'Transformative' California-Las Vegas high-speed rail project applauded by IE officials
Alexa Mae Asperin
Thu, December 14, 2023
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. - The highly-anticipated Brightline West bullet train that will take travelers from Southern California to Las Vegas in under three hours is being hailed as a "game-changer for the Inland Empire."
City officials applauded the federal government awarding the private company a $3 billion grant in funding - a critical step officials said will help push the project to the start of construction, which could begin by early 2024.
During a press conference earlier this week, city officials noted the impact the Brightline West project would have on the region, with construction alone supporting more than 11,000 jobs each year and bringing in $5 billion in spending to San Bernardino County, with $300 million of that going to Rancho Cucamonga.
"We are thrilled to witness the realization of this transformative project that connects our dynamic regions," said Rancho Cucamonga Mayor L. Dennis Michael. "This strategic investment in cutting-edge infrastructure not only opens doors to jobs, economic growth, tourism, and commercial ventures but also enhances Southern California’s global connectivity."
RELATED COVERAGE:
Vegas-California bullet train project gets $3 billion federal grant
California to Las Vegas bullet train advances key step
California to Las Vegas bullet train passes another major hurdle
Officials said plans are also underway to redevelop the Cucamonga Station as "a state-of-the-art multimodal transportation center" aiming to serve as many as 11 million passengers per year by using the high-speed rail service.
"The arrival of Brightline West and the new Cucamonga Station underscore how the Inland Empire and western San Bernardino County have become a transportation hub and economic driver for Southern California and beyond," said Atif Elkadi, CEO of the Ontario International Airport Authority.
Brightline West aims to start construction in the upcoming year, with the goal of having trains between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga running by summer 2028, just in time for the Olympics.
Photo courtesy Brightline West
According to Brightline, the expected travel time between Las Vegas and Los Angeles is approximately 2.5 hours. The zero-emission electric trains could carry 500 passengers at speeds of nearly 200 mph.
Approximately 50 million one-way trips are made annually between these two destinations with 85% of them by car or bus, the company said. At full operations, Brightline expects to attract approximately 12 million one-way trips each year.
Amenities for travelers include free onboard WiFi, ADA accessibility from station to train, a wide selection of food and drinks, checked luggage, and hotel check-in services.
Construction was originally set to begin in 2020, but was halted when the company postponed a planned $2.4 billion bond sale to finance initial tracks and stations for the $8 billion project. The company blamed the delay on market instability because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Other places where high-speed trains have been proposed include the 500-mile system linking Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The Rancho Cucamonga station will connect to Metrolink’s regional rail network, which includes stations in Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange, San Diego, and Ventura counties.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
State’s game-changing high-speed rail offers glimpse into nationwide convenient travel: ‘I’m all for it’
Leo Collis
Fri, December 15, 2023
Rail travel in the United States took a significant step forward in September with the arrival of a new Brightline service in Florida: a fast train between Miami and Orlando.
According to the Associated Press, it is the first privately owned inter-city passenger rail service to open in the country for a century, and project deliverer Fortress Investment Group is hoping the line will transport eight million people every year between the state’s major tourist cities.
The journey between the two locations takes three-and-a-half hours, with the train reaching speeds of up to 125 miles per hour on the 235-mile stretch.
Trying the new brightline route today. Pretty comfortable experience.
I'm glad the US is making some progress in public transportation. pic.twitter.com/8yPZz2KHBB
— Simon Yu (@SimonYuSEA) October 20, 2023
Brightline has previously outlined its commitment to sustainability. The company says its trains that run on the Miami to West Palm Beach line that opened in 2018 are the most environmentally friendly models in service, with the biodiesel electric trains said to cut equivalent pollution on the journey in personal vehicles by 75% per passenger per mile.
It is the first train company to receive the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management for its trains and stations, and it’s said the Miami-Palm Beach route can remove three million cars a year from roads in the area.
The opening of the new line has caught the imagination of Redditors, with a number of people sharing their thoughts on Brightline’s latest operation and the state of rail travel in the country.
“If more 110mph trains are going to be built around the country then I’m all for it,” one user said.
“[The government] should be building both [high-speed rail] and [non-high-speed-rail] so that trains can compete against both road and air travel,” added another. “Cars and planes are both terrible for the environment so we should be trying to get people off these and onto greener transport instead.”
