Meeting News - December 15, 2008 - (Page 24)

Transportation & Services California Says ‘Yea’ to High-Speed Rail Network Voters pass statewide bullet train; is the rest of the nation on track for similar systems? In November, Californians voted 53 to 47 to Proposition 1A, approving high-speed train service from the Bay Area to southern California, with over 800 miles of track. Meanwhile, in the Midwest, transportation officials are moving to push through a plan to establish a bullet-train network that would connect cities in nine states, with Chicago at the center. And Congress recently passed legislation that would give Amtrak $13 billion over the next five years to encourage development of high-speed rail corridors. The frontrunner for chief of the Department of Transportation, Minnesota congressman James Oberstar, has said, “We’re at a transformational point in intercity passenger rail service.” With all this movement in rails during the airline and energy crises, just how likely is a highspeed train network linking American cities coast-to-coast, similar to France’s high-speed trains? In a recent interview, an Amtrak spokesperson said high-speed rail in the U.S. cannot follow the European model because of the long distances between cities and the type of train tracks currently used (Sept. 22 MN, p. 22). Jo Linda Thompson, executive director of the Association for California High-Speed Trains, disagreed. “For train tracks under 700 miles, high-speed rail is definitely an option in the U.S.,” she said. “I believe that if we do this correctly, Edited by Terri Hardin terri.hardin@nielsen.com we will be the model, and it can— and will—happen across the U.S.” Thompson reinforced that she was not talking about a crosscountry high-speed rail line from New York to Los Angeles, but a system that links major cities in common regions. She also pointed out that high-speed rail would far from eclipse air travel, but rather supplement and enhance it. Getting travelers from short distances to Los Angeles International Airport, for instance, is difficult for those who are not near a local airport, Thompson said. And adding routes from LAX is not an option. “LAX can’t expand any further,” International Airport 1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf, IA 52722 1-800-THE-ISLE (1-800-843-4753) www.theislebettendorf.com © 2008 Isle of Capri, Inc. Must be 21 to enter casino. Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center is a trademark of the City of Bettendorf. Gambling a problem? There is help.And hope. Call 1-800-BETS-OFF. 24 MeetingNews December 15, 2008 www.meetingnews.com http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/mn_20080922/index.php?startid=22 http://www.theislebettendorf.com http://www.theislebettendorf.com http://www.theislebettendorf.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - December 15, 2008

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