C'mon ride the (high speed) train, hey, ride it, woo woo!

I thought we voted in favor of one of those in California some time ago. Whatever happened to that?

 

The vote in California was to provide state funding (via bonds) to start paying for the line -- this is federal funding which will be in addition to the state funding. The overall plan is something like $30-40 billion -- the state bonds so far are ~$10 billion, and now there is an additional $2.25 billion from the feds -- we still have a ways to go in paying for this thing.

 

Cool!

It's about time we get something.

 

Why hasn't the free market built you a modern transportation system

 

I was being sarcastic

 

Every facet of coordinated public transportation is subsidized somehow, everywhere around the globe. (Or paid for via donations from wealthy barons, etc).

In US developmental history, automobile interests co-opted to hasten the fall of the inner-city rail services, and as the nation grew larger in both population and urbanizing geography, it did so with more and more people and development patterns evolving around the car as opposed to mass transit. The US, as a continental nation, simply matured at a time when there wasn't a dynamic need to build transit oriented development. Alas, given the costs and permanence of land development it will now cost the nation tons to recover that level of efficiency, if ever.

Edit: Just saw your post above. My meter must be off...

- - -

What gets me is the Tampa-Orlando run. I mean, they're telling me THAT 84 miles is crucial to the national rail network? No offense, but even in late revisions of the 90's Florida Overland Xpress project that was the last priority for Floridians. At least anything along the Miami-Orlando-Jacksonville corridor would've also contributed to the grand Eastern Seaboard concept.

CHI-STL Hey, who didn't see this one coming? Seriously, though, worth it IMO.

Heard LA-LV wasn't directly sponsored due to costs, but was still expecting something to go that way.

Glad to see Raleigh-Charlotte getting some attention, and hoping that means Atlanta's improved accessibility is not too far behind. Takes the train overnight to get from there to DC right now; I can drive it 2 hours faster.

Hopefully at some time of plenty in the not too distant future they'll be able to cough up the $50B it will need to make this stuff a reality, then the urban forms and efficiencies for the US will really take off.

 

Maybe that is why it's called public transportation.