An ongoing discussion led by the Midwest High Speed Rail Association on creating a modern, high-speed passenger rail network. We also discuss national and international transportation policy.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
$4 Billion for HSR in 2011
Our own Rick Harnish was on hand yesterday in Washington DC to support the call for the federal government to dedicate $4 billion towards high speed rail in 2011 and beyond. Please visit FourBillion.com to easily ask your legislators to support this measure.
The AP reports that Amtrak will be rolling out AmtrakConnect, it's free wireless internet service, on all 20 Acela train and in the gate areas of the following Northeast Corridor Stations:
Washington Union Station
Baltimore Penn Station
Philadelphia 30th Street Station
New York Penn Station
Providence Station
Boston - Route 128 Station
Wilmington Station (2011 - once station renovations are completed)
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Air Rail News has word that Brazil is looking to have a High Speed Rail Corridor (Rio de Janeiro - Sao Paulo - Campinas) up and running in time for the 2016 Olympics.
On July 24th, the St. Louis Cardinals took three privatized Amtrak cars, from Washington, D.C., where they were playing the Nationals, to Philadelphia for a series against the Phillies.
Professional sports teams taking trains to road games opens up an exciting can of marketing and publicity worms for passenger rail. During the playoffs, or before rivalry games on the road, pro teams could have, for lack of a better word, pep rallies at their city's train station where the media could interview players and coaches, while fans seek autographs and wish their team well on the road. Sure it sounds a little corny, but it has to be better than always leaving to and from some private air strip where only the Travel Secretary knows that you're there, or in the case of the Yankees, Assistant to the Traveling Secretary, George Costanza.
Fans would get to meet the players, passenger trains and stations would receive much need publicity and it would be a new and innovative way for teams to market themselves. With better funding for faster and more reliable trains throughout the Midwest, and the country for that matter, I imagine it would be more enjoyable for professional athletes (on road trips of 500 miles or less), who often times happen to be a little bigger than the rest of us, to travel by rail where they can stretch their legs walking from car to car, recline their chair without hitting the knees behind them and arrive in the middle of the city they're playing in and likely much closer to the hotel and stadium than the airport would be.
photo courtesy of Transportation For America