Brightline’s trains don’t quite fit in the “high-speed rail” category, but the service between Orlando and Miami reduces travel time when compared to cars by around 30 minutes.
It’s safe to say the United States is lagging a bit when it comes to high-speed mass transportation by rail, with China among the world leaders in this field.
Meanwhile, Brightline CEO Mike Reininger heralded the possibilities that train travel provides, allowing passengers time to do other things they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do behind the wheel.
“The idea that my car is the only way for me to get where I need to go is being challenged by a new product,” he told the AP. “A new product that’s safer, that’s greener, that is a great value proposition (and) it’s fun.”
California Is Getting ‘World-Class’ High-Speed Trains
Jessica Puckett
Thu, December 14, 2023
Courtesy Central California
America's rail system has long paled in comparison to the bullet trains of Japan and France's Train à Grande Vitesse. But now, historic new federal funding could finally bring high-speed train travel to the US.
In December, the Biden administration announced $8.2 billion in funds will be allotted to 10 passenger rail projects across the US. Two of the projects receiving the largest investments are new high-speed trains in the West that will be among the “first world-class high-speed rail projects in our country’s history,” the White House says.
With top speeds of 200 and 220 miles per hour, the two lines would be the fastest passenger trains in the country, far outpacing the current fastest train in America—the Amtrak Acela. That train, which runs between Boston and Washington DC, currently reaches top speeds of 150 miles per hour (Amtrak's next generation Acela trains, which begin rolling out in 2024, will reach slightly faster speeds of up to 160 miles per hour).
The new projects would bring passenger trains in the US one step closer to high-speed rail systems in Europe and Asia. “When I ran for president, I made a commitment to build a world-class, high-speed rail worthy of the United States of America,” President Biden said in remarks announcing the funding. “To put our nation back on track with the fastest, safest, and greenest railways in the world. And at long last, we’re building the first high-speed rail project in our nation’s history.”
Not only will the new trains slash travel times compared to driving and help reduce traffic on some of the nation's busiest roadways—they'll be cleaner too. The two train lines coming to California will be electric, making them an environmentally friendly alternative to flying or driving, the White House says.
“The tide has turned for high-speed rail in America,” Andy Kunz, president and CEO of US High-Speed Rail said in a statement. “Electrified bullet trains will transform the nation’s transportation system—reducing congestion, helping end our dependency on fossil fuels and advancing the fight against climate change. ”
Here’s what travelers should know about the two high-speed rail projects coming to the western US later this decade: Brightline West and California Inaugural High-Speed Rail Service.
Brightline West trains will travel between California and Nevada, reaching speeds of up to 200 miles per hour.
Brightline’s new California to Nevada high-speed train will receive up to $3 billion in government funding to help build an intercity passenger rail system between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, California (a city in San Bernardino County about 37 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles). Brightline says its station in Rancho Cucamonga will be located right next to the city’s Metrolink commuter rail station, allowing for connections into the heart of Los Angeles.
Reaching speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, the new train will take just two hours—nearly half the time it takes to drive between the two cities. Most of the 218 miles of tracks will run in the median of Interstate 15.
Like Brightline's first trains in Florida, which run at maximum speeds of 125 miles per hour between Miami and Tampa, Brightline West will prioritize a comfortable passenger experience both on and off the train. The company is known for building modern rail stations complete with bars, passenger lounges, free Wi-Fi, grab-and-go food for purchase, and quick security checkpoints. On board, there will be free Wi-Fi and power outlets at each seat, as well as a snack and beverage service.
Because the trains will run on electricity, the new project will avert about 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions and remove millions of cars from the road each year, according to the White House. The rail line is expected to serve 11 million passengers annually.
Brightline West is expected to break ground in 2024, and the project will take an estimated four years to complete construction, putting the train’s debut in 2028 (at the earliest).
The California Inaugural High-Speed Rail Service Project's will eventually link Los Angeles and San Francisco with electrified trains traveling up to 220 miles per hour.
Another passenger rail project, called the California Inaugural High-Speed Rail Service Project, will receive up to $3.07 billion in government funding to bring high-speed rail service to California’s Central Valley. Tracks will stretch 171 miles from Bakersfield to Merced, stopping in Madera, Fresno, and Kings/Tulare along the way. The goal of the rail corridor is to connect smaller towns in the middle of the state with bigger cities in Northern and Southern California.
