speed rail system that few will use “but everyone will pay for it,” he said.

In other words, it's like rail nearly EVERYWHERE in the U.S.

[theDentist]

Look, these ****ers in Government, Rep and (especially) Dem can’t even get AmTrak to make a profit.... and they want to make a nationwide effort? Hell NO!!

[NavyCanDo]

Trains can't make money without taxpayer provided subsidies. Period. Its cheaper and faster to fly and passenger trains can't compete on an even playing field.

[Blue Jays]

Trains aren't the only transportation solution, yet they're among good ideas to our infrastructure needs.
A hub and spoke arrangements are needed for middle-distance travel between regional cities.
Ultimately, a reliable way to help travelers get closer to their end destinations when using high-speed trains is essential.
President 0bama is nuts if he wishes to spend trillions in the near-term.

[IM2MAD]

Does anyone recall what Boston’s Big Dig was supposed to cost at the beginning and how much it actually cost at completion?

[ltc8k6]

Yeah, who the heck needs to go back and forth between those two in a hurry?

[a fool in paradise]

Follow the money. It leads to Chicago.

[Persevero]

I imagine it will be as profitable as Amtrak!

[NormsRevenge]

Smelt fishermen is about all I can come up with.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

Not sure of the cost overun amount but just like anything the government does...It’s a lifetime windfall retirement plan for any union worker involved....

[Nepeta]

Real high speed rail makes sense in the long term since air travel is becoming congested, but if we're going to do that, we should do it properly, and make those trains very fast indeed. Building these systems as profitable alternatives to air travel is the only possibility that makes sense.

[WOBBLY BOB]

When Jimmy “Bikeshorts” Oberstar is involved, you can guarantee it’s a boondoggle.

[Publius Valerius]

I agree with what you are saying on a national basis. But some trains can make money; from what I understand, the NEC trains do well and make money for Amtrak. The problem is that off the East Coast, there are vast spaces between largely populated cities, and it’s usually more convenient to drive or fly.

Rail travel is fine, but intercity travel should be limited to largely populated cities are relatively close, but not close enough to make driving convenient: NEC, LA to SF, Dallas to Houston, etc. We don’t need a train from California to Florida. That’s stupid.

[Blue Jays]

You make excellent points. A cautious and conservative approach would be to utilize high-speed trains for inter-city trips up to about 500 miles or so.
This could help relieve airspace congestion and boost safety while keeping people moving rapidly on a regional basis.
The trains need to be comfortable and in the 150+ mph speed range. This would require suitable rail bedding and durable bridge crossings.
We live in interesting times and we have to ensure our transportation capability remains robust.

[WOBBLY BOB]

“Lyndon Johnson once said ‘I can never get Congress to drink a whole bottle of whiskey at once, but just a sip at a time and then we’ll fill it up,’” he said. “Obama is trying to do this a little at a time, so pretty soon you will see more lines added to the list,” he said.

-—”The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of “liberalism,” they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.”

“I no longer need to run as a Presidential Candidate for the Socialist Party… The Democrat Party has adopted our platform.”—Norman Mattoon Thomas (November 20, 1884 to December 19, 1968) was a leading American socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.

-—good little socialists, one and all.

[bushpilot1]

Is that Obama...what the heck happened to his nose?

[Truth29]

How about we continue to fund the Constellation program instead? Obama shuts down real programs with real jobs and sells future dreams with much of the money going to other countries.