Government to announce $2.5 billion for high speed rail

www.reuters.com...

(Reuters) - The government will soon distribute $2.5 billion for high speed rail projects nationwide with California and Florida to receive the largest amounts, state and congressional officials said on Monday

someone tell me the logic for a high speed rail system in california one of the most earthquake prone states in this country?

California already received $2.25 billion for rail development under the U.S. economic stimulus plan approved by Congress last year

ok so they already got $2.5 billion last year and yet unemployment is what agian? 12.4 percent

In January, Florida received $1.25 billion from the stimulus plan to build a line from Orlando to Tampa.

and florida got the piece of the pie and whats the unemployment rate there? 11.5 percent


ok people does the sheer stupidity of obama and the left know no bounds? billions of dollars have already been spent billions more for a system that the majority of americans will never use.

americans enjoy the freedom of movement and in this day and age nothing beats the automobile you can come and go as you please.

wake up america end this stupidity put our taxes dollars to better usage for crying out loud. i beg of you.

your hard earned dollars are going to things and place that you will never go and you will never use doesnt that outrage you all?

the system has done this time and time again for years and years decade after decade this has got to stop. why do we not have any say in the matter what our money is spent on instead of some congressman getting a payout off from you and your state that goes to another state.

if this country is suppose to be truely representative of us all equal distribution goes to everyone but wait it doesnt work that way it cant work that way there isnt enough money to go around to do it.

this infuriates me

Originally posted by neo96


someone tell me the logic for a high speed rail system in california one of the most earthquake prone states in this country?

Yeah! We should probably de-populate every region of the country that is suseptable to natural disasters!

ok so they already got $2.5 billion last year and yet unemployment is what agian? 12.4 percent

So that previous money that went to rail development was supposed to save the entire economy? How?

and florida got the piece of the pie and whats the unemployment rate there? 11.5 percent

Again, has someone said that high speed rail would end all unemployment?

ok people do the sheer stupidity of the obama and the left know no bounds? billions of dollars have already been spent billions more for a system that the majority of americans will never use.

yeah, who needs a functioning rail system? It's not like a strong railway system (built with LOTS of help from 'the government') helped BUILD america or anything. Stupid commie trains.

americans enjoy the freedom of movement and in this day and age nothing beats the automobile you can come and go as you please.

wake up america end this stupidity put our taxes dollars to better usage for crying out loud. i beg of you.

Yes, driving around roads maintained by the government, burning fuel that is kept artificially cheap by the government, in cars built by foreign corporations or those 'evil' unions. How Patriotic.

reply to post by justadood

Yeah! We should probably de-populate every region of the country that is suseptable to natural disasters!

if you are spending the hard earned dollars of the american citizen you have the responsibilty to ensure that you spend that money wisely

So that previous money that went to rail development was supposed to save the entire economy? How?

thats what the stimulus bill was sold to the blind masses as to save or create new jobs that will save the economy the term shovel ready projects comes to mind.

yeah, who needs a functioning rail system? It's not like a strong railway system (built with LOTS of help from 'the government') helped BUILD america or anything. Stupid commie trains.

lets see now just who built and maintained the east west railroad system ? wasnt the federal government now was it?

a venture capitalist did and many of them they saw a need and they filled that need and they made a buck and alot of them off of it.


yeah i make a clear anticommunist case.

reply to post by neo96


Government trains. They should just rename them to bottomless pits.

Can anyone say Amtrak?

Can anyone say toll booth operators making $300,000+ per year?

Yeah, government run anything, there is some idiocy.

2.5 Billion compared to the money the taxpayers spent on the bank bailout prick$? Or the money spent on phoney wars the past several years? WTF you whining about?

reply to post by solarstorm


just because someone else did something means you get to do the same things ?

spend spend spend and spend some more just because they did you can to?

no man.

spending has a price it all adds up it needs to end

the day of reckoning is almost upon us all and when you have no job and when you have no food and when you have no place to get an education and when you need a semi trailer full of cash or several hundred just to buy a loaf of bread you will wish someone had whined and complained and put an end to it.

reply to post by neo96


Hey Neo!

On the one hand I agree.... This attempted throwback to the WPA is not the best of ideas for fixing the economy. The FDR approach and lots of new roads just isn't going to fix things, in my opinion.

But, on the other hand, our public transportation in this country is laughable when compared to that of the rest of the industrialized world... and in fact compared to much of the second world, and parts of the third.

It's a poorly timed venture, but I think a necessary one if we are to regain our title as "world leader" in many categories.

~Heff

Originally posted by neo96if you are spending the hard earned dollars of the american citizen you have the responsibilty to ensure that you spend that money wisely

Indeed. And your assertion was that no railways should be built in California because it has earthquakes.That seems like a bit rash.

thats what the stimulus bill was sold to the blind masses as to save or create new jobs that will save the economy the term shovel ready projects comes to mind.

