Sect LaHood on Japanese HSR test track

Yesterday, May 11th, Secretary LaHood experienced 312 mph on the test track of a Japanese maglev train. The secretary voiced the U.S. government's commitment to further developing passenger rail, while creating jobs at home.

HSR and Airlines co-existing

The Wall Street Journal reports that during an address earlier this week to the Federal Aviation Administration’s annual forecasting conference, Sec. Ray LaHood made the future very clear when saying,

“Let me give you a little bit of political advice: Don’t be against high-speed rail,’’ Sec. LaHood said. “It’s coming to America. This is the president’s vision, this is the vice president’s vision, this is America’s vision…. We’re going to get into the high-speed rail business.’’

In two or three decades, Mr. LaHood said, U.S. cities will be connected by high-speed rail – whether airlines like it or not.

“People want alternatives,’’ he said pointedly. “People are still going to fly, but we need alternatives. So get with the program.’’

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For anyone out there on Twitter, Amtrak now has an account -- http://twitter.com/amtrakusa

Sect. LaHood supports HSR to AASHTO

This past Wednesday, March 3rd, USDOT Sect. Ray LaHood stood in front of AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) and reiterated the federal government's long term support for passenger rail. Sect LaHood went as far as saying that in 20 to 30 years America WILL BE connected by intercity high speed passenger rail.

Skip to 5:14 for his remarks on rail:

Cabinet Members travel in support of HSR

From the White House: Office of the Press Secretary

Obama Administration officials are traveling across the country this week to announce funding for the high speed rail projects and discuss how this investment will create local jobs and rebuild the economy.
Today:

• EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson will travel to Durham, North Carolina,
• Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis will visit Columbus, Ohio and
• Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan will be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will hold an event in Washington, DC,
• Executive Director of the White House Council on Auto Communities and Workers Ed Montgomery will visit St. Louis, Missouri and
• Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

On Friday:

• a senior Department of Transportation official will travel to California and
• FRA Administrator Szabo will hold an event in Chicago, Illinois.

For further details on the major corridor projects, click here:

• Florida
• California
• Chicago-St. Louis-Kansas City
• Madison - Milwaukee – Chicago
• Charlotte - Raleigh - Richmond - Washington, D.C.
• Eugene-Portland-Seattle
• Detroit-Chicago
• Ohio
• Northeast

HSR Money released in Tampa

During the President's trip to Tampa this morning, he announced the recipients of the Stimulus Package's $8 billion in High Speed Rail Grants. The Midwest region received roughly $2.6 billion in federal grants, which is second only to the West region, due largely to the $2.25 billion going to California. Illinois will receive about $1.23 billion of the $4.5 billion it requested. For more read this article from Chicago Breaking News

Secretary LaHood talks more about the announcement on his blog. Below is a picture from the USDOT of the Midwest's grants:

Also, a tour a the historic and soon to be refurbished Union Depot in St. Paul is courtesy of Minnesota Public Radio and Secretary LaHood offers a brief synopsis of 2009 in the Department of Transportation:

HSR & Job Creation from Sect. LaHood

The Tribune reported, "Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said at a rail manufacturing conference that more than 30 foreign and domestic companies have promised to establish or expand operations in the United States if they are chosen to build high-speed lines. The commitments will ensure the rail program will create jobs in the U.S. and boost domestic manufacturing."

LaHood said he hopes rail-related manufacturing is located in states including Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, which leads the nation with 15.1% unemployment.

Keep in mind the FRA has received 45 requests totaling about $50 billion from 24 states. The Transportation Department’s Federal Railroad Administration will award the rail money to states “early next year,” LaHood said. Each State will decide how to spend their share.

In a great article from The Tribune, the superb quality of meals on the Baltimore & Ohio is remembered. One hopes of the day when passenger rail in this country will be not only fast, frequent and dependable, but healthy and delicious... just the way 007 would have it.

Secretary LaHood's wallet

I haven't wondered much about the contents of our Transportation Secretary's wallet, but if you had the same question as the folks at Politico, then you might find this interesting. As the man charged with overseeing the revival of passenger rail in our country, I figured his wallet was worth a post.

The Big Ten and Midwestern Rail

While a student at Fordham University, which is along the Metro North, New York and Connecticut’s regional commuter line, I was jealous of my classmates who could walk off campus and catch the train home for a long weekend or holiday break as they read, chatted on their cell phone or just caught some shut eye, while whoever would be picking them up from the station was likely still at home, instead of caught in highway traffic. I on the other hand would be sitting at LaGuardia wondering which jumbo pretzel I wanted to try next since my $300+ flight home was just delayed for the 4th time.

The Midwest is home to the 11 universities of the Big Ten conference and the roughly 330,000 undergraduates that matriculate at those schools, not to mention the graduate students, faculty, staff and those people who live near campus. If you happen to be a student, parent or alumni of a Big Ten school, especially someone who is from a Midwestern state other than your respective school, just imagine the possibilities! The comfort and convenience of not driving 5 hours to go pick up your son or daughter for Thanksgiving, when they will need a ride back just a few days later. Going to visit your friend from high school for the weekend who is currently studying at a conference rival without having to drive or get a ride to the airport. Snow, rain or lava (you never know in the Midwest) your train is speeding towards your destination while you are taking a nap, using the restroom or checking your email through Amtrak's wifi, which is coming soon. No need to worry about whether that car on the side of the road is a cop with a radar gun or if your flight is going to be delayed yet AGAIN (See what Secretary LaHood has to say on that topic).

Map of the Big Ten schools across the Midwest: image courtesy of Wikipedia

Map of President Obama’s Vision for HSR in America -- http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/images/rail_map_blog.jpg

When looking at the two images, it is easy to see how close the Big Ten schools will be to the lines on the planned Chicago Hub Network.

You might be thinking that your school is not close to a train station, well that is all the more reason to make sure that large colleges and universities, which attract HUGE numbers of people for education, employment and sporting events are considered when planning the Midwest Rail Network. Princeton University in New Jersey is approximately 3 miles from the busiest passenger line in the country, the Northeast Corridor Line. However students, employees and visitors can easily make the trip from the Princeton Junction Station on the mainline, to the steps of campus via a single coach car, known as “The Dinky”, which shuttles between the university and the prime artery for rail travel in the Northeastern United States. Small shuttle trains like The Dinky could easily link the nearest Amtrak Station to every campus in the Big Ten and numerous other institutions in the Midwest.

If you are a parent who is sick of traffic and long drives to campus, a student who would rather stretch out and relax while affordably traveling home for Winter Break, or a fan who would rather be goofing around with your buddies on your way to game instead of paying $50 to park on some guy's lawn nowhere where near the stadium, then keep this, among many other valid reasons, in mind when talking about the necessity of supporting comprehensive rail improvements throughout the Midwest.

To be totally blunt, fewer intoxicated fans driving home, fewer people stuck in interstate holiday traffic, fewer dollars spent on gas or airfare and fewer hours lost stuck in the car or on the runway during bad weather will benefit not only those traveling to and from a school, but all who fly, drive or ride a train in and out of and around the Midwest.

I apologize for not including many of the other excellent schools in the Midwest, namely Bradley University (Secretary LaHood’s Alma mater), so to illustrate the point of just how many colleges and universities would benefit from safe and dependable trains, please add in any schools that are less than 10 miles from the nearest Amtrak station in the comment section.

Please follow this link to make an impact by simply sending an email: http://www.midwesthsr.org/rollcall/