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CSLB Position on High Speed Rail :


02/22/12
Heavier truck opponents say bridges can’t handle increased weight
Large shipping companies are pushing for heavier trucks on interstate roads, but opponents argue that 97,000-pound trucks would hasten deterioration of an already weak network of U.S. transportation infrastructure. "Bridges are already in rough shape, and this would make them worse, speeding up the cycle of decaying infrastructure and making the hole we've dug even worse," said Curtis Sloan, Coalition Against Bigger Trucks senior adviser. "A study in 2000 showed that with the increased weights, we would need to spend another $65 billion on bridges." The Tennessean (Nashville) (2/20)


02/13/12

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 13, 2012

CONTACT: Janis Mara, 916-403-0551

Karen Massie, 916-403-0556

 
STATEMENTS ON “BLENDED” APPROACH IN CALTRAIN CORRIDOR
 
 
 
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California High-Speed Rail Board Chairman Dan Richard addresses the issue of blended services in the Caltrain corridor:
 
“We’re very interested in enhancing connections between high-speed rail and local transit and other transportation systems. The Governor has told us he wants a plan that will get high-speed rail trains on the track sooner and in a less costly manner than previous plans called for.  If that can be accomplished by electrifying Caltrain’s lines and using that right-of-way, then it’s certainly something we want to consider,' Richard said.
 
“We will still begin construction in the Central Valley.  Some of our plans already call for blending high speed rail with local and regional transportation systems like Caltrain and Metrolink in Los Angeles.  This will result in building high-speed rail better and faster. It will mean less disruption for communities, not to mention the costs that would be saved by taking this approach," Richard said.
 
Concerns have been raised about the High-Speed Authority’s commitment to a blended system in which Caltrain and high-speed rail would share two tracks on the Peninsula, and the Authority is responding to these concerns.
 
The concerns were reported in a Friday newspaper article focused on a recently released environmental impact report for the Bay Area to the Central Valley. The Revised Draft Program EIR is an important technical document prepared in accordance with CEQA requirements.
 
Authority Board member Jim Hartnett added, “as was presented in the Authority’s Draft Business Plan released Nov. 1, and in subsequent discussion with key policymakers, the Authority is actively exploring a blended approach in the Caltrain corridor." Hartnett is a former chair of the Caltrain Joint Powers Board of Directors (San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties).
 
The Authority has been working with Caltrain in studying how Caltrain and High-Speed Rail trains can operate together within the existing right of way. The agency is in the final stages of publishing a 2012 Revised Business Plan and anticipates considering this plan at its upcoming April 5 board meeting.
 
“I believe the 2012 Revised Business Plan should further highlight the blended approach,” said Hartnett.
 
California’s High-Speed Train Project     

02/11/12

Despite a series of a cautionary reports by outside agencies and groups, the Obama administration is reaffirming its commitment to California's $98.5-billion bullet train project.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood traveled the state this week and met privately with Gov. Jerry Brown Thursday to discuss the embattled project, issuing a statement of support through the governor's office.

“Over the past week, I have traveled all over the Golden State and have found a strong base of support for the California High-Speed Rail project, from workers who will build it, manufacturers that will supply the trains to run on it and businesses that will benefit from using it,” LaHood said. “The Obama Administration is committed to High-Speed Rail because it is good for the economy and the nation. I look forward to working with Governor Brown to make this project as successful as possible.”

For the White House, California appears to be the lone subscriber to the president's vision for high-speed rail. Facing budget deficits and sluggish growth, Ohio, Florida and Wisconsin have all scrapped their proposals.

Brown has vowed to push forward despite mounting criticism and a growing crisis of confidence and credibility in the project.

The bullet train's initial $33-billion price tag has tripled since 2008, when voters approved bonds for what is planned to be an 800-mile network. While the California High-Speed Rail Authority has secured $12.5 billion for the first Los Angeles to San Francisco leg, the state auditor last month warned that the project has become "increasingly risky."

"The success or failure of the program" depends on obtaining up to $105 billion in additional funding, which has not been identified, the auditor said.

Nevertheless, Brown, organized labor, many members of the Legislature and business groups are pushing to start construction in the Central Valley later this year. They argue that the bullet train represents a bold vision of progress for the state and will create jobs, accommodate future growth and help the environment.