Eventually, the larger train project will link Los Angeles and San Francisco (and the cities in between), offering a high-speed rail journey that would take under three hours.
The trains will reach speeds of up to 220 miles per hour, and they’ll be all-electric, powered by 100% renewable energy, according to the White House. “These bullet trains will make travel quicker and easier, bring housing closer, create new jobs and economic opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach, secure cleaner air for our children and help save our planet,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who represents California’s 11th Congressional District that includes San Francisco, said in a statement.
Construction on the high-speed line has been happening in fits and starts since 2015, but travelers will have to wait several more years before exploring the Golden State by bullet train: Test runs on the Central Valley portion of the rail line aren't expected to start until at least 2028.
Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler
Opinion
Joe Matthews’ ‘modest’ proposal: Give high-speed rail to homeless Californians
Joe Mathews
Sat, December 16, 2023
California is spending billions to house its increasing population of unhoused people. But it hasn’t come close to its ambitious goal of ending homelessness. And many Californians have lost hope that it ever will.
California is spending billions to construct a high-speed rail system. But it hasn’t come close to completing an actual line. And many Californians have lost hope that it ever will.
In the face of such failures, what is to be done? One option would be to surrender, concluding that mega-projects are too challenging here.
Or we could steel ourselves and embrace the wisdom of Dwight Eisenhower, who advised: “If a problem cannot be solved, enlarge it.”
In Ike’s spirit, I suggest we combine the big problems of homeless housing and high-speed rail into something larger.
Opinion
I hereby propose — very modestly — Homeless High-Speed Rail.
You read that right. Finding permanent lodging for unhoused people would become the new, urgent mission of our high-speed rail authority.
Under Homeless High-Speed Rail, the state’s unhoused people would no longer have to live in cars, shelters or encampments. Instead, everyone would have the option of a sleeping-car berth on a brand-new bullet train.
Sure, this fusion might create some challenges. But might it solve even more problems?
For example: Advocates have long criticized California for its mishmash of competing homelessness initiatives, and for insufficient funding for local solutions. My proposal solves all that by consolidating every single state and local homeless housing program under one single state agency: the California High-Speed Rail Authority.
Now, some cynics might call that combination crazy — a mere merger of two giant dysfunctional money pits. And they wouldn’t be entirely wrong. The state has spent more than $20 billion on housing and homelessness since 2019 — but the number of unhoused Californians has grown by one-third. Meanwhile, the high-speed rail project has secured $25 billion — but is still $10 billion short of the $35 billion required to complete its first Central Valley segment from Merced to Bakersfield.
But, instead of spending massively on the land, labor, and permitting for homeless housing — Los Angeles pays $800,000 for some units — California could spend that money on rail cars that provide housing, leaving more funding to build rail. That’s a win-win!
An artist’s rendering depicts a high-speed rail train rolling through the southern San Joaquin Valley.
Combining homeless housing and high-speed rail also could answer objections that dog both programs.
For example, cities often can’t build homeless housing because of opposition from neighborhoods. But NIMBYs would lose their backyard objections when housing for the homeless zooms past at 200 mph.
Meanwhile, hosting homeless Californians answers persistent questions about whether there would be enough riders to support the project. In a Homeless High-Speed Rail project, unhoused individuals would provide a large and steady ridership base.
Strange as my proposal may seem, almost nothing about it is new.
Keeping homeless people constantly on the move sounds cruel, but this is already established policy across California, since communities constantly tear down homeless encampments, forcing unhoused people to keep relocating. And if you board local transit systems in the state, you’ll see that individuals without homes are California’s most dedicated train riders, because of the low-cost shelter they provide.
Of course, there will be some Californians who object to the whole concept, finding it perverse. These misguided moralists, a few of them columnists, will say that California is a rich place that can afford to house all its people and to build the high-speed rail systems that other countries enjoy.
In theory, these skeptical Californians will probably be right. But California doesn’t operate on theory. It operates on unmanageable budget processes, a volatile tax code, and a broken governing system. Since California refuses to fix these systems, it will never have enough housing for the homeless, or a high-speed spine for its transportation networks.
