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Title: LaHood to GOP governors: No trains, no money
Source: AP
URL Source: http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/106988093.html
Published: Nov 11, 2010
Author: Joan Lowy
Post Date: 2010-11-11 09:45:46 by go65
Keywords: None
Views: 18700
Comments: 38

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration has a message for Republican governors who campaigned against the president's high-speed rail program: Build the trains or give back the money.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Tuesday rejected a request from Gov.-elect John Kasich in Ohio to use the $400 million in federal funds pledged to that state's train project on other projects like road construction or freight lines.

"I would like high-speed rail to be part of Ohio's future," LaHood wrote. But if the state won't go forward, it's necessary "to wind down Ohio's involvement in the project so that we do not waste taxpayers' money," he said.

A day earlier LaHood sent the same message to Wisconsin officials about the $810 million in rail money pledged to that state. Wisconsin Gov.-elect Scott Walker campaigned against the Madison-to- Milwaukee line, including creating a website opposed to the project.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which allocated an initial $8 billion for a high-speed rail program, doesn't allow the money to be spend for other purposes, said Ross Capon, executive director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers.

The Republican governor-elects have criticized the high-speed rail program as unaffordable in tough economic times. Both states would have to invest considerable dollars in the projects in addition to federal aid. Walker on Tuesday urged the federal government to give up on high-speed rail and instead use the money to repair roads and bridges he said were "literally crumbling."

Kasich has said that the top speed of 79 miles per hour on the proposed Ohio project is too slow and he has questioned whether enough people will ride it. About 6 million people live along the Cleveland to Cincinnati corridor, making it one of the most heavily populated corridors without rail service in the Midwest — but a well-used interstate, I-71, lies along the same route.

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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 29.

#3. To: go65 (#0) (Edited)

The left has had a train fetish since one of their 20th century heroes -- Benito Mussolini -- allegedly "made the trains run on time".

These people never change.

jwpegler  posted on  2010-11-11   10:29:02 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#9. To: jwpegler, go65 (#3)

The left has had a train fetish since one of their 20th century heroes -- Benito Mussolini -- allegedly "made the trains run on time".

These people never change.

And those leftist Japanese have had a high speed bullet train since the 1960's.

Go figure.

meguro  posted on  2010-11-11   11:17:36 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#11. To: meguro (#9) (Edited)

And those leftist Japanese have had a high speed bullet train since the 1960's.

Go figure.

Yes, and Japan's commuter rail and high speed rail are owned by 16 major private companies as well as some smaller companies and a few public-private partnerships. This is not what the left has in mind in the U.S. They want the government to own and control passenger rail.

The fact is that we have a very physical environment than Japan. They cram 130 million people into area smaller than Montana. 25% of those people live in metro Tokyo. Sure, they can have high speed rail between cities because the distance between their cities isn't that great. Sure they can have commuter rail within the cities because most people live in very densely populated cities in high rise apartments, not in single family suburban homes like the U.S.

I've been to Japan 20+ times. You can't compare the two at all. You say you live in Japan, so you should know this.

jwpegler  posted on  2010-11-11   11:40:12 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#21. To: jwpegler (#11)

Yes, and Japan's commuter rail and high speed rail are owned by 16 major private companies as well as some smaller companies and a few public-private partnerships. This is not what the left has in mind in the U.S. They want the government to own and control passenger rail.

The major company, Japan Railways, used to be state owned before being privatized and regionalized in 1987. The shinkansen (bullet train) was developed long before that, starting back in the 1960's, so clearly the Japanese government was indeed involved in its development. I also believe that these private companies may receive subsidies from the government, at least at the local level. In other words, the Japanese government has indeed had a lot to do with the development of the nation's rail network.

The fact is that we have a very physical environment than Japan. They cram 130 million people into area smaller than Montana. 25% of those people live in metro Tokyo. Sure, they can have high speed rail between cities because the distance between their cities isn't that great. Sure they can have commuter rail within the cities because most people live in very densely populated cities in high rise apartments, not in single family suburban homes like the U.S.

The Shinkansen network is now 1528 miles long, stretching from northern Honshu to Kyushu, and still growing. Hardly what I call a short distance. I see no reason why the US could not start developing high speed rail networks along busy corridors such as the Northeast (Boston, NY, Philadelphia, Baltimore, DC) and West Coasts (Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, LA, Las Vegas, San Diego). Sure, the sheer size of the US versus Japan presents a major challenge, but it's doable at least along the more heavily populated areas along the coasts. And don't forget that Japan, while much smaller than the US, is also quite mountainous in places. There are plenty of tunnels along train routes that go through mountains.

I think the main reason is the cultural differences between Japan and the US. The US, being individualistic, is a "car culture." "Auto-sapiens" as I like to call it. Ask yourself, why don't you take that train from the Seattle airport into town? Is it because

1. It's inconvenient for you 2. Too expensive 3. You just don't want to because you'd rather drive your car.

Cars in the US are a status symbol, not just a means for getting around. Riding the bus or train, or even a bicycle is for the "lower class," meaning those the cannot afford a car. Personally, I haven't owned a car since I moved to Tokyo in 1999, and don't miss it one bit. I get around by train or bicycle, or I walk. Works for me!

Certainly plenty of Japanese own cars too, but it's just not to the same extent as in the US. And in Tokyo, just like Manhattan, you really wouldn't want to own/operate a car, unless you had a lot of patience and disposable income. Just dealing with parking would be enough to drive me crazy!

I've been to Japan 20+ times. You can't compare the two at all.

You're right, you can't. But I think it's more about attitudes than physical issues.

You say you live in Japan, so you should know this.

You doubt that I live in Tokyo? You really should stop paying attention to Badeye. :-)

meguro  posted on  2010-11-12   21:33:27 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#29. To: meguro (#21)

And in Tokyo, just like Manhattan, you really wouldn't want to own/operate a car

Thanks for making my point. Most U.S. cities are NOT structured like Manhattan. They are structured like Dallas, St. Louis, or Detroit, with the bulk of the population living in single family homes in the suburbs rather than in high rise apartments in the city.

In Tokyo, I can leave my apartment, walk a couple of blocks to a train station and every 5 or 6 minutes two or more trains show up (depending on the size of the station) going in different directions. That won't work in Livonia Michigan or Irvine Texas. Commuter rail won't work in most places in the U.S. because of the way that our cities are laid out. It's just that simple.

jwpegler  posted on  2010-11-13   11:30:17 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


Replies to Comment # 29.

#31. To: jwpegler (#29)

Commuter rail won't work in most places in the U.S. because of the way that our cities are laid out. It's just that simple.

I agree, but there are places where commuter rail makes a lot of sense - beefing up the NE corridor so D.C. to Boston via train takes 2-3 hours rather than 5-6 would make a great deal of sense.

go65  posted on  2010-11-13 12:44:39 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


End Trace Mode for Comment # 29.

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