The High Speed Rail

Is the High Speed Rail A Solution to the California Crisis?

Throughout the last three decades, California's population has grown considerably with an increase of approximately 12.8 million people since the 1980 census was conducted. One thousand residents have migrated to California each day for the past 70 years with projected growth to reach 50 million by 2040. Unfortunately, this population increase has brought about several problems for the state such as severe traffic congestion, air pollution, expensive highway expenditures and suburban sprawl. One proposed solution to these problems is the construction of the High-Speed Rail train.

The California High-Speed Rail project has been in the works since 1996 when state leaders, after inspiration from the High-Speed Rail's success in Japan and Europe, established the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The overall system will extend 700 miles with the aspiration of connecting all of California's most populated regions such as Sacramento, the Bay Area, Central Valley, Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. A $9.95 billion bond measure to finance the first phase of the project is currently scheduled to be on the ballot this November and if approved by voters, the project will begin construction as early as 2009. If approved, California's High-Speed Rail will be among the fastest Rail systems in the world with speeds up to 220 mph. With such high operating speeds, passengers will be transported between regions at a rate that supersedes the capabilities of the automobile. Of the 5 types of train services that will be offered, the Express High-Speed trains will shuttle passengers from San Diego to Los Angeles in 75 minutes and from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 2.5 hours for a price in between the cost of flying and driving.

In order to accommodate the recent 2007 forecast, which anticipate the High-Speed Rail system servicing up to 117 million passengers annually by 2030, the Authority projects that 86 trains will be in regular operation in each direction during weekdays, with stops at approximately 30 stations. The Authority maintains that High-Speed Rail will be very efficient considering a majority of the system will be constructed alongside existing transportation corridors such as major highways and streets. One stipulation that the Authority is mandating from cities and municipalities across the state is a change in each city's plan and zoning code to spur the development of new walk able, high density, mixed use communities in the neighborhoods that surround rail stations. With 30 potential stations expected to be in operation once the system is complete, the Authority advocates that the changes in land use patterns will encourage greater rider-ship of public transit and High-Speed Rail throughout California.

The change in the transportation behavior of many residents has the potential to pay significant dividends to the state's environmental effort to reduce the amount of CO2 emissions. In its projections and based largely on High-Speed Rail in other continents, the Authority estimates that up to 22 million barrels of oil consumption and 17.6 billion pounds of CO2 emissions will be reduced per year. While the High-Speed Rail's impact on the environment is promising, the state economy will also benefit from the project's implementation. Approximately 450,000 new permanent jobs will be created once the project is complete in addition to the several hundred thousand construction jobs that are created.

Several notable public officials have endorsed the project such as Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Los Angeles Major Antonio Villaraigosa and bi-partisan support from California's Congressional delegation. Overall, the cost of building the High-Speed Rail in California is projected to be $40 billion. The question all Californians must ask themselves before November 4th is whether the proposed High-Speed Rail project with all of its potential and benefits is worth the $40 billion investment it will cost?

For more information, visit: http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/ and http://www.highspeedtrainsforca.com.

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