So, before you dismiss my modest proposal, ask yourself: In the face of massive failures, when doing big, essential things is nearly impossible, is any idea too awful to take off the table?
Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zócalo Public Square .
Joe Mathews
View comments
Passenger trains could help combat climate change — if rail can actually get built
Rachel Frazin
Alexa Mae Asperin
Thu, December 14, 2023
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. - The highly-anticipated Brightline West bullet train that will take travelers from Southern California to Las Vegas in under three hours is being hailed as a "game-changer for the Inland Empire."
City officials applauded the federal government awarding the private company a $3 billion grant in funding - a critical step officials said will help push the project to the start of construction, which could begin by early 2024.
During a press conference earlier this week, city officials noted the impact the Brightline West project would have on the region, with construction alone supporting more than 11,000 jobs each year and bringing in $5 billion in spending to San Bernardino County, with $300 million of that going to Rancho Cucamonga.
"We are thrilled to witness the realization of this transformative project that connects our dynamic regions," said Rancho Cucamonga Mayor L. Dennis Michael. "This strategic investment in cutting-edge infrastructure not only opens doors to jobs, economic growth, tourism, and commercial ventures but also enhances Southern California’s global connectivity."
RELATED COVERAGE:
Vegas-California bullet train project gets $3 billion federal grant
California to Las Vegas bullet train advances key step
California to Las Vegas bullet train passes another major hurdle
Officials said plans are also underway to redevelop the Cucamonga Station as "a state-of-the-art multimodal transportation center" aiming to serve as many as 11 million passengers per year by using the high-speed rail service.
"The arrival of Brightline West and the new Cucamonga Station underscore how the Inland Empire and western San Bernardino County have become a transportation hub and economic driver for Southern California and beyond," said Atif Elkadi, CEO of the Ontario International Airport Authority.
Brightline West aims to start construction in the upcoming year, with the goal of having trains between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga running by summer 2028, just in time for the Olympics.
Photo courtesy Brightline West
According to Brightline, the expected travel time between Las Vegas and Los Angeles is approximately 2.5 hours. The zero-emission electric trains could carry 500 passengers at speeds of nearly 200 mph.
Approximately 50 million one-way trips are made annually between these two destinations with 85% of them by car or bus, the company said. At full operations, Brightline expects to attract approximately 12 million one-way trips each year.
Amenities for travelers include free onboard WiFi, ADA accessibility from station to train, a wide selection of food and drinks, checked luggage, and hotel check-in services.
Construction was originally set to begin in 2020, but was halted when the company postponed a planned $2.4 billion bond sale to finance initial tracks and stations for the $8 billion project. The company blamed the delay on market instability because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Other places where high-speed trains have been proposed include the 500-mile system linking Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The Rancho Cucamonga station will connect to Metrolink’s regional rail network, which includes stations in Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange, San Diego, and Ventura counties.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
State’s game-changing high-speed rail offers glimpse into nationwide convenient travel: ‘I’m all for it’
Leo Collis
Fri, December 15, 2023
Rail travel in the United States took a significant step forward in September with the arrival of a new Brightline service in Florida: a fast train between Miami and Orlando.
According to the Associated Press, it is the first privately owned inter-city passenger rail service to open in the country for a century, and project deliverer Fortress Investment Group is hoping the line will transport eight million people every year between the state’s major tourist cities.
The journey between the two locations takes three-and-a-half hours, with the train reaching speeds of up to 125 miles per hour on the 235-mile stretch.
Trying the new brightline route today. Pretty comfortable experience.
I'm glad the US is making some progress in public transportation. pic.twitter.com/8yPZz2KHBB
— Simon Yu (@SimonYuSEA) October 20, 2023
Brightline has previously outlined its commitment to sustainability. The company says its trains that run on the Miami to West Palm Beach line that opened in 2018 are the most environmentally friendly models in service, with the biodiesel electric trains said to cut equivalent pollution on the journey in personal vehicles by 75% per passenger per mile.
It is the first train company to receive the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management for its trains and stations, and it’s said the Miami-Palm Beach route can remove three million cars a year from roads in the area.
The opening of the new line has caught the imagination of Redditors, with a number of people sharing their thoughts on Brightline’s latest operation and the state of rail travel in the country.
“If more 110mph trains are going to be built around the country then I’m all for it,” one user said.