No one claimed that some funding to a rail system would end all unemployment. Which is exactly what you are implying.

reply to post by Hefficide


yo heff!

the answer to the infrastructure problems is for government to get out of the way create desireable conditions and incentives and let them do what they are made to do build and let them make a profit.

it doesnt involve handing out cash like it was free candy.

man it was the individual who built this country it wasnt government it was people who had the wants and desires to get paid and provide a product or service from it that lead to the betterment of this country as a whole.

if we want to regain our world leading standards two things need to happen:

government gets its griming dirty little hands off us and let us do what americans use to do.
government needs to get its griming dirty little hands off us and let us do what americans use to do.

repetitative i know but thats how crucial that point is.

thanks for contributing man:p

Originally posted by neo96
reply to post by solarstorm

 

just because someone else did something means you get to do the same things ?

spend spend spend and spend some more just because they did you can to?

no man.

spending has a price it all adds up it needs to end

the day of reckoning is almost upon us all and when you have no job and when you have no food and when you have no place to get an education and when you need a semi trailer full of cash or several hundred just to buy a loaf of bread you will wish someone had whined and complained and put an end to it.

So, you think a 'day of reckoning' is coming when people wont be able to afford food, but you think people driving cars is a sustainable mode of travel?

Are you sure you arent just rabidly lashing out at anything remotely connected to the party you oppose?

ouch much sour debating going on here. anyways,

How many jobs will be created with the construction of the rail ways?

How many full time jobs will be added maintaining and operating the rail ways?

I love how federal money is going to base infrastructure for economy development.

Fast transportation of products and business passengers just might jump start something in the field of long term recovery. S+F To OP

reply to post by wiredamerican


how many jobs will be created with the construction of the rail ways for those of us who doesnt live in california or florida?

how many full time jobs will be added for those people who dont live there?

and i dont love how my money is going for a infrastructure project that i will never see or use.

fast transporation already exists when you have a vehicle that travels at mach .89 they are called aircraft.

and heres an interesting tidbit for those superrails: those same body scanners that we all go through and security measures at airports well youve just added one of the best targets you possible could.

a supertrain traveling at what 350 mph or 500 mph makes a tastey target for terrorism and when a train derailes its not a pretty site but then agian when a plane crashes its not a pretty site but one critical factor airports have large runways that are not all but mostly set away from urban areas that isnt going to be so true of the rail system.

you like high speed rails now but what til one flies by your own house.

All of the leading industrial nations have high-speed rail, Germany, Japan, and even China. All you have to do is look at what these countries have done with high-speed rail to see what a boon it could be. The United States is back-arsewards on commuter rail and bullet trains.

Imagine what a high-speed line could do for the Detroit-Cleveland-Pittsburgh region, it would foster an industrial corridor and help bring home some much-needed jobs we lose to China or India everyday. Or a line between Boston-New York City-Philly-D.C., creating a powerhouse technology corridor. By creating regions like these linked by high-speed rail we might stand a chance economically against industrial regions in Japan, Germany, or China. Instead we allow our lack of foresight to cripple our economy.

reply to post by justadood


i cannot speak for the OP , but i think he is attempting to point out the foolishness of converting californias existing rail network to high speed rail or building new high speed tail networks in california

i share his sketicism , for the following reasons

high speed rail need new track - you cannot just place a new light weight high power locomotive on existing rails and expect 250mph+

for reasons that should be obvious , precise track alignment is absolutley critical . and if the track goes out of alignment - the train derails

here is an ;

image link

of how earquakes can buckle rail lines

its an EXTREME example

but movement of only milimeters will affect a high speed rail system - and the train could derail following track damage that a conventional train would ignore or suffer minor juddering

so - following any earthquake the track would have to be surveyed - disrupting the network - or the trains subject to speed limits

whigh negates the entire point of high speed rail - as the cheaper conventional rail network keeps on running on schedule at 80mph ignoring all but major damage

thats why i dont think that 2.5bn HST system is a good investment in an earthquake zone

PS - i think florida should upgrade its rail - heck - put a HST down the entire east coast

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


this is the united states of america its not japan,germany or china.

a high speed rail in the detroit cleveland pittburg region does nothing for me or anyone else not living in the region

and a line from boston new york city philly dc does nothing for people who do not live in that region.

man private business is what built this country i dont know how many times i have to say this.

the government is not the solution to this nations problems they are the cause of them.

I'm just going to point out that $2.5 billion could feed about 2.5 milion starving kids for at least a year.

reply to post by ignorant_ape


your right but with a clarification here.

that new system that they are pushing will essentially end up stealing land from residents of the local area they will have no choice on what to do imminent domain comes to mind.

the already existing rail lines will exist right along side them as well you have to remember the us government doesnt own the railroad lines to begin with the rail companies do and the maintenance of said rails is at their expense.

and you are spot on with your comments when it comes to rail placement

good post man

reply to post by neo96


You may see it as stupid but I find it stupid that Americans are willing to live outside of city/town centers, thus increasing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions as a result of the lack of public transportation.

Stop complaining and blaming everything on Obama/the left and use your head for once. Public transportation is something that is sorely needed, especially among the older populations in this country. If it'll keep reckless senior citizens off of the roads, then it's needed!

reply to post by The Sword


its not stupid for people who want their personal space and really greehouse emissions?

lol what are the emissions from living in a city how much waste and garbage are produced.


sword man last time i checked you are not the boss of me i can complain about whoever and whatever i wish.

noone makes you read my threads or comments you do it of your own volition.

and one day man you are going to be one of those "reckless senior citizens"

reply to post by neo96


No need to get personal here since you don't really seem to offer much of substance anyway.

You'd be surprised that cities such as NYC actually have a low rate of car ownership. When you can walk to most if not all of your destinations, the need for a car is moot.

Don't try to argue with me over emissions. This is just logic at work and there is poor logic in the way that suburbs are developed. The result is a requirement for more vehicles to carry people to and from those areas.