Posted on 03/25/2010 3:37:19 AM PDT by Willie Green
Topeka (WIBW) - The future of passenger rail service got a boost Wednesday with a few strokes of the Governor's pen.
Gov. Mark Parkinson signed a bill creating the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact and establishing the passenger rail service program in Kansas.
“Passenger rail service in Kansas would create economic opportunities for the future, but the planning must begin now,” Parkinson said. “A strong public infrastructure system helps attract businesses and jobs to our state, and a high speed rail service is another piece in furthering our economic recovery. I am pleased to sign these two bills that will set the gears in motion for increased avenues of transportation in Kansas and the entire Midwest.”
The Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact would promote improvements to passenger rail service and the development of plans for long-range high speed rail service in the Midwest. The legislation also coordinates interaction between the Midwestern state on passenger rail issues and seeks to balance interests of private and public partners.
Parkinson also signed a companion measure, authorizing the Secretary of Transportation to establish and implement a passenger rail service program.
The Secretary would be authorized to enter into agreements with Amtrak, other rail operators, local jurisdictions, and other states. She would also be allowed to provide local jurisdictions assistance and encourage economic development as well as loans or grants to passenger rail service providers from a Passenger Rail Service Revolving Fund established by the bill.
The bill also is aimed at helping Kansas attract further federal funding for passenger rail from the federal government.
Government hacks, lawyers, politicians and bureaucrats, non of which could make a profit in the private sector, and were attracted to sheltered government jobs .....now have been transformed into successful venture capitalists. In other words, pigs that fly.
The Cap Metro rail line is up and running in the Austin area.
European styling, with a Texas attitude. LOL!
What idiot would take a train ride for three hours to somewhere...when you could drive to the same location and have easy local access via your own car? Line up one hundred people and all one hundred will agree. These guys who support the train business...have no vision of how people actually live their lives.
The bill also is aimed at helping Kansas attract further federal funding for passenger rail from the federal government.
ah...follow the money.
http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2010/03/22/daily17.html
“”Amtrak earlier this month released a feasibility study examining four different routes for passenger rail service in Kansas. Those routes were:
• Nighttime service between Newton and Fort Worth. The service would have an estimated annual ridership of 92,500 and require $114.3 million in infrastructure improvements estimated by BNSF and $40 million estimated by Amtrak for additional locomotives and railcars. The state’s annual state operating cost would be $3.2 million. Annual ticket revenue was estimated at $2.7 million.
• Nighttime service between Kansas City and Fort Worth. The service would have an annual ridership of 118,200 and would require $274 million in infrastructure improvements estimated by BNSF and $40 million estimated by Amtrak for additional locomotives and railcars. The state’s annual operating cost would be $5.2 million. Annual ticket revenue was estimated at $5.2 million.
• Daytime service between Kansas City and Fort Worth. The service would have an annual ridership of 174,000 and would require $413 million in infrastructure improvements estimated by BNSF and $63 million estimated by Amtrak for additional locomotives and railcars. The state’s annual operating cost would be $8 million. Annual ticket revenue was estimated at $6.1 million.
• Daytime service between Kansas City and Oklahoma City. The service would have an annual ridership of 65,900 and would require $251 million in infrastructure improvements estimated by BNSF and $56 million estimated by Amtrak for additional locomotives and railcars. The state’s annual operating cost would be $6.4 million. Annual ticket revenue was estimated at $2.1 million.””
“What idiot would take a train ride for three hours to somewhere...when you could drive to the same location and have easy local access via your own car?”
You really need to pay attention to the rest of what they’ve been working on. If they aren’t overthrown, they will not be giving you the option of driving your own car. Not by directly banning it of course, but because it’s “not green”, they will divert funds from roads and highways, purposely drive up the cost of electricity and gasoline etc until you will be asking “why would anyone drive their old clunker when they could be enjoying a relaxing train ride”.
