Now that we have elected President Obama and Vice President Biden (I love writing that out!) we have proponents of rail transportation in office and I look forward to a real renaissance in rail options.
As this article notes, there is strong support for this from the public:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008369121_amtrak09.htmlCalifornians on Tuesday approved selling billions of dollars worth of bonds to get going on an 800-mile system of bullet trains that could zip along at 200 mph, linking San Francisco and San Diego and the cities in between.
In the Midwest, transportation officials are pushing a plan to connect cities in nine states in a hub-and-spoke system centered in Chicago.
The public is way ahead of policymakers in recognizing trains as an attractive alternative to cars and planes, said U.S. Rep. James Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
"I think we're at a transformational point in intercity passenger-rail service," said Oberstar, D-Minn.Not mentioned in that article is passage of Proposition 1, a vote for regional light rail in the Seattle area or other very local legislation. I wonder how many more local rail initiatives were passed last Tuesday?
Looks like we have a combination of advocacy from the top and support locally and regionally.
This is change I look forward to seeing!
From Obama's transportation plan at
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/FactSheetTransportation.pdfSupport Amtrak Funding:Barack Obama has been a strong supporter of federal financial support for
Amtrak. Obama believes we need to reform Amtrak to improve accountability. In many parts of the country,
Amtrak is the only form of reliable transportation. In the U.S. Senate, Obama is a cosponsor of the Passenger
Rail Investment and Innovation Act of 2007, a leading act to provide long-term federal investment to Amtrak.
As president, Barack Obama will continue to fight for Amtrak funding and reform so that individuals, families
and businesses throughout the country have safe and reliable transportation options.
Support Development of High-Speed Freight and Passenger Rail: Obama and Joe Biden support
development of high-speed rail networks across the country. Providing passengers with safe high-speed rail
will have significant environmental and metropolitan planning advantages and help diversify our nation’s
transportation infrastructure. Our domestic rail freight capacity must also be strengthened because our demand
for rail transportation has never been greater, leaving many key transportation hubs stretched to capacity.
Obama and Biden are committed to renewing the federal government’s commitment to high speed rail so that
our nation’s transportation infrastructure continues to support, and not hinder, our nation’s long-term economic
growth.