Archive for the ‘News Articles – Miscellaneous’ Category



High-speed rail worth investment

Posted Wednesday February 16 2011 by Brian Williamsen in News Articles - Miscellaneous

Observer-Reporter

Most smart homeowners know that sometimes you have to spend a little money to make a little money.Putting a few bucks into upgrades and renovations can mean a better return when you plant the “For Sale” sign on the front lawn. Let the paint peel and cracks develop in the foundation, however, and you’ll struggle to find a buyer and will make less money.

Where America’s infrastructure is concerned, unfortunately, we’re starting to resemble the dilapidated residence of the cranky recluse whose yard is overgrown with weeds the size of corn stalks. The roads in many parts of the country are insufficient to handle the volume of traffic they carry and, in a careworn city like Detroit, it’s not uncommon to dodge mufflers and tailpipes that have shaken loose from cars traveling over bumpy highways worthy of the Third World.

Many of our competitors in the economic arena have superior infrastructure, thanks to much more generous funding and the embrace of innovations like bullet trains. President Obama has wisely proposed spending $53 billion over the next five years for high-speed rail projects, with a goal of making them available to 80 percent of the country.

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Post Link: http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/editorial/02-15-2011-High-speed–Editorial

U.S. Travel: Plan to Invest in High-Speed Rail Much-Needed

Posted Monday February 14 2011 by Brian Williamsen in News Articles - Miscellaneous

U.S. President Barack Obama’s controversial plan to invest in high-speed and intercity rail service over the next six years won the support of the U.S. Travel Association. In a statement, Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel said the administration’s high-speed rail proposal was a “much-needed step toward strengthening” the U.S. economy.

“Investing in high-speed and intercity rail service is a positive and much-needed step toward rebuilding and expanding the national transportation system and strengthening our economy,” Dow said. “We should pursue viable and responsible funding mechanisms to help make this happen because transportation is the gateway to job creation in America’s hotels, restaurants, attractions and destinations from coast-to-coast.

“The Administration should continue to lead the way in working to spur greater public and private financing of high-speed rail networks that will relieve congestion on regional highway systems, provide travelers with an efficient option and means of reaching their destinations and help protect the environment.”

To ensure the nation’s economic competitiveness, the U.S. should try to ensure that business and leisure travelers alike have affordable options, according to Dow. The U.S. Travel chief said the association was looking forward to working with the administration and new Congress to improve the way transportation was funded, prioritized and designed in the future.

Post Link: http://www.travelagentcentral.com/government-regulations/us-travel-plan-invest-high-speed-rail-much-needed-26868

Money for railways worth it

Posted Monday February 14 2011 by Brian Williamsen in News Articles - Miscellaneous

A confession. On long trips, I would take the comfort of a train over the stress of an automobile most every time.

And except for the speed, I would also take a train over an airplane most every time.

Relatively low fares and a quick check-in – or pay on the train if you are running late. Roomy seats, or a sleeper for just a little more money. Easy baggage retrieval. Friendly and helpful stewards.

And, as President Obama mentioned in his State of the Union speech, no patdowns – and that covers a host of well-known airline inconveniences.

I’ve ridden several trains over the years. In 1958, as a brand new Marine, I took a San Diego-Minneapolis round-tripper. A few months later Uncle Sam put me on a sleeper from Florida to New Jersey.

Several years ago, the whole fam went from Milwaukee to Camden, S.C., and back. And last week, the bride and I took an Amtrak to New Orleans and back.

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Read more: http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/02/12/1977035/money-for-railways-worth-it.html#ixzz1DxcvNzBV

Post Link: http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/02/12/1977035/money-for-railways-worth-it.html

China’s High Speed Rail Network Growing Rapidly

Posted Monday February 14 2011 by Brian Williamsen in News Articles - Miscellaneous

China’s population of over 1 billion is gaining an astounding amount of high speed rail lines while the United States government sluggishly debates simple city connection lines. China has over 3,000 miles of high speed rail already up and running, with thousands more in the pipeline for 2011 and beyond. Flip to the industrialized nation of the US, and you will find that the sensible 300+ mile line between San Francisco and Los Angeles may not be connected by high speed rail for years. The Chinese built a high speed rail between Shanghai and Hangzhou, a distance of around 120 miles, in 2 years, a productivity rate that is unprecedented in developed nations. So what is the future and competitive advantage to China’s high speed rail growth?

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Post Link: http://www.justmeans.com/China-s-High-Speed-Rail-Network-Growing-Rapidly/44454.html

Texas lags in high-speed rail

Posted Tuesday February 8 2011 by Brian Williamsen in News Articles - Miscellaneous

Houston Chronicle

Texas Gov. Rick Perry never misses an opportunity to tweak California.

Its massive budget deficit, often dysfunctional state government and high unemployment make the Golden State an easy target for Perry’s jabs.