From LA Times report.
02/05/12
FRA reports rail incidents decreased in first 11 months of 2011
Rail accidents and incidents in the U.S. fell 5.7% in the first 11 months of 2011 versus the same period in 2010, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Fatalities also dropped 4.9%, the FRA reported. RailwayAge.com (2/2)

Authority Approves Bakersfield-Palmdale Supplemental Alternatives Analysis, Putting the Segment on Track for EIR Release in Early 2013

 

SACRAMENTO – At yesterday’s California High-Speed Rail Authority Board Meeting, the Authority Board approved the Supplemental Alternatives Analysis (SAA) Report for the Bakersfield-to-Palmdale Section of the California High-Speed Train project.

 

The Bakersfield-Palmdale Section is the first segment adjacent to the southern end of the 130 miles in the Central Valley set to begin construction later this year. Today’s approval of the SAA positions the alignment to move forward with developing the section Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) by early 2013.

 

“The Board is interested in ensuring they have many options available to them in determining which alignment is built after the initial segment, which runs roughly from Fresno to Bakersfield,” said Authority CEO, Roelof van Ark. “By approving this report, the Board has moved another stepped closer to creating an opportunity for construction into Palmdale to begin immediately following the Central Valley segment.”

 

The SAA Report is a refinement of the preliminary report that was approved by the Authority Board in September of 2010. The report was prepared to document additional evaluation and analysis of the proposed alignment alternatives identified in the preliminary report, and to identify the proposed alignment alternatives to be studied further as part of the EIR/EIS preparation process.

 

The report addresses the Authority’s priorities to reduce environmental impacts and overall project costs along the roughly 85-mile section between Bakersfield and Palmdale. Potential local land use conflicts, wetland issues, and other potential environmental impacts and stakeholder input were considered in modifying the proposed alignment alternatives.

 

With the Authority Board’s approval of the Bakersfield-to-Palmdale Supplemental Alternatives Analysis Report, the Authority will continue with its preliminary engineering and environmental review of the proposed alignments, culminating in a draft EIR/EIS in 2013.

 

To view a copy of the staff report for the SAA, visit: http://tinyurl.com/7aehahy


02/02/12
  • Heavier trucks would cause more burden for taxpayers
      proposed surface transportation bill is important to develop our nation's transportation infrastructure, but a provision to allow heavier trucks on our already deteriorating roads and bridges would come at the expense of taxpayers, according to Association of American Railroads CEO and President Edward Hamberger. "Before the buck is passed to taxpayers, Congress should do a complete study of the cost and impact of heavier and longer trucks on our infrastructure. We have to know what the costs are before huge trucks hit the road," writes Hamberger. Editors at the Asheville Citizen Times call the bigger truck proposal "a bad concept on just about every level." Politico (Washington, D.C.) (2/1), Asheville Citizen-Times (N.C.) (2/1) 
 
  • Some truckers oppose larger trucks on U.S. roads: A provision to permit bigger and longer trucks in a House transportation bill poses risks to road safety and could cause infrastructure damage, according to the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. It could also increase congestion and costs to truck drivers. "Truck drivers know firsthand that heavier and longer trucks are much harder to maneuver and put additional stress on our already deteriorating highways and bridges," said OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer. LandLineMag.com (2/1), The Trucker (2/1)
  • Opponents say bigger rigs pose safety threat: The American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act unveiled by House Republicans would allow heavier trucks on American roads -- going from 80,000 pounds to 97,000 pounds or even 126,000 pounds on some highways. "If there was ever a recipe for disaster, this is it," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. CNN (2/1), KFSN-TV (Fresno, Calif.) (2/1)  
02/01/12
Today, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unveiled its long-awaited surface transportation bill, called the "American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012." The bill includes provisions that would allow states to permit heavier and bigger trucks on the nation's highways, an idea the Association of American Railroads opposes.

To read more, click here: http://www.progressiverailroading.com/federal_legislation_regulation/news/AAR-to-fight-truck-weight-size-provisions-in-surface-transportation-bill--29748
The Committee is scheduled to begin consideration of the transportation reauthorization portion of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 2, 2012.  Legislative text will be available at www.transportation.house.gov./\

01/30/12


Gov. Jerry Brown, who is emerging as the champion of California's high-speed rail program, says the project actually would be cheaper than its estimated $100 billion price tag and that cap-and-trade fees from the state's crackdown on greenhouse gas emissions could help pay the freight.

