(The following editorial appeared on the Salt Lake Tribune website on April 28, 2010.)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — You, too, can be the envy of air and auto travelers, whisking along at more than 200 mph, arriving faster and more refreshed in a high-speed train. But you’ll need to fly to Europe, China or Japan, where high-speed rail networks are giving airlines a run for their money on trips of 600 miles or less. Here, in the U.S., cars are still king and passenger trains are still pokey.
But, after decades of treating the rails like an ugly stepsister of highways and runways, high-speed rail has finally been invited to the national transportation ball. The Obama administration issued $8 billion in federal stimulus fund grants this year to begin developing high-speed inter-city rail service, and hopes to commit another $50 billion in seed money when Congress reauthorizes the nation’s five-year transportation plan.
Utah and surrounding states were shut out of the first round of funding, and rightfully so. The immediate focus is on connecting major metropolises in crowded transportation corridors. And when you start connecting the big-city dots in these parts, it’s a long way between dots.
Plus, states will pay about 20 percent of the cost for high-speed rail projects. With costs ranging from $35 million per mile to upgrade existing track for high-speed trains to $65 million per mile for new track, Utah should continue to focus on FrontRunner and TRAX expansions for the moment.
But the Utah Transit Authority has wisely bought the state a voice in the national debate by joining the Western High-Speed Rail Alliance, which is championing high-speed rail for the Intermountain West. And, as rapid-rail demonstration projects prove the trains’ mettle, gasoline costs continue to rise and technological advancements increase the speed of the trains and perhaps ease construction costs, high-speed rail may become more practical in the West’s wide-open spaces. Eventually, planners envision high-speed rail service between Denver and Salt Lake City, and a high-speed loop from Los Angeles to Salt Lake via Las Vegas, then back to California’s rapid-rail network by way of Reno.
And Americans appear willing to climb aboard. Amtrak, the national passenger-rail service cobbled from the remnants of the nation’s private passenger rail systems in 1971, racked up record numbers of riders in the first decade of the 21st century, as soaring air fares and gas prices helped drive motorists back to the rails.
Energy-efficient passenger trains reduce gridlock on highways and taxiways, cut pollution, combat climate change and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. It’s an idea whose time has come and gone, and now, thankfully, come again.