Still, there is more in common between the Lone Star State and its rival to the west than either probably would like to admit. Among them, both states have seen their populations explode in the past 30 years and each state’s transportation infrastructure has struggled to keep up with that growth.

During the next 20 years, the problem is only going to get worse. California expects its population to grow by more than 12 million; Texas by about 10 million.

“It’s been a session-by-session, get-through-the-session approach,” said state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, vice-chairman of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee. “You’ve never seen a plan for how we’re going to build the infrastructure over the long haul to meet the growing population.”

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Post Link: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7416055.html

Building Passenger Rail: A Game-Changing National Enterprise

Posted Tuesday February 1 2011 by Brian Williamsen in News Articles - Miscellaneous

The First Year of the Recovery Act’s High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Program

“We are not just doing a transportation project here. We are fully engaged in a game-changing national enterprise that enhances mobility, saves energy, reduces pollution, revives inner cities, creates jobs, and boosts the economy—helping to pull the nation, literally, out of recession.”

  — Eugene Conti, Chair, AASHTO High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Leadership Group and Secretary, North Carolina Department of Transportation

On January 28, 2010, President Barack Obama announced the first of $8 billion in grants issued under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to plan, develop, and construct high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects in corridors across the country.

One year later and well ahead of schedule, state departments of transportation, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the railroads are working aggressively to advance projects worth $4.3 billion that will enhance passenger travel in the United States.

Post Link: http://www.highspeed-rail.org/Pages/building_passenger_rail.aspx

Republicans embrace Obama rail initiative

Posted Monday January 31 2011 by Brian Williamsen in News Articles - Miscellaneous
Key Republicans are embracing a major spending initiative outlined in President Obama’s State of the Union address.

Two top members of the House Transportation Committee said they will push the president’s initiative seeking to give 80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail over te course of the next 25 years.

“I believe it’s good for America to develop a high-speed rail corridor in the Northeast corridor,” Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), the chairman of the railroad subcommittee, said according to the Connecticut Post. “It’s a place we have to start, we have to accomplish it, because then I believe all of America, in the various corridors around the country, will want high-speed rail if they see success here.”

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Post Link: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/141071-republicans-embrace-obama-rail-initiative

Amtrak High-Speed Train

Posted Wednesday January 19 2011 by Brian Williamsen in News Articles - Miscellaneous

Future Transportation

One of the best ways to decrease the use of foreign oil is to pull of cars from the highway and have people use modes of mass-transit instead. Giving commuters a better alternative to driving down to work everyday in their gas-guzzling cars could sure help save the environment from all that burning fuel. Here’s an innovation, a marvel rather, on wheels that could help do the job. The United States might finally have its own high-speed rail service, connecting Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston if Amtrak’s plans go well. Costing around $117 billion, Amtrak has already requested some $2.5 billion from Congress for 2011. $8 billion from Obama and the rest from private investors might just have this rail system on track. To be completed by 2040, the new railway could take just 84 minutes for a trip to Boston from New York City, unlike the 2.5 hours it takes by the current trains and the 4 hours by road.

This sure is an environmentally sustainable travel option as compared to driving down frequently and burning fuel. It’s cheaper too and should attract a load of commuters who decide to leave their cars home.

Post Link: http://psipunk.com/amtrak-high-speed-train/

Developing high-speed train travel for the U.S.

Posted Wednesday January 19 2011 by Brian Williamsen in News Articles - Miscellaneous

PRI

Trains are an indispensable part of American history. Lately, however, the rail system has fallen into disrepair. Many other European and Asian countries have invested in modern, high-speed, high-efficiency trains, while the United States still largely relies on airlines to transport passengers.

President Obama is trying to change that by devoting $10.5 billion to rail projects around the country. His Administration hopes new projects will add both transportation options and jobs for Americans. Federal Railroad Administrator Joe Szabo told PRI’s Living on Earth, “Studies indicate that 20,000 manufacturing and construction jobs are created for each one billion dollar of rail investment.”

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Post Link: http://www.pri.org/politics-society/developing-high-speed-train-travel-for-the-u-s2558.html

7 Big Green Moves by the Obama Administration

Posted Wednesday January 19 2011 by Brian Williamsen in News Articles - Miscellaneous

With approximately two years under Obama’s belt, what has his administration done to help the environment? Here’s a look at 7 big moves.

2. Over $10 billion invested in high-speed rail. Trying to catch the U.S. up to other countries around the world, the Obama administration has dedicated over $10 billion clean, efficient high-speed rail projects around the country. While this has been a topic of controversy lately due to Tea Party leaders’ illogical train hate, high-speed rail is popular in the U.S. and around the world for clear economic, quality of life, environmental, and social reasons.

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Post Link: http://ecopolitology.org/2011/01/18/7-big-green-moves-by-the-obama-administration/

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