You’ve Got Rail

Images are courtesy of Wired.com

I have been a big fan of high speed rail systems as a means of commuter transportation for years. I am also in favor of making rails as a transportation for shipping products a priority over semi-trucks. I am not a tree hugger but it is obvious that trucks as transportation are annoying, dirty and unsafe. Keep in mind that my own father has been a trucker for years and logged millions of miles without incident. No worries, dad. You will be retired before the high-speed wheels are on the tracks. Every other major country in the world except the greatest, us, have had these systems in place for decades. Last week I saw this article about the super-fast bullet trains coming to the U.S. in the near future and was even pleased to see the Texas T-Bone option. A dedicated, elevated passenger system that would connect all of the major metros here and alleviate a lot of auto congestion.

All of a sudden I hear on the radio yesterday about President Obama’s 8 billion dollar initiative towards high speed rail system in the United States. I don’t agree with the underlying message of jobs creation but I do like the idea of reliable transportation. Hopefully these funds will go to private developers and run by anyone else than Amtrak.

For now, these plans are still sitting in the terminal because the proposed rail systems aren’t due for completion until around the year 2025. That is IF they start building soon.