 

From the Bee's David Siders: "It's not going to be $100 billion," the Democratic governor said on ABC 7's Eyewitness Newsmakers program. "That's way off." Brown's remarks come as his administration prepares revisions to the California High-Speed Rail Authority's latest business plan. Brown is trying to push the project through an increasingly skeptical Legislature following a series of critical reports."

 

The new chief of the high-speed rail project -- not surprisingly -- echoes the governor's positive outlook. Dan Richard says the bullet-train's fundamentals are strong and that constructing the first segment of the rail network in the San Joaquin Valley.

 

From the Fresno Bee's Tim Sheehan: "There are a number of people who would be just as happy to give that money back, and there are people who would say, 'Let's take it out of the Valley and put it in other places,' but I oppose that," said Richard, who acknowledged that he was originally skeptical about building first in the Valley. "This is the place to start building."

01/28/12

Brown offers sweeping defense of high-speed rail – During an interview on KCBS-AM in San Francisco, Gov. Brown noted that 14 other countries have bullet trains in service, and suggested that failing to construct one might cause the United States to become a Third World country.  LA Times article


New high-speed rail chief defends plan -- Despite a growing chorus of critics, the incoming head of the California High-Speed Rail Authority board remains confident that "the fundamentals of high-speed rail in California are strong" and that the central San Joaquin Valley is the place to start construction later this year.  Fresno Bee article

01/27/12



01/25/12
  • Obama vows to support businesses that back U.S. workers
    President Barack Obama pledged in his State of the Union address to spur economic recovery on several fronts, including streamlining government operations, bolstering U.S. manufacturing by taxing companies that go overseas and giving tax credits to those that boost worker training and education in the U.S. workforce. "An economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country," Obama said. National Journal (1/24), Bloomberg (1/25), National Public Radio (1/24)
  • Obama pushes for more infrastructure spending: President Barack Obama pushed infrastructure spending in his State of the Union address, linking it to the country's economic future. He plans to use half of the funds the U.S. will save from drawing down wars in the Middle East for infrastructure repairs and will issue an executive order that would minimize regulations that delay construction projects. Reuters (1/25), Bloomberg Businessweek (1/25), Business Recorder (Pakistan) (1/25)
  • Obama says corporate tax rate "makes no sense:" President Barack Obama wants to cut the corporate tax rate for manufacturers and impose a global minimum tax on corporations as a way to "dissuade multinationals from sheltering their income in low-tax jurisdictions." Both he and Republicans say the tax code needs a rewrite. "[C]ompanies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it," said Obama in his State of the Union message. Currently, the corporate tax rate in the U.S. is 35% -- among the world's highest. The Washington Post/Ezra Klein Blog (1/25), Chicago Tribune (1/25), The Telegraph (London) (1/25)
  

Developers hope to convert the 330-acre Oakland Army Base in California into a freight transfer facility for trains, ships and trucks. Infrastructure work alone could cost as much as $1 million per acre. Developers will invest $300 million for the $800 million project, but raising the balance will depend on a state grant and the approval of a sales tax by Alameda County voters. "It's a very practical, very pragmatic industrial plan to make the port more competitive and bring jobs to thousands of people," said Pat Cashman, project manager for the city. San Francisco Chronicle (1/25), KGO-TV (San Francisco) (1/24) 

01/24/12

Governor Brown’s State of the State 

Last week Governor Jerry Brown presented the State of the State speech to the legislature. In his remarks, he highlighted his commitment to build a statewide high-speed train project:

 

“Just as bold is our plan to build a high-speed rail system, connecting the Northern and Southern parts of our state. This is not a new idea. As governor the last time, I signed legislation to study the concept. Now thirty years later, we are within weeks of a revised business plan that will enable us to begin initial construction before the year is out.

 

President Obama strongly supports the project and has provided the majority of funds for this first phase. It is now your decision to evaluate the plan and decide what action to take. Without any hesitation, I urge your approval.

