By Ron Thaniel
April 27, 2009

“Imagine boarding a train in the center of a city. No racing to an airport and across a terminal, no delays, no sitting on the tarmac, no lost luggage, no taking off your shoes. 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. Imagine what a great project that would be to rebuild America.   In France, high-speed rail has pulled regions from isolation, ignited growth, remade quiet towns into thriving tourist destinations. In Spain, a high-speed line between Madrid and Seville is so successful that more people travel between those cities by rail than by car and airplane combined. China, where service began just two years ago, may have more miles of high-speed rail service than any other country just five years from now. And Japan, the nation that unveiled the first high-speed rail system, is already at work building the next: a line that will connect Tokyo with Osaka at speeds of over 300 miles per hour. So it’s being done; it’s just not being done here.   There’s no reason why we can’t do this. This is America. There’s no reason why the future of travel should lie somewhere else beyond our borders. Building a new system of high-speed rail in America will be faster, cheaper and easier than building more freeways or adding to an already overburdened aviation system –- and everybody stands to benefit.”   United States President Barack Obama April 16, 2009

April 16, led by U.S. Conference of Mayors Transportation and Communications Committee Vice Chair for Rail Policy Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith, a delegation of mayors attended President Barack Obama’s announcement hailing a new era of travel in America by creating high-speed rail lines from city to city, reducing dependence on cars and planes and spurring economic development. Joining Mayor Smith were Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Richmond (VA) Mayor Dwight C. Jones, and Rockville (MD) Mayor Susan R. Hoffmann.

President Obama released a strategic plan outlining his vision for high-speed rail in America. The plan identifies $8 billion provided in the ARRA and $1 billion a year for five years requested in the federal budget as a down payment to jump-start a potential world-class passenger rail system and set the direction of transportation policy for the future. The strategic plan will be followed by detailed guidance for state and local applicants. By late summer, the Federal Railroad Administration will begin awarding the first round of grants.

Of significance, the announcement indicated that additional funding for long-term planning and development is expected from legislation authorizing federal surface transportation programs. The Conference of Mayors has long supported adding a high-speed rail and intercity rail program to the federal surface transportation law.

The report formalizes the identification of ten high-speed rail corridors as potential recipients of federal funding. Those lines are: California, Pacific Northwest, South Central, Gulf Coast, Chicago Hub Network, Florida, Southeast, Keystone, Empire and Northern New England. Also, opportunities exist for the Northeast Corridor from Washington to Boston to compete for funds to improve the nation’s only existing high-speed rail service.

President Obama’s vision for high-speed rail mirrors that of President Eisenhower, which revolutionized the way Americans traveled. His plan proposes to help address the Nation’s transportation challenges by investing in an efficient, high-speed passenger rail network of 100- to 600- mile intercity corridors.

“My high-speed rail proposal will lead to innovations that change the way we travel in America. We must start developing clean, energy-efficient transportation that will define our regions for centuries to come,” said President Obama. “A major new high-speed rail line will generate many thousands of construction jobs over several years, as well as permanent jobs for rail employees and increased economic activity in the destinations these trains serve. High-speed rail is long-overdue, and this plan lets American travelers know that they are not doomed to a future of long lines at the airports or jammed cars on the highways.”

The plan identifies two types of projects for funding. One would create new corridors for world-class, high-speed rail like the kind found in Europe and Japan. Another would involve making train service along existing rail lines incrementally faster. Under the plan, high-speed rail development will advance along three funding tracks:

• Individual Projects. Providing grants to complete individual projects that are “ready to go” with completed environmental and preliminary engineering work – with an emphasis on near term job creation. Eligible projects include acquisition, construction of or improvements to infrastructure, facilities and equipment.

• Corridor programs. Developing entire phases or geographic sections of high-speed rail corridors that have completed corridor plans, environmental documentation and have a prioritized list of projects to help meet the corridor objectives.

• Planning. Entering into cooperative agreements for planning activities (including development of corridor plans and State Rail Plans) using non-American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) appropriations funds. This third approach is intended to help establish a structured mechanism and funding stream for future corridor development activities.

At USCM’s August ’08 Action Forum on Infrastructure in New York City, and again at the Fall Leadership Meeting, and throughout the ARRA debate, the nation-s mayors voiced strong support for an Eisenhower plan for rail. As President Dwight D. Eisenhower transformed the nation through the Interstate Highway System, America needs a comprehensive National Rail Investment Plan.