Where are the trains headed now?

We'll continue to update you here on issues that we believe are important to our cities and their economic development. As we noted previously this year, high speed rail has the potential to dramatically change the development patterns in some areas of the country. With new leadership coming into Congress, we wanted to take a look at where it stands today. It is interesting that the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) released a study days before the election calling attention to the number of Americans willing to ride high speed trains. Along with the survey, they announced that $2.5 billion dollars would be available soon in grant funds to continue moving rail projects forward. Their press release, with survey details, is here. From the responses of over 24,000 people, they reported that nearly two-thirds of adults (62 percent) said they would definitely or probably use high-speed rail service for leisure or business travel if it were an option.

Then, a week later, after some elections were won with rail being a campaign issue, we read that rail funding from the stimulus bill will be reevaluated by the new Congress. We hope the new leaders can come to agreement on priorities of projects in the next year and get the country moving in the right direction. There is much as stake. Energy prices, gas prices, and major roadway infrastructure and maintenance costs are weighing on the economy. Getting better, more efficient access between our urban centers will pay huge dividends in our future development. Let us know what you think.