Train travel is the lowest impact form of travel besides walking, jogging, or bicycling. In response to the declining use of America's rail networks, the U.S. government created Amtrak in 1971. With traffic congestion becoming worse and gas prices raising more people are looking to mass transit. In 2007 there was a 15 percent increase in mass transit use.
In the spring of 09 Obama has allocated 8 billion of his stimulus package to developing more high-speed rail lines. Obama's reasoning was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on foreign oil. Currently there is only one high speed rail line in the U.S., which is Amtrak's Acela Express. American transportation analysts suggest that U.S. should fallow this trend of high speed railroads that have been success in Asia and Europe. These high-speed rails can be as fast as flying, but without long waits and security hassles.
The first federal funds to be put into the rail system will be for upgrading and increasing speeds on existing lines. The majority will go towards construction of new high peed train travel lines in ten areas across the country.
Studies by Center for Clean Air Policy and Center for Neighborhood Technology have found results that this new system could save six billion pounds of CO2 yearly. This could result in 29 million fewer car trips and 500,000 fewer plane flights each year as well. This will be the equivalent of removing a million cars from the road a year.
I am all for this new high-speed rail line. My family may actually use Amtrak this year when we go on vacation this winter break. Maybe in the future we will be able to use this new railway and reach our destinations faster than ever. This is relevant to class because it helps reduce sprawl by increasing urban populations' densities which in turn reduce energy consumption by reducing travel distances, fuel consumption, and traffic congestion. These new rail lines will help us move to more sustainable growth and reducing our carbon footprint.
By Shawn Page
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I agree, train travel is a great way to connect people, both localy with metro systems and regionally if not nationally through larger systems. it seems as though no one even considers the train anymore when going on a trip, its always fly or drive. In other countries especially in Europe, trains(which are faster) do connect people all over. also if you are considering traveling on Amtrak it is good to know that as a student there are great discounts which allow you to travel extremely cheaply.
ReplyDeleteMore of a train's weight is in its cargo than cars, the same is true for buses. unlike cars, however, most of the infrastructure necessary to support mass transportation of people is not there (yet). These high speed train lines would be a good first step at making widespread use of high speed train feasible and upgrading existing train tracks would making existing trains more practical in the short term. Unfortunately, if it is not practical for people to use the trains, they will not be used at all (except perhaps for the novelty of the experience). I think where they are built will be very important when it come to people actually using them. I am, however, optimistic that this form of transportation will not only be practical, but widespread if we do things right.
ReplyDeleteI would personally love to see high speed trains implemented in America, but I feel that because of our unhealthy dependence to automobiles its implementation will be stunted. I agree with James that our alternative transportation infrastructure is not at the level it needs to be to properly implement a high speed rail line. The "death of the rail" has been extremely tragic to a number of cities (prime example being Roanoke), so I would be interested in seeing if retrofitting the old lines would supply the necessary spark to get these cities back to what they once were.
ReplyDeleteI have taken Amtrak many times to travel between DC and New York and I am extremely happy to hear that $8 billion dollars of the stimulus has been allocated to our train system. Trains in Europe and Japan are famous because of their efficiency, economy, and that they are not a novelty like in the US, but part of daily life. In truth, my family would take Amtrak when I was a child because with my youth discount it was cheaper than flying and less hassle than driving and looking for parking in New York. Now that I am no longer applicable for the youth discount, the train is too expensive. Unlike Europe, our trains cost too much for the average commuter because they are underfunded. Also, anyone who has taken Acela knows that it is not much faster (20 minutes). It is time to subsidize one of the world's most historical and efficient forms of transportation and get America alternatively connected again.
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