You won’t have any job to earn money to buy gas, and there won’t be anything to spend it on when you get there either comrade, so relax.
The Cap Metro rail line is up and running in the Austin area.
This idiot would take the train more often if there was more service in my neck of the woods. A lot less hassle, none of those stupid TSA requiremens and it’s a relaxing way to travel — you can watch the scenery go by, unlike in an airplane. Flying used to be preferable, but between all those regulations and the miserable attitudes of airlines toward their passengers, it’s not now.
“...they will divert funds from roads and highways...”
Already in action here in Wisconsin - plus they are artificialy push the price of gas higher.
High speed rail advertized to go over 100 mph will be lucky to break 60 mph in practice. Take a 3 hour ride to nowhere and a taxi ride for another 15 miniutes to your sestination, else take car fo 90 minutes directly to sestination. Oh the higher taxes to subsidize the high speed low ridership trains make you feel much better... :)
Even Europeans don’t like trains. They love cars too. Go to any magazine rack and see if there are any ‘Trains Today’ magazines, as compared to thirty car and bike magazines.
Socialists, hacks, contractors, and unions like trains because the bulk of the money comes from the taxpayer.
I was *detained* at 2 crossing last Friday for several minutes. They need to work on that.
Don't know if you're familiar with Austin but, at the intersection of Airport Blvd. and North Lamar, there's a crossing.
Cops have been there since operations began passing out hundreds of tickets to people stopping under the crossing arms. ($200 a shot)
“have no vision of how people actually live their lives.”
They want you to get a backpack and a couple of those reuseable bags and you’re good to go. Just not your back and legs.
LOL!
You need to have a more than millimeter deep understanding of what is going on.
The government controls airlines too. And the airports, and the TSA.
Do you think if airports were privately owned and controlled, they wouldn’t be mall like shopping experiences? The owner of Ryan Air ( big in Europe ) said if he owned and operated the terminals, he’d give the flight for free. That is a notion of how much money potential there is in private terminals. However now, most are locked up in the same deadly efficient bear hug that brought us Urban Renewal, the Model Cities Program, that now run our skools and edjamaktion, and are finishing off what parts of health care that have a shadow of free market.
An idea of the quality jump can be experienced if you go to a private jet terminal. Small, but nice.
They’ll have check in stations where you have to show your bag of feces and urine to prove you didn’t despoil the People’s Walking Path.
(On a side note, I don’t think it would be acceptable if people just decide when to walk. I imagine you would have to join a scheduled column and march along, five abreast, and a hundred long. With a union route guards. Kind of like how pathetically I see Army and Marines now jogging like they are a bunch of retarded kids and have to have vests, flash cones, guides. Anyways, you won’t be allowed to walk/hike faster than the slowest. There will be all sorts of rules. )
“show your bag of feces and urine”
Funny you mentioned that. There are NO restroom facilities on the trains or at the stations.
Saturday I have to go to Richfield, Ohio for a funeral.
What would a train do for me if there was one. Drop me off downtown Cleveland, where I will have to rent a car. I have multiple stops to make during the visit.
Maybe if a train was taking me to a resort I'd take it, but probably only once. You can't pay for trains with one time riders.
I was *detained* at 2 crossing last Friday for several minutes. They need to work on that.
IMHO, they should have built an overhead monorail.
It's a bit more expensive, but eliminates interference with ground level traffic.
Don't know if you're familiar with Austin but, at the intersection of Airport Blvd. and North Lamar, there's a crossing.
Cops have been there since operations began passing out hundreds of tickets to people stopping under the crossing arms. ($200 a shot)
No, I've never been to Austin.
$200 is a stiff fine, but better than getting hit by one of those arms dropping on you.
“better than getting hit by one of those arms dropping on you.”
Or that damned ol’ train!
You have really never been to Austin? Eventough it’s full of young progressives and lots of Pols, it beats the hell out of Houston.
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