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LaHood: Don’t expect Japanese trains in U.S. overnight
Friday, May 14, 2010
Fresh off a tour on which he rode bullet trains in China and Japan, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is using his blog to temper the expectations of Americans anxious to ride similar trains here. “No, Japanese and Chinese trains are not coming to the US,” he writes. “BUT, Japanese and Chinese high-speed rail technology and expertise may be on its way.”
NARP shares the Secretary’s (and, by extension, the President’s) conception of a near future in which design techniques gleaned from overseas are incorporated into modern, mostly American-made trains that provide frequent, reliable service to more places on existing, upgraded rail lines.
It’s easy for American public officials to point enviously to Europe, China and Japan. But we commend those, like Mr. LaHood, who realize that the U.S. cannot play decades’ worth of catch-up in a matter of a few years.
In other recent news and views:
- Faced with a choice between speeding up existing trains and adding more trains at current speeds, VIA Rail Canada (the national intercity operator) makes the right choice.
- An airline passenger laments inaction on rail connectivity in his home state of Texas. “What does it say about Texas that there’s a need for high-speed rail, broad support for it, and yet we can’t seem to make much concrete progress?” he writes. As always, it’s a matter of demonstrating to those who hold the purse strings that modern passenger trains are a high priority when most of what elected officials hear is “cut spending.” Helpfully, the Texas DOT’s newly appointed rail chief reminds us to temper our expectations.
- The coalition calling for a $4 billion appropriation for the high-speed intercity passenger rail program in fiscal 2011 held a press conference at Washington’s Union Station on Tuesday to formally launch its campaign, with NARP’s full backing. A funding increase for the greatly oversubscribed program has gotten significant backing from members of Congress.
- Amtrak employees go out of their way to reunite NARP Council member Jim Loomis with a pair of reading glasses he left on a train.
—Malcolm Kenton
Posted by Malcolm Kenton
Tags: bullet trains, china, expertise, fourbillion.com, high-speed rail, japan, passenger trains, ray lahood, technology, texas, upgrade, via rail canada(0) Comments
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