 

If you believe that California will continue to grow, as I do, and that millions more people will be living in our state, this is a wise investment. Building new runways and expanding our airports and highways is the only alternative. That is not cheaper and will face even more political opposition.

 

Those who believe that California is in decline will naturally shrink back from such a strenuous undertaking. I understand that feeling but I don’t share it, because I know this state and the spirit of the people who choose to live here. California is still the Gold Mountain that Chinese immigrants in 1848 came across the Pacific to find. The wealth is different, derived as it is, not from mining the Sierras but from the creative imagination of those who invent and build and generate the ideas that drive our economy forward.

 

Critics of the high-speed rail project abound as they often do when something of this magnitude is proposed. During the 1930’s, The Central Valley Water Project was called a “fantastic dream” that “will not work.” The Master Plan for the Interstate Highway System in 1939 was derided as “new Deal jitterbug economics.” In 1966, then Mayor Johnson of Berkeley called BART a “billion dollar potential fiasco.” Similarly, the Panama Canal was for years thought to be impractical and Benjamin Disraeli himself said of the Suez Canal: “totally impossible to be carried out.” The critics were wrong then and they’re wrong now.”

 

For a full transcript of his speech, visit: http://gov.ca.gov/home.php

 

Business Plan

In November 2011, the California High-Speed Rail Authority released a draft of its 2012 Business Plan which provides a comprehensive outlook on the financial, governance, and phasing plans for the statewide high-speed train project. The plan also outlines the alternatives that exist to upgrade our current transit system for the growing California population. A final Business Plan will be approved by the Board in 2012.

 

To review the Business Plan, please visit: www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/Business_Plan_reports.aspx.

 

Bakersfield - Palmdale Section

The Bakersfield to Palmdale regional team has continued to refine the proposed alignments in the Edison, Tehachapi and Antelope Valley sub-segments in preparation of presenting a Supplemental Alternatives Analysis Report to the California High-Speed Rail Board in February 2012. Refinements to the proposed alignments focus on value engineering along the entire segment.

 

For more information on the Bakersfield-Palmdale section, visit: http://cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/lib_Bakersfield_Palmdale.aspx

 

Palmdale - Los Angeles Section

The Supplemental Alternatives Analysis for the Palmdale to Sylmar section will be presented to the Board in April 2012. Following discussions with area stakeholders, more than ten alternatives were investigated throughout Acton, Agua Dulce and Santa Clarita/Sand Canyon. Upon further review by the Authority, the regional team will recommend to the Board alignment alternatives from Palmdale to Sylmar for study in the environmental review process.

 

For more information on the Palmdale-Los Angeles section, visit: http://cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/lib_Palmdale_Los_Angeles.aspx

 

I-5 Conceptual Study

In May 2011, the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board requested that the regional team assess potential alternatives along the I-5 to determine if new conditions and factors exist that would justify reconsidering the 2005 Program EIR/EIS decision to drop the I-5 corridor in favor of the Antelope Valley corridor.

 

The final study, released last week, reinforced the 2005 Program EIR/EIS. It concluded that the Antelope Valley corridor still has fewer potential environmental impacts and greater connectivity than the I-5 corridor. The Board agreed with staff recommendations at their January 2012 board meeting and requested that a proposed route through Palmdale be moved forward in the environmental review process. 

 

For more information on the study, visit: http://cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/pr_01122012__planning.aspx

 

Los Angeles – Anaheim Section

In March 2011, the California High-Speed Rail Board approved further study of a phased implementation plan for the Los Angeles to Anaheim section of the statewide high-speed train system.  This phased approach may bring early benefits to existing rail and commuter services and could improve mobility and rail safety for the local region.  This blended approach is being incorporated into the environmental document, as teams continue to work with the corridor cities, agency partners and stakeholders to develop the best solutions for the Los Angeles to Anaheim rail section.

 

For more information on the Los Angeles-Anaheim section, visit: http://cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/lib_Los_Angeles_Anaheim.aspx

 

Los Angeles - San Diego Section

In October 2011, AB 615 (Bonnie Lowenthal) was signed into law by Governor Brown, allocating $4 million in state funds to continue the environmental studies being completed throughout the Los Angeles to San Diego region.  This allows for further technical analysis to be completed in the areas of the section with multiple corridors under consideration.  We could not have achieved this funding without the support from various corridor stakeholders and agencies with an interest in seeing the planning work continue between Los Angeles and San Diego.  Further analysis and outreach to key stakeholders will continue with the submittal of a Supplemental Alternatives Analysis by the end of 2012. 

