Those of us who've been participants at this site for more than three years are genetrally aware of the changing nature of our subject mattter. The long-ranging discussion over the economics and feasibility of traditional, usually Long -Distance service gradually yielded to a surge of enthusiam for High Speed projects which were excpected to be agressively advocated with the arrival of a new Administration.
Over the past three years, we;ve learned that high hopes must often give way to the workings of realpolitik, and the limits imposed by a globalizing economy in which the United states is no longer either the sole dominant economic power nor the leader in passsenger-rail technology. The one-size-must-fit-all position advanced at the height of the HSR enthusiasm quickly wilted under the pressures of financial limits, politics-as-usual infighting, and NIMBYism.
Nevertheless, that same period saw some real progress in the one place that counts the most -- an effort to create a California supercorridor, and the planners have, in this writer's opinion, made the wise choice of upgrading an established service via means which will allow improvement, albeit marginal at first, within a relatively short lead time. Other corridors should be able to borrow from this strategy.
Finally, and most important, uncertainty over energy supplies continues to fester. As I write this, the price of a gallon of regular in my home town stands at $3.92, a figure second only to the speculative peak just nefore the economic meltdown of four years ago -- and at a time of year when fuel prices normally retrench. Furthermore, regardless of anyone's peronal opinion regarding the handling of the growing unrest in the Middle East, the volatility and uncertainty of the principal player in the petroleum economy continues to accelerate.
All the factors cited above argue in favor of a bipartisan effort toward expandng not start-from-scratch HSRs, nor Long-Distance services modeled on 1950's-style luxury, but upon the restoration of conventinal short- and intermediate-distance services to those areas, usually on the fringes of the urban corridors, where they existed prior to the complete ascendancy and domination of the auto-centric culture c.1960. The capacity is still there in most cases, and in those few where freight traffic conflicts exist, alternate routes for diverted freight can be revived. Resolving conflicts between multiple-state or local oerating authorities would also be a big plus, as would linking the traffic to a modest level of regional funding responsibility in return for the benefits.
Because despite the appearance of a culture of short-sight a depicted in the media, there are still more than a few people out there who recognize that the present gridlock can cost us all very dearly somewhere down the road -- or track.
Over the past three years, we;ve learned that high hopes must often give way to the workings of realpolitik, and the limits imposed by a globalizing economy in which the United states is no longer either the sole dominant economic power nor the leader in passsenger-rail technology. The one-size-must-fit-all position advanced at the height of the HSR enthusiasm quickly wilted under the pressures of financial limits, politics-as-usual infighting, and NIMBYism.
Nevertheless, that same period saw some real progress in the one place that counts the most -- an effort to create a California supercorridor, and the planners have, in this writer's opinion, made the wise choice of upgrading an established service via means which will allow improvement, albeit marginal at first, within a relatively short lead time. Other corridors should be able to borrow from this strategy.
Finally, and most important, uncertainty over energy supplies continues to fester. As I write this, the price of a gallon of regular in my home town stands at $3.92, a figure second only to the speculative peak just nefore the economic meltdown of four years ago -- and at a time of year when fuel prices normally retrench. Furthermore, regardless of anyone's peronal opinion regarding the handling of the growing unrest in the Middle East, the volatility and uncertainty of the principal player in the petroleum economy continues to accelerate.
All the factors cited above argue in favor of a bipartisan effort toward expandng not start-from-scratch HSRs, nor Long-Distance services modeled on 1950's-style luxury, but upon the restoration of conventinal short- and intermediate-distance services to those areas, usually on the fringes of the urban corridors, where they existed prior to the complete ascendancy and domination of the auto-centric culture c.1960. The capacity is still there in most cases, and in those few where freight traffic conflicts exist, alternate routes for diverted freight can be revived. Resolving conflicts between multiple-state or local oerating authorities would also be a big plus, as would linking the traffic to a modest level of regional funding responsibility in return for the benefits.
Because despite the appearance of a culture of short-sight a depicted in the media, there are still more than a few people out there who recognize that the present gridlock can cost us all very dearly somewhere down the road -- or track.
Last edited by 2nd trick op on Mon Sep 17, 2012 9:12 pm, edited 5 times in total.
What a revoltin' development this is! (William Bendix)