“[The government] should be building both [high-speed rail] and [non-high-speed-rail] so that trains can compete against both road and air travel,” added another. “Cars and planes are both terrible for the environment so we should be trying to get people off these and onto greener transport instead.”
Brightline’s trains don’t quite fit in the “high-speed rail” category, but the service between Orlando and Miami reduces travel time when compared to cars by around 30 minutes.
It’s safe to say the United States is lagging a bit when it comes to high-speed mass transportation by rail, with China among the world leaders in this field.
Meanwhile, Brightline CEO Mike Reininger heralded the possibilities that train travel provides, allowing passengers time to do other things they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do behind the wheel.
“The idea that my car is the only way for me to get where I need to go is being challenged by a new product,” he told the AP. “A new product that’s safer, that’s greener, that is a great value proposition (and) it’s fun.”
California Is Getting ‘World-Class’ High-Speed Trains
Jessica Puckett
Thu, December 14, 2023
Courtesy Central California
America's rail system has long paled in comparison to the bullet trains of Japan and France's Train à Grande Vitesse. But now, historic new federal funding could finally bring high-speed train travel to the US.
In December, the Biden administration announced $8.2 billion in funds will be allotted to 10 passenger rail projects across the US. Two of the projects receiving the largest investments are new high-speed trains in the West that will be among the “first world-class high-speed rail projects in our country’s history,” the White House says.
With top speeds of 200 and 220 miles per hour, the two lines would be the fastest passenger trains in the country, far outpacing the current fastest train in America—the Amtrak Acela. That train, which runs between Boston and Washington DC, currently reaches top speeds of 150 miles per hour (Amtrak's next generation Acela trains, which begin rolling out in 2024, will reach slightly faster speeds of up to 160 miles per hour).
The new projects would bring passenger trains in the US one step closer to high-speed rail systems in Europe and Asia. “When I ran for president, I made a commitment to build a world-class, high-speed rail worthy of the United States of America,” President Biden said in remarks announcing the funding. “To put our nation back on track with the fastest, safest, and greenest railways in the world. And at long last, we’re building the first high-speed rail project in our nation’s history.”
Not only will the new trains slash travel times compared to driving and help reduce traffic on some of the nation's busiest roadways—they'll be cleaner too. The two train lines coming to California will be electric, making them an environmentally friendly alternative to flying or driving, the White House says.
“The tide has turned for high-speed rail in America,” Andy Kunz, president and CEO of US High-Speed Rail said in a statement. “Electrified bullet trains will transform the nation’s transportation system—reducing congestion, helping end our dependency on fossil fuels and advancing the fight against climate change. ”
Here’s what travelers should know about the two high-speed rail projects coming to the western US later this decade: Brightline West and California Inaugural High-Speed Rail Service.
Brightline West trains will travel between California and Nevada, reaching speeds of up to 200 miles per hour.
Brightline’s new California to Nevada high-speed train will receive up to $3 billion in government funding to help build an intercity passenger rail system between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, California (a city in San Bernardino County about 37 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles). Brightline says its station in Rancho Cucamonga will be located right next to the city’s Metrolink commuter rail station, allowing for connections into the heart of Los Angeles.
Reaching speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, the new train will take just two hours—nearly half the time it takes to drive between the two cities. Most of the 218 miles of tracks will run in the median of Interstate 15.
Like Brightline's first trains in Florida, which run at maximum speeds of 125 miles per hour between Miami and Tampa, Brightline West will prioritize a comfortable passenger experience both on and off the train. The company is known for building modern rail stations complete with bars, passenger lounges, free Wi-Fi, grab-and-go food for purchase, and quick security checkpoints. On board, there will be free Wi-Fi and power outlets at each seat, as well as a snack and beverage service.
Because the trains will run on electricity, the new project will avert about 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions and remove millions of cars from the road each year, according to the White House. The rail line is expected to serve 11 million passengers annually.
Brightline West is expected to break ground in 2024, and the project will take an estimated four years to complete construction, putting the train’s debut in 2028 (at the earliest).
The California Inaugural High-Speed Rail Service Project's will eventually link Los Angeles and San Francisco with electrified trains traveling up to 220 miles per hour.