 

For more information on the Los Angeles-San Diego section, visit: http://cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/lib_Los_Angeles_San_Diego.aspx

 

SCAG 2012 RTP

The staff and board members of Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) recently drafted the 2012 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), a long-range transportation plan that is developed and updated by SCAG every four years. The California high-speed train is included in this long-term vision for the region, with the goal that early investment in existing passenger rail corridors identified for future high-speed train use will improve travel times and safety throughout Southern California. We want to thank the staff and committee members who have worked tirelessly to ensure high-speed rail is included in the 2012 RTP Constrained Plan.

 

For more information, visit: http://www.scag.ca.gov/rtp2012/index.htm



01/23/12

Brothers & Sisters – Warren Buffet didn’t buy the BNSF and his buddy Bill Gates buy 10 percent of the CN because there are foamers:

Freight rail industry enjoying 'new golden age' thanks to intermodal service

By McClatchy Newspapers
Sunday, January 22, 2012
 
HARRISBURG — It's a Sunday afternoon and there's a huge traffic jam on a bridge that crosses the Susquehanna River, with truck trailers and containers on both sides waiting to get to their final destinations in the densely populated Northeast.
But this gridlock isn't occurring on a highway.
Rather, it's on the century-old, stone-arch bridge that now carries the trains of Norfolk Southern Railway to far-flung destinations such as Chicago, New York, New England, Baltimore and Atlanta. Half a century ago, most of those trains would have carried coal, ore and manufactured goods stuffed into old-fashioned boxcars. Many still do, actually.
But what's causing the traffic jam is something else: The "boxcars" belong to trucking and shipping companies, such as UPS, J.B. Hunt and Schneider International, filled with consumer products bound for the shelves of big-box stores such as Wal-Mart, Target and Home Depot.
If you buy stuff at any of those stores — and most of us do — it got there by train.
More than three decades after the federal government deregulated freight railroads, the industry is enjoying "a new golden age," said Frank Wilner, the author of several books on railroad economics. After being left for dead in the 1970s, railroads reinvested nearly $10 billion in themselves last year alone, according to industry figures, and they haven't received taxpayer bailouts.
Need a job? They're hiring, and if you're a veteran, they want you.
They can't send jobs overseas because their business is literally bolted to the ground.
"They are more efficient than trucks are at moving quantities of freight," Wilner said.
The Interstate Highway System eroded railroads' freight business starting in the 1950s. Railroads tried to win back some of the business by putting truck trailers and containers on flatcars — intermodal service, it's called, because the merchandise can move by road, rail and water — but with a tradition of moving heavy freight at slow speeds, they weren't very good at it.
"When I started, railroads were the laughingstock of intermodal service," said Mark B. Solomon, senior editor at industry magazine DC Velocity and a transportation author and expert who has covered the industry for 30 years and formerly handled public relations for UPS.
Not only is trucking freight rail's biggest competitor, it's its biggest customer. In 2003, intermodal service overtook coal as the leading source of revenue for the freight rail industry.
Solomon and other transportation experts said truckers are losing their edge because of highway congestion, higher fuel costs, driver shortages and pending safety regulations. In the meantime, railroads have made a huge bet on intermodal service, spending hundreds of millions of dollars on new facilities and upgraded tracks to handle the increasing traffic volume.
"The trucking industry has a problem," said Larry Kaufman, a former transportation journalist, industry analyst and communications chief, and author of "Leaders Count," a book about the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe railway.
"Smarter truckers and smarter railroads are seeing this as a synergy," he said.
Now, Solomon said, the advantage goes to freight railroads. The low pay and difficult, on-the-road lifestyle makes it hard for trucking to attract drivers.
"When the economy picks up, you're going to have the worst driver shortage in history," he said.
J.B. Hunt made its first rail shipment more than two decades ago, after its founder rode a Santa Fe Railway intermodal train from Chicago to Kansas City with Santa Fe's president. Recently, the Lowell, Ark., trucking company reported that intermodal operations generated 59 percent of this year's third-quarter revenues.
Matt Rose, BNSF's chief executive, said this isn't your grandfather's railroad business.
"The railroad of today is not the railroad of yesterday," Rose said. "We're a great kaleidoscope of the U.S. economy."
Rose isn't the only one who thinks so. In 2009, billionaire investor Warren Buffett spent $26 billion to buy BNSF in what he described as "an all-in wager" that the economy would come roaring back from recession.
While a robust recovery hasn't materialized, BNSF profits rose 14 percent in the second quarter of 2011.
BNSF's 32,000-mile railroad network, based in Fort Worth, Texas, blankets the western two-thirds of the United States, often within a stone's throw of its archrival Union Pacific — "a great competitor," Rose said of the slightly larger Omaha, Neb., company.
Railroads haul more than 40 percent of the freight in the United States, and they're a pretty good indicator of the health of various sectors of the economy. Rose said it's a mixed picture.
Although the housing bust means that BNSF is hauling less lumber and other construction materials, Rose said the energy sector is a bright spot in the railroad's portfolio. That not only includes an oil- and gas-drilling boom, but also "green" energy such as wind — the railroad transports turbines to sites where they're assembled to generate electricity. BNSF also remains one of the country's top coal haulers; the railroad says it moves enough to power one out of every 10 homes in America.
As a member of President Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, Rose sits alongside several U.S. business leaders, including Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg.
"We're not an Internet-age company, but very much an industry that helps to allow large segments of the economy to grow," Rose said.


