How is this possible?

The Adm. is pushing to invest $53 billion in the next six yrs for multiple high speed rails nationally to help boost the economy and invest in our infrastructure. (An obvious political sale IMO) I think this is a great idea for alt. forms of transpo, except for maybe the earthquake prone area's, although they did do BART so maybe it can be done.IDK
However my BS meter is pegged. We just spent 1 billion dollars on 53 miles of fence that doesn't work and is nothing more than a pile of scrap metal.
Just how far do they think they're going to get w/$53 billion dollars on a high tech high speed rail system? After the fence showing I just don't see it going much farther than a few city blocks, I understand it would cost well over $53 bill. to complete on a grand scale and I'd rather spend our $ on this than the wars we're in but this sure feels like a future setup to ask, receive and bury trillions of dollars in the future. Do they think were this stupid to buy into this? ( don't feel you have to answer that one )

I bet the rail system will cost alot of money.. but 50+ billion is a good start. Building one for the US would be a very smart idea that will create jobs and also make it easier for folks to get to their jobs when it is done.

Having this type of investment might get the ball rolling a bit faster.

yeah.... high speed rail is always more expensive above and bellow ground then estimated. toronto for instance has had it's subway expansion plans put on hold for a few years now that would run into the suburbs because it cost's over 1.5 million dollars for ever metre dug out and structured underground. the whole project is in the billions and it's no where near the size of this proposed project.

my guess is that the USA cannot afford this is the slightest bit... but then again they do have that monopoly money printing press.

Originally posted by mtnshredder
We just spent 1 billion dollars on 53 miles of fence that doesn't work and is nothing more than a pile of scrap metal.

Because that was outsourced to the same guys who are serving our men and women sewer water for five bucks a pint over in Iraq.

And a "border fence" was a ridiculous notion anyway. The whole thing was halfassed from start to finish, then got reduced to quarter-ass, double-cost when it was contracted to the biggest Republican donor.

This will fail. Americans don't ride trains. We drive, and where we can't drive we fly. Why do you think Amtrak has been close to bankruptcy for years? This is just another way for congress to spend money that they don't have.

/TOA

reply to post by The Old American


You must think the high speed rail is just for travel. Its basically for commuting from far out suburbs into the cites for work. Connections would then be made between large cities. This will eliminate the cars on the road and congestion. Here in Southeastern Mi, one is going in to connect (eventually Dearborn, Detroit-Jackson and Chicago). The station will have Greyhounds stationed there as well, and regular city bus lines. Its going in here soon because the $$$ we were given for it, and its availability will run out.

They are leveling a car dealership and its lots. The station will get you downtown and out to the far counties and the suburbs in minutes. And someone can work in Detroit or Chicago, and be home at night back where they started in the other state. Like now in New York, Washington, Baltimore etc. Hundreds of thousands of commuters daily ride into those cities every day for work...but live and go home each night in other states.Most of the workers for the government in Washington DC dont live there...they travel in from Virginia, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania....every day...and night. High speed rails is the only way I can think of to eliminate the escalating congestion.

PS I work for one of the Big Three auto makers. One V.P. lives in Ft. Lauderdale Fla, The President of the Americas lives in Jupiter Beach Fla, the G. V.P of the US market lives in California, and the President and CEO lives in Seattle Wa....and they wook here in Michigan out of part time condos and travel home on weekends....

They won't get the funding for this mess of an idea. Obama has been trying to "nudge" the nation into this idea for two years. He mentioned it in Two State of the Union addresses.

If there was a dollar to be made in this business, the private sector would have already built true high speed rail in this country. The Amtrak subsidies, total lack of profit and painful financial loss ($1billion a year) should raise a red flag for all who think this idea would be neato.

The fed comes in and builds this train wreck and the states and local municipalities will be left to maintain it and prop it up. States and localities that are virtually bankrupt.

They tried to push the idea of "high speed rail" in Ohio not long ago that would link Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. It would take at least 6 hours to travel from Cleveland to Cincy. A four hour trip by car. No thanks!!

This "high speed rail" would max out at just under 80mph. Whoo Hoo! hold onto your hats at those speeds. Govt' subsidies killed true high speed, TGV style rail long ago in this country. It is far too late to undo that damage.


This is a waste that our nation can't afford. Spend the money on new highways, highway improvement, infrastructure improvement. Or don't spend it all!!!

They should spend that money teaching the people in the alphabet agencies to critically analyse information, as these people are pretty useless at this, and virtually worthless.

Enough said.