Another passenger rail project, called the California Inaugural High-Speed Rail Service Project, will receive up to $3.07 billion in government funding to bring high-speed rail service to California’s Central Valley. Tracks will stretch 171 miles from Bakersfield to Merced, stopping in Madera, Fresno, and Kings/Tulare along the way. The goal of the rail corridor is to connect smaller towns in the middle of the state with bigger cities in Northern and Southern California.
Eventually, the larger train project will link Los Angeles and San Francisco (and the cities in between), offering a high-speed rail journey that would take under three hours.
The trains will reach speeds of up to 220 miles per hour, and they’ll be all-electric, powered by 100% renewable energy, according to the White House. “These bullet trains will make travel quicker and easier, bring housing closer, create new jobs and economic opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach, secure cleaner air for our children and help save our planet,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who represents California’s 11th Congressional District that includes San Francisco, said in a statement.
Construction on the high-speed line has been happening in fits and starts since 2015, but travelers will have to wait several more years before exploring the Golden State by bullet train: Test runs on the Central Valley portion of the rail line aren't expected to start until at least 2028.
Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler
Opinion
Joe Matthews’ ‘modest’ proposal: Give high-speed rail to homeless Californians
Joe Mathews
Sat, December 16, 2023
California is spending billions to house its increasing population of unhoused people. But it hasn’t come close to its ambitious goal of ending homelessness. And many Californians have lost hope that it ever will.
California is spending billions to construct a high-speed rail system. But it hasn’t come close to completing an actual line. And many Californians have lost hope that it ever will.
In the face of such failures, what is to be done? One option would be to surrender, concluding that mega-projects are too challenging here.
Or we could steel ourselves and embrace the wisdom of Dwight Eisenhower, who advised: “If a problem cannot be solved, enlarge it.”
In Ike’s spirit, I suggest we combine the big problems of homeless housing and high-speed rail into something larger.
Opinion
I hereby propose — very modestly — Homeless High-Speed Rail.
You read that right. Finding permanent lodging for unhoused people would become the new, urgent mission of our high-speed rail authority.
Under Homeless High-Speed Rail, the state’s unhoused people would no longer have to live in cars, shelters or encampments. Instead, everyone would have the option of a sleeping-car berth on a brand-new bullet train.
Sure, this fusion might create some challenges. But might it solve even more problems?
For example: Advocates have long criticized California for its mishmash of competing homelessness initiatives, and for insufficient funding for local solutions. My proposal solves all that by consolidating every single state and local homeless housing program under one single state agency: the California High-Speed Rail Authority.
Now, some cynics might call that combination crazy — a mere merger of two giant dysfunctional money pits. And they wouldn’t be entirely wrong. The state has spent more than $20 billion on housing and homelessness since 2019 — but the number of unhoused Californians has grown by one-third. Meanwhile, the high-speed rail project has secured $25 billion — but is still $10 billion short of the $35 billion required to complete its first Central Valley segment from Merced to Bakersfield.
But, instead of spending massively on the land, labor, and permitting for homeless housing — Los Angeles pays $800,000 for some units — California could spend that money on rail cars that provide housing, leaving more funding to build rail. That’s a win-win!
An artist’s rendering depicts a high-speed rail train rolling through the southern San Joaquin Valley.
Combining homeless housing and high-speed rail also could answer objections that dog both programs.
For example, cities often can’t build homeless housing because of opposition from neighborhoods. But NIMBYs would lose their backyard objections when housing for the homeless zooms past at 200 mph.
Meanwhile, hosting homeless Californians answers persistent questions about whether there would be enough riders to support the project. In a Homeless High-Speed Rail project, unhoused individuals would provide a large and steady ridership base.
Strange as my proposal may seem, almost nothing about it is new.
Keeping homeless people constantly on the move sounds cruel, but this is already established policy across California, since communities constantly tear down homeless encampments, forcing unhoused people to keep relocating. And if you board local transit systems in the state, you’ll see that individuals without homes are California’s most dedicated train riders, because of the low-cost shelter they provide.
Of course, there will be some Californians who object to the whole concept, finding it perverse. These misguided moralists, a few of them columnists, will say that California is a rich place that can afford to house all its people and to build the high-speed rail systems that other countries enjoy.
In theory, these skeptical Californians will probably be right. But California doesn’t operate on theory. It operates on unmanageable budget processes, a volatile tax code, and a broken governing system. Since California refuses to fix these systems, it will never have enough housing for the homeless, or a high-speed spine for its transportation networks.