01/21/12


Open Channel - Railroad companies fight safety rules, with help from GOP and Obama
By Justine Sharrock, Laurie Udesky and Stuart SilversteinFairWarning.org Less than four years after a California train disaster spurred passage of major safety legislation, railroad companies are pushing hard to relax the law’s chief provision. They have won over key Repub …

Progressive Railroading Daily News
www.progressiverailroading.com
Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued two safety recommendations to the Federal Railroad Administration to address five rear-end collisions that occurred last year because crew members failed to operate trains at required restricted speeds, according to the board. The NTS...
  • Gov. Brown: Calif. reiterates need for HSR
    California Gov. Jerry Brown is calling for large investment in infrastructure, urging state lawmakers to approve funding for the first section of the proposed 520-mile high-speed rail system connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles. "Those who believe that California is in decline will naturally shrink back from such a strenuous undertaking" as HSR, Brown said. "I understand that feeling, but I don't share it, because I know this state and the spirit of the people who choose to live here." Los Angeles Times (1/19), The Hill/Transportation Report blog (1/18)
NEWS RELEASE
Immediate Release: January 19, 2012
Inquiries or interviews: Anthony Le
202.248.5001    
 

US HIGH SPEED RAIL ASSOCIATION APPLAUDS CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR JERRY BROWN FOR ADVANCING HIGH SPEED RAIL
 
Washington, DC - The US High Speed Rail Association (USHSR) applauds Governor Brown for his vision, leadership, and commitment to the state's new high speed rail project. USHSR and its 250 members fully support this visionary transportation project, and commend Governor Brown for leading the way in getting America to think big again.

Governor Brown, in his second State of the State address yesterday, came out strongly supporting the state's new high speed rail project while blasting the critics: "The Central Valley Water Project was called a 'fantastic dream' that 'will not work,' " Brown said. "The master plan for the interstate highway system in 1939 was derided as 'New Deal jitterbug economics.' In 1966, then-Mayor Johnson of Berkeley called BART a 'billion-dollar potential fiasco.' Similarly, the Panama Canal was for years thought to be impractical, and Benjamin Disraeli himself said of the Suez Canal: 'Totally impossible to be carried out.' The critics were wrong then, and they're wrong now.'' said Governor Brown.

"We cannot afford to let shortsightedness or politics dictate our future" said Jim Earp, Executive Director, California Alliance for Jobs.   "Forward-thinking projects like high-speed rail offer tremendous environmental, economic and transportation benefits that are well worth the investment, not only now but for future generations."

