Friday, November 12, 2010
High Speed Rail
The governor-elect of Ohio has declared that the proposed high-speed rail is dead. The howls of anguish from the railfans and the environmentalists have already started. I am a railfan. I would very much like to have a rail alternative from Cincinnati to Cleveland.
HOWEVER, this route had many drawbacks, the first of which was that it was to be paid for with Federal Tax dollars. So either my taxes go up, or the deficit goes up which makes prices go up through inflation. There is no discussion of cutting something else to pay for it. (I have lots of suggestions there.) The second drawback is that with the Federal Government paying for it, the government, in the form of anonymous bureaucrats, will make the rules by which it operates. It would be another version of Amtrak which survives due to employee dedication despite oversight and regulation by the government. The third drawback is that it would not be truly high speed, because of the use of existing roadbeds in many parts. I do not consider 79 mph high speed. I can do that with my car.
Governor-elect Kasich has made one of the hard choices we elected him to make. It is not one I like personally, but it makes sense in the larger picture. Since the Federal government took over the passenger traffic in the US, there has been no valid working model for it. Passenger service was viable as long as there were enough passengers and there was mail and express service to subsidize the cost of the trains. Thanks to the interstate highway system, government subsidies to build and operate airports, and removal of mail contracts from the railroads, passenger service is a complete loser. Until we find a better way to do it, it does not make sense to build raillines that will not pay for themselves.
HOWEVER, this route had many drawbacks, the first of which was that it was to be paid for with Federal Tax dollars. So either my taxes go up, or the deficit goes up which makes prices go up through inflation. There is no discussion of cutting something else to pay for it. (I have lots of suggestions there.) The second drawback is that with the Federal Government paying for it, the government, in the form of anonymous bureaucrats, will make the rules by which it operates. It would be another version of Amtrak which survives due to employee dedication despite oversight and regulation by the government. The third drawback is that it would not be truly high speed, because of the use of existing roadbeds in many parts. I do not consider 79 mph high speed. I can do that with my car.
Governor-elect Kasich has made one of the hard choices we elected him to make. It is not one I like personally, but it makes sense in the larger picture. Since the Federal government took over the passenger traffic in the US, there has been no valid working model for it. Passenger service was viable as long as there were enough passengers and there was mail and express service to subsidize the cost of the trains. Thanks to the interstate highway system, government subsidies to build and operate airports, and removal of mail contracts from the railroads, passenger service is a complete loser. Until we find a better way to do it, it does not make sense to build raillines that will not pay for themselves.
// posted by Bill @ 9:08 AM 
Comments:
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I agree Bill, he made a hard decision, this is not a high speed rail and will be controlled by bureaucRATS. I too would love to sit back and let someone else do the driving to Columbus from here or to Cleveland (so I can visit family), but I can drive that fast myself. Better decisions need to be made by our state legislatures.
The initial rail plan was not "high speed". I read something like 6 hours from Cincinnati to Cleveland. Nobody would *USE* it. It was doomed because it would probably be an unused, isolated rail segment instead of a portion of a vibrant network of high speed rail lines crossing the country.
Rail projects only make sense if they are considered as part of a national network. The conception of this project was half-a$$ed at best because it would require a later rebuild to achieve its full potential. It's like a 1 lane freeway.
The big more general problem with the US is that we simply do not *build* anything anymore. And both parties are at fault, as well as our business and national culture. We just bellyache that our political opponent is on the wrong side from us. And that forms a conceptual framework for never, ever progressing forward. And we choose to hire "real" workers from overseas instead of respecting our own human assets.
Meanwhile China has 225 mph bullet trains that cover a distance like NYC to Atlanta in 4.5 hours.
The US is consumed with infighting and we are falling behind.
Rail projects only make sense if they are considered as part of a national network. The conception of this project was half-a$$ed at best because it would require a later rebuild to achieve its full potential. It's like a 1 lane freeway.
The big more general problem with the US is that we simply do not *build* anything anymore. And both parties are at fault, as well as our business and national culture. We just bellyache that our political opponent is on the wrong side from us. And that forms a conceptual framework for never, ever progressing forward. And we choose to hire "real" workers from overseas instead of respecting our own human assets.
Meanwhile China has 225 mph bullet trains that cover a distance like NYC to Atlanta in 4.5 hours.
The US is consumed with infighting and we are falling behind.
@Kevin: I will probably end up seeing it with my friends on DVD when we take one of our fan trips and are sitting around drinking in the evening.
@Mary: Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the support. Yes, we need to get the government out of our lives, including transportation.
@Don: Good observation on our not building anything anymore. Or when we do it is overpriced and poorly designed. Like the old saw that an elephant is a mouse built to government spec.
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@Mary: Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the support. Yes, we need to get the government out of our lives, including transportation.
@Don: Good observation on our not building anything anymore. Or when we do it is overpriced and poorly designed. Like the old saw that an elephant is a mouse built to government spec.
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