So, before you dismiss my modest proposal, ask yourself: In the face of massive failures, when doing big, essential things is nearly impossible, is any idea too awful to take off the table?
Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zócalo Public Square .
Joe Mathews
View comments
Passenger trains could help combat climate change — if rail can actually get built
Rachel Frazin
THE HILL
Fri, December 15, 2023
The Biden administration is investing billions in passenger rail, giving a boost to a potentially important tool for mitigating climate change.
However, significant hurdles could slow efforts to get more rail online.
Last week, President Biden announced $8.2 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for 10 passenger rail projects, including what the White House described as the “first world-class high-speed rail projects in our country’s history.”
The funded projects include a line connecting California to Las Vegas — which alone is expected to carry 11 million passengers each year and prevent 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere — as well as lines serving California’s Central Valley, North Carolina and a line connecting Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Va.
Experts, the rail industry and environmentalists say that passenger trains could be an important tool for getting people out of cars and planes, thereby helping the planet.
“As long as it helps get people from Point A to Point B, we will see less car trips on the road,” said Rebekah Whilden, deputy director of Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign.
She added that a reduction in travel in personal vehicles is “ultimately what we need to see to see the emissions reductions that we need.”
Nick Little, director of railway education at Michigan State University’s Center For Railway Research and Education, said there is potential to grow more rail in the U.S., but only in “selective” locations.
He said that opportunities exist in the northeastern U.S., as well as to connect the Dallas-Fort Worth area to Houston and Austin in Texas and Chicago to cities including Detroit, Grand Rapids, Mich., and Minneapolis.
However, the future of rail may not look like the ambitious high-speed rail maps that crop up on social media, illustrating fantasies of connecting the entire nation: Such ideas are a “pipe dream,” Little said.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has its own map detailing a strategy for passenger trains.
It identifies parts of the Northeast and California as places for “frequent trains at 125-250+ mph in the nation’s densest and most populous regions” and parts of the Midwest as areas for regional service connecting large and midsize cities as well as “feeder” services to connect communities to the rail network.
Christopher Barkan, professor and director of the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said that he expects rail to grow in the years ahead, noting that there’s already significant work underway.
He said he mostly expects it to crop up in corridors between 100 and 400 miles in length.
“It’s a combination of population density and suitable distances where both conventional and high-speed passenger [rail] can be competitive,” Barkan said.
Andy Kunz, president of the U.S. High Speed Rail Association, said “the prognosis is really good” for the future of high-speed rail.
“The really good thing is, the Brightline West one, which will connect Las Vegas and Los Angeles, that one will be up and running in four short years,” Kurz said.
“It’ll make the case much sooner to the American people how great of a transportation mode this actually is,” he added, saying that another California project is expected to take longer to build.
However, he said that building out high-speed rail in the Northeast is “going to be one of the harder ones to build because they’ll have to build a whole new set of tracks” in order to handle the high speeds.
Meanwhile, Little said that he particularly expects to see more frequent trains on existing routes going forward because it’s “an easy thing to do, relatively,” since the trains themselves are the only additional expense.
But for new rail, there are still hurdles to overcome.
Barkan said the nation’s environmental review process — sometimes known as permitting — is one hurdle.
“The initial thing that takes time is the environmental permitting,” he said. “That’s actually one of the things I think the United States needs to improve is to accelerate its environmental permitting process for projects such as this.”
Permitting is also a hot topic on Capitol Hill — where lawmakers have sought to make a deal to speed up energy and other infrastructure projects. As part of a deal to lift the debt ceiling, some changes such as shorter federal environmental reviews were approved earlier this year, but lawmakers do not appear to have moved closer on a broader agreement.
Kunz said that not having enough funding for rail projects is the “No. 1 reason” for delays.
“Not having the money readily available early, the project ends up slowing down or actually stopping and waiting for the money to come in,” he said.
This, in turn, drives up the bill for projects because of inflation and increased costs.
Barkan said the grants announced last week will be “a significant help,” but more is needed.
“We’re not done yet, but it’s a huge step forward.”
Whilden, with the Sierra Club, said the nation’s rail system might be able to get a boost not only from money allocated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, but also through more general climate and pollution grants in the Inflation Reduction Act.