USHSR supports the California high speed rail system as a Special Project of National Significance. "It's the largest, most advanced HSR project in the nation, with the first phase readying to go out to bid" said Andy Kunz, USHSR President. "There's widespread public and business support for this project. A number of major national and international investors are interested in public-private partnerships. The project is already creating jobs, and many more coming once construction begins. It will become a national demonstration project for advanced HSR technology in America." Given the location near Silicon Valley, a new high tech industry could evolve around HSR.

"California will be the first test of 220 mph trains on American soil, quickly advancing the nation from last place in the world, to first place in global state-of-the-art HSR." added Kunz. Governor Brown said "those who believe that California is in decline will naturally shrink back from such a strenuous undertaking, I understand that feeling, but I don't share it because I know this state and the spirit of the people who choose to live here."

USHSR views increased investment in HSR as both visionary and pragmatic. It's visionary for thinking big and working for something better. It's pragmatic and fiscally conservative because it's a smart investment in the nation's future. HSR creates millions of jobs, revives our manufacturing sector, stimulates real estate development, and sets up America to save energy, money, and time - year after year. It delivers a fast and reliable mobility option, it protects the nation from energy price spikes, and increases national security by reducing our dependency on foreign oil.

The California HSR system will be one of the main topics at USHSR's upcoming High Speed Rail Summit taking place February 28 - March 1 in Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.ushsr.com


US High Speed Rail Association is the only organization in America focusing entirely on advancing a state-of-the-art national high speed rail network. Our vision includes a 21st century, 17,000 mile national high speed rail system built in phases for completion by 2030.  

 



Editor's note: 
Members of the media are invited to attend High Speed Rail Summit 2012. For consideration, please contact the Communications office at: press@ushsr.com
Press credentials should be submitted with your request. USHSR reserves the right to screen all requests.
 
###

 

 

 

For recent news reports, information, and updates on the Summit, visit: www.ushsr.com

 

 

 

US High Speed Rail Association
10 G Street NE, Suite 710 Washington, DC 20002 | 202.248.5001 | www.ushsr.com

 


01/20/12

  • Boxer pushes for passage of surface transportation bill
    Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chose a grade-separation project in California as an example of why Congress needs to pass a surface transportation bill called Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century. The project reduced congestion, improved safety and created jobs. "MAP-21 will enable states and local governments across the country to build grade separation projects through a new freight program that will increase the efficiency of the movement of goods,” Boxer said. “MAP-21 will also substantially increase funding for the Highway Safety Improvement Program to address critical safety issues at rail crossings.” ProgressiveRailroading.com (1/19)  LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email this Story


01/14/12

Brown moves to revamp high-speed rail project -- Gov. Jerry Brown said Friday that his appointees to the board overseeing California's embattled $98 billion high-speed rail project will fix its problems and offer a revamped business plan after the rail authority's director and its board chairman resigned a day earlier. The Democratic governor told reporters in Elk Grove, a Sacramento suburb, that he will not join the "defeatist crowd" that believes the project is impossible. AP article; Capitol Alert; LA Times article

Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani: High-speed rail resignations a ‘key turning point’ for Gov. Brown’s support of project -- Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani, an author of the High Speed Rail Bond Proposition 1A, responded to the resignation of High Speed Rail Director Roelof Van Ark, and the stepping down of Board Chair Tom Umberg, calling it a “key turning point giving Governor Jerry Brown the opportunity to put his resources behind the success of the program,” according to a news release from her office.   Merced Sun-Star article

01/12/12

Visalia Times-Delta: Let door open on high-speed rail -- High-speed rail is not likely to survive 2012, but it could re-emerge in 2013, 2014 or beyond. Let's not leave the station entirely yet.  Visalia Times-Delta editorial


Proposal seeks high-speed rail jobs for people from high unemployment areas -- If construction of California's high-speed rail project begins this year in the central San Joaquin Valley, employment advocates want to make sure it provides jobs for unemployed workers in the economically ravaged region.  Fresno Bee article

