California High-Speed Rail: $45 billion
High-speed trains are increasingly common in Asia and Europe, but they have yet to make it to the United States. Now Californians are trying to change that. In November, California's voters approved a measure authorizing $10 billion in borrowing to begin work on an 800-mile high-speed train capable of going more than twice as fast as the average speed of the Acela trains on the East Coast, and which could make the trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 2 hours and 40 minutes. Supporters say that the plan would reduce congestion on highways and at airports and invigorate the economy; skeptics question whether the plan makes economic sense. The final bill includes $8 billion for high-speed rail; but there are 11 regions that could compete for the money, which would at most be a small down payment on what promises to be a costly project.
I'm hardly out West enough to benefit from this rail project, but its inclusion in the stimulus package is a certain victory for the general cause of train travel in the States. Goody!
I'm hardly out West enough to benefit from this rail project, but its inclusion in the stimulus package is a certain victory for the general cause of train travel in the States. Goody!
1 comment:
And it'll make it easier to jump from one panda express to another. So I bless it.
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