“Municipalities and states can apply for it, and basically the only kind of checkbox is that it has to lower … pollution emissions, and so rail could be seen as being able to be used for that sort of grant,” Whilden said.
Fri, December 15, 2023
The Biden administration is investing billions in passenger rail, giving a boost to a potentially important tool for mitigating climate change.
However, significant hurdles could slow efforts to get more rail online.
Last week, President Biden announced $8.2 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for 10 passenger rail projects, including what the White House described as the “first world-class high-speed rail projects in our country’s history.”
The funded projects include a line connecting California to Las Vegas — which alone is expected to carry 11 million passengers each year and prevent 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere — as well as lines serving California’s Central Valley, North Carolina and a line connecting Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Va.
Experts, the rail industry and environmentalists say that passenger trains could be an important tool for getting people out of cars and planes, thereby helping the planet.
“As long as it helps get people from Point A to Point B, we will see less car trips on the road,” said Rebekah Whilden, deputy director of Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign.
She added that a reduction in travel in personal vehicles is “ultimately what we need to see to see the emissions reductions that we need.”
Nick Little, director of railway education at Michigan State University’s Center For Railway Research and Education, said there is potential to grow more rail in the U.S., but only in “selective” locations.
He said that opportunities exist in the northeastern U.S., as well as to connect the Dallas-Fort Worth area to Houston and Austin in Texas and Chicago to cities including Detroit, Grand Rapids, Mich., and Minneapolis.
However, the future of rail may not look like the ambitious high-speed rail maps that crop up on social media, illustrating fantasies of connecting the entire nation: Such ideas are a “pipe dream,” Little said.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has its own map detailing a strategy for passenger trains.
It identifies parts of the Northeast and California as places for “frequent trains at 125-250+ mph in the nation’s densest and most populous regions” and parts of the Midwest as areas for regional service connecting large and midsize cities as well as “feeder” services to connect communities to the rail network.
Christopher Barkan, professor and director of the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said that he expects rail to grow in the years ahead, noting that there’s already significant work underway.
He said he mostly expects it to crop up in corridors between 100 and 400 miles in length.
“It’s a combination of population density and suitable distances where both conventional and high-speed passenger [rail] can be competitive,” Barkan said.
Andy Kunz, president of the U.S. High Speed Rail Association, said “the prognosis is really good” for the future of high-speed rail.
“The really good thing is, the Brightline West one, which will connect Las Vegas and Los Angeles, that one will be up and running in four short years,” Kurz said.
“It’ll make the case much sooner to the American people how great of a transportation mode this actually is,” he added, saying that another California project is expected to take longer to build.
However, he said that building out high-speed rail in the Northeast is “going to be one of the harder ones to build because they’ll have to build a whole new set of tracks” in order to handle the high speeds.
Meanwhile, Little said that he particularly expects to see more frequent trains on existing routes going forward because it’s “an easy thing to do, relatively,” since the trains themselves are the only additional expense.
But for new rail, there are still hurdles to overcome.
Barkan said the nation’s environmental review process — sometimes known as permitting — is one hurdle.
“The initial thing that takes time is the environmental permitting,” he said. “That’s actually one of the things I think the United States needs to improve is to accelerate its environmental permitting process for projects such as this.”
Permitting is also a hot topic on Capitol Hill — where lawmakers have sought to make a deal to speed up energy and other infrastructure projects. As part of a deal to lift the debt ceiling, some changes such as shorter federal environmental reviews were approved earlier this year, but lawmakers do not appear to have moved closer on a broader agreement.
Kunz said that not having enough funding for rail projects is the “No. 1 reason” for delays.
“Not having the money readily available early, the project ends up slowing down or actually stopping and waiting for the money to come in,” he said.
This, in turn, drives up the bill for projects because of inflation and increased costs.
Barkan said the grants announced last week will be “a significant help,” but more is needed.
“We’re not done yet, but it’s a huge step forward.”
Whilden, with the Sierra Club, said the nation’s rail system might be able to get a boost not only from money allocated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, but also through more general climate and pollution grants in the Inflation Reduction Act.
“Municipalities and states can apply for it, and basically the only kind of checkbox is that it has to lower … pollution emissions, and so rail could be seen as being able to be used for that sort of grant,” Whilden said.
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