   Amtrak sets agenda -- will upgrade tracks, build electric locomotives
  • Amtrak plans to spend $764 million to build 70 new electric locomotives and 130 long-distance rail cars to strengthen its fleet and show "commitment to long-distance service," particularly in the Northeast Corridor, according to Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman. Major projects are also planned, including building new stations and upgrading tracks to enhance reliability and allow trains to go faster in some areas. The Boston Globe (tiered subscription model) (1/12), Bloomberg (1/11), The Wall Street Journal/The Associated Press (1/11), ProgressiveRailroading.com (1/12) 
01/11/12
GOP proposes halting sale of high-speed rail bonds – A California lawmaker has proposed legislation that would halt the sale of $9 billion in voter-approved bonds for the Golden State's embattled high-speed rail project.  Backed by a clutch of Republican lawmakers, Assemblywoman Diane Harkey (R-Dana Point) said the deficit-plagued state could not afford a "shiny new toy" while it cuts services to balance its books. Her bill, dubbed the "Lemon Law for High Speed Spending," would prevent bond sales to fund the 520-mile system between San Francisco and Los Angeles.  LA Times article
January 4th, 2012
FRA proposes changes to passenger train emergency systems

High-speed rail needed now
Reader Input

Do these issues mean anything right now?

Severe highway congestion getting worse each year. Aviation in continuous decline with increased cancellations, delays and bankruptcies.

Permanently rising fuel costs for transportation. Jobless claims through the roof and no money coming into the state’s tax coffers from the unemployed or the businesses where they would spend their earnings if they had good jobs.

Honestly, do these things mean anything to you right now?

Please don’t fall for the scare tactics of State Senator (Doug) LaMalfa in which he purchased a full-page ad to persuade everyone to sign on to another initiative to destroy the dream and the promises of the first high-speed rail system in the nation.

High-speed rail provides congestion relief, mobility, time savings, convenience, creates millions of jobs nationwide, a catalyst to real estate market renewal, tourism renewal, transportation safety and reliability, energy savings (which lessens our dependence on foreign oil), is sustainable with renewable sources of energy, lowers our carbon footprint and is profitable.

State, federal and private funding will make this a reality. There are private firms standing in line and expressed great interest in getting involved, but they won’t budge until the state and federal government make the initial investment move for the beginning stages of construction.

The “train to nowhere” slogan LaMalfa uses is a red herring! The very best place to start building this project is in the Central Valley where the train can easily obtain a top speed of 220 mph, and the costs of construction would be a lot less because of the rural area it would traverse.

Compare this fact to starting the building process in Los Angeles. Eminent domain issues would slow the process down, and the costs would be the highest of anywhere else on the proposed route.

Additionally, the current Amtrak route would be blended into this finished section of high-speed rail until such time as the entire route is finished, thusly resolving the train to nowhere notion.

HSR will put many people back to work and will exponentially increase our state’s and nation’s tax base.

Let’s not be penny wise and pound foolish. We need high-speed rail and the sooner the better! If not now ... when?

Tim Smith


Lawmaker proposes revote on high-speed rail -- As legislators prepare to return to the Capitol this week, one lawmaker is proposing legislation that would allow voters a do-over on the $9 billion in state bonds they authorized for California’s high-speed rail project.  LA Times article

“Today’s Peer Review Panel report on the California high-speed rail project misses the mark"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  January 3rd, 2012

Contact: Steve Smith, (510) 326-4644

High-Speed Rail Peer Review Panel Misses Mark

Statement by California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski

“Today’s Peer Review Panel report on the California high-speed rail project misses the mark. With California facing a jobs crisis and an urgency to upgrade our failing transportation infrastructure, further delay in breaking ground on high-speed rail is neither prudent nor responsible.

“Any project that’s the size and scope of high-speed rail is bound to encounter difficulties along the way. But rather than working to implement the vision of high-speed rail, the panel suggests derailing the project at a critical stage, which would put billions in federal funding at risk. That’s not a viable solution for California.

“Under new leadership, the California High-Speed Rail Authority is headed in the right direction. The Authority’s business plan addresses the myriad issues facing high-speed rail in a thoughtful and thorough way. The plan offers a roadmap to realizing what is the most important and visionary public works project in decades.

“In the short term, the project will create thousands of desperately needed jobs to help lift our state out of economic morass. In the long term, high-speed rail will deliver a world-class, environmentally friendly transportation system that will transform our state. Now is not the time to back away from the high-speed rail vision. An investment in high-speed rail is an investment in our state’s future. The Legislature must grant voter-approved bonds so that work can begin on the project this year.” 



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