Obama plans for high-speed rail lines throughout the country

For years, the American rail system has been decades behind that of most other developed nations throughout Europe and Asia. As a new travel and transportation initiative, the Obama administration is planning for a high-speed, efficient rail network to connect urban centers throughout the country. The White House has already identified 10 corridors, or sections, throughout the country in proximity to major urban areas, for major rail development, each ranging between 100 to 600 miles long.

“With clogged highways and overburdened airports, economic growth is suffering,” said President Obama. “What we need, then, is a smart transportation system equal to the needs of the 21st century, a system that reduces travel times and increases mobility, a system that reduces congestion and boosts productivity, a system that reduces destructive emissions and creates jobs.”

Currently, only one high-speed rail line is operational; in the Northeast corridor between Washington and Boston. This line will be eligible, with the plan approved, to receive funds for improvement.

Moving forward, however, new corridors included in the planned development include a northern New England line; an Empire line running east to west in New York State; a Keystone corridor running laterally through Pennsylvania; a major Chicago hub network; a southeast network connecting the District of Columbia to Florida and the Gulf Coast; a Gulf Coast line extending from eastern Texas to western Alabama; a corridor in central and southern Florida; a Texas-to-Oklahoma line; a California corridor where voters have already approved a line that will allow travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles in two and a half hours; and a corridor in the Pacific Northwest.

A case for change

America’s transportation system, be it for daily commuting, short-term or long-term travel, is in sore need of an overhaul. The current elements surrounding our nation’s travel methods are entirely negative, with auto-crowding, carbon emissions and noise pollution all contributing to our excessively impactful lifestyles.

“Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 miles an hour, walking only a few steps to public transportation, and ending up just blocks from your destination,” added President Obama. “It is happening right now; it’s been happening for decades. The problem is, it’s been happening elsewhere, not here.”

What the Obama administration is at least IMAGINING doing is a rally for transportation methods to step up to the plate on so many issues: climate change, landscape development, alternative fuels – another clear example of an administration looking to reverse the mistakes of the past with a hope for the future.

Is it ambitious? Yes, very. But isn’t that what we need?

“There’s no reason why we can’t do this,” concluded the President. I could not agree more.