In a guest column on DesMoinesRegister.com, Howard Lerner, Executive Director of the Environment Law & Policy Center, gave some ideas on how Midwest high-speed rail can succeed. Here are some of Mr. Lerner’s arguments on why he thinks high-speed rail is moving toward reality:

• On July 27, eight Midwest governors signed a memorandum of understanding, committing to combine regional and state planning and development work, prioritize corridor build-outs and coordinate applications for federal funding.
• There is a new bipartisan Midwest Congressional High-Speed Rail Caucus.
• High-speed rail will “will improve mobility with a new, fast, comfortable and convenient transportation option.”
• It will create jobs and spur economic growth by pulling together the regional economy.
• It will protect our environment through less pollution, reducing congestion and counteracting sprawl by pulling jobs, people and businesses downtown into our central cities.
• There is broad national support for high-speed rail development. Forty states have proposed 278 projects seeking $102 billion in federal funding. In addition to the $8 billion in federal economic-stimulus funding, the House has now appropriated $4 billion more for fiscal year 2010 and has proposed $50 billion in the federal transportation reauthorization legislation.

While some of these reasons may be arguable, high-speed rail is moving forward with serious funding announced by President Obama (see “President Obama Unveils High-Speed Passenger Rail Plan for Ten Corridors.”) Among the factors Mr. Lerner believe will help push Midwest high-speed rail projects forward are the following:

• Citizens need to speak with “one voice” for “one region.” While he writes mostly about Midwest states, this simple yet often-forget and important point is the required beginning of any successful project.
• Do not let perfection stand in the way of progress. We tend to look for the best solutions, but a better way is to practice due diligence and move on to the goals. Inaction equals waste and hinders development and advancement.
• Always look at the big picture. The high-speed rail projects are not only about trains. They are about mobility, job creation, economic development, growth, vitalization, and competitiveness, in addition to habitable communities, lower pollution and cleaner environment.

We can take these 3 important points and apply to anything in life and expect a good chance for success. Great advice..

See the original article: “Let’s help high-speed rail gain momentum.”

How High-Speed Rail Can Gain Momentum in the Midwest is a post from: CleanCarTalk

Daimler Buses North America recently received orders for more than 300 transit buses, motorcoaches, and shuttle buses. The biggest contract was awarded by the mass transit company King County Metro in Seattle, which ordered 93 of the extremely environmentally friendly Orion VII diesel-electric hybrid buses for delivery in 2010. Once the current order is completed, more than 2,500 Orion hybrid buses will be on the road in North America, further expanding Daimler Buses’ position as the world’s leading supplier of hybrid buses.

Daimler Buses North America (DBNA) receives orders for 263 Orion VII transit buses, 30 Setra S 417 motorcoaches, and 15 Sprinter shuttle buses

New order will soon increase the number of Orion hybrid buses on America’s roads to 2,500 units

“We are pleased seeing repeat orders and also seeing new customers joining the Daimler family in our latest wave of bus orders,” says Patrick Scully, Chief Commercial Officer for Daimler Buses North America. “We provide a unique advantage for customers by providing a diverse, full-line product portfolio that allows customers to work with one, solid company.”

Another major contract was awarded by the globally operating transport company Veolia Transportation, which ordered 75 Orion VII clean diesel transit buses. Compass Transportation, a division of Veolia, ordered 30 Setra S 417 motorcoaches and 15 Sprinter shuttle buses. An additional 80 Orion diesel hybrid buses were ordered by OC Transpo, the urban transit service of the City of Ottawa, Ontario.

The more than 300 orders represent a variety of products, configurations, delivery timeframes, and customers. In addition to orders for Orion VII diesel hybrid buses and clean diesel buses, a contract was also awarded for five natural gas-powered Orion VII CNG transit buses, which will be delivered to CART (Cleveland Area Rapid Transit).

“Daimler remains committed to promoting clean drive technologies,” says Andreas Strecker, President and CEO of Daimler Buses North America. “These additional orders for the Orion VII diesel-electric hybrid bus further maintain Daimler’s position as the world’s hybrid bus leader — a position that we intend to retain through product excellence and continued innovative firsts.” The major contracts were awarded as part of Daimler’s “Shaping Future Transportation” initiative for commercial vehicles. With this initiative, the company aims to use clean and efficient drive systems along with alternative fuels in order to realize zero-emission commercial vehicles for tomorrow’s transportation needs. The initiative includes using resources sparingly and reducing emissions of every kind while at the same time guaranteeing maximum traffic safety.

Daimler Buses North America, headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, is part of Daimler Buses and combines three bus brands under one corporate structure: Orion transit buses, Setra motorcoaches, and the Sprinter shuttle bus.

Daimler Buses North America Receives Major Order for Over 300 Buses is a post from: CleanCarTalk

President Obama today announced a national network of high-speed passenger rail lines with funding revolving around the $8 billion in the Recovery Act plus $1 billion per year for the next five years.

The investment provides a much needed kick-start to modernize the aging U.S. passenger rail system into high-speed “bullet” trains, able to transport people over long distances efficiently, reliably and comfortably in addition to helping to take drivers off the road and reducing pollution in populated areas.

Currently the nation’s only high-speed rail service exists in the Northeast corridor (NEC) from Washington to Boston. The ten high-speed corridors identified to be potential recipients of this new federal funding include lines in California, Pacific Northwest, South Central, Gulf Coast, Chicago Hub Network, Florida, Southeast, Keystone, Empire and Northern New England. Under the plan the NEC will have an opportunity to compete for funds to further improve services to riders in its busy area. Below is the map showing the high-speed rail lines being considered, courtesy www.whitehouse.gov.

What we’re talking about is a vision for high-speed rail in America.  Imagine boarding a train in the center of a city.  No racing to an airport and across a terminal, no delays, no sitting on the tarmac, no lost luggage, no taking off your shoes.  (Laughter.)  Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 miles an hour, walking only a few steps to public transportation, and ending up just blocks from your destination.  Imagine what a great project that would be to rebuild America.

Now, all of you know this is not some fanciful, pie-in-the-sky vision of the future.  It is now.  It is happening right now.  It’s been happening for decades.  The problem is it’s been happening elsewhere, not here.

In France, high-speed rail has pulled regions from isolation, ignited growth, remade quiet towns into thriving tourist destinations.  In Spain, a high-speed line between Madrid and Seville is so successful that more people travel between those cities by rail than by car and airplane combined.  China, where service began just two years ago, may have more miles of high-speed rail service than any other country just five years from now.  And Japan, the nation that unveiled the first high-speed rail system, is already at work building the next:  a line that will connect Tokyo with Osaka at speeds of over 300 miles per hour.  So it’s being done; it’s just not being done here.

There’s no reason why we can’t do this.  This is America.  There’s no reason why the future of travel should lie somewhere else beyond our borders.  Building a new system of high-speed rail in America will be faster, cheaper and easier than building more freeways or adding to an already overburdened aviation system –- and everybody stands to benefit.

Among other dignitaries attending this momentous event are Vice President Joe Biden and Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Transportation and Infrastructure Chair James Oberstar along with other members of Congress. Public transportation leaders in attendance included American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Chair Dr. Beverly Scott (MARTA, or Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) and APTA President William W. Millar. Vice President Biden said in his speech:

With high-speed rail system, we’re going to be able to pull people off the road, lowering our dependence on foreign oil, lowering the bill for our gas in our gas tanks.  We’re going to loosen the congestion that also has great impact on productivity, I might add, the people sitting at stop lights right now in overcrowded streets and cities.  We’re also going to deal with the suffocation that’s taking place in our major metropolitan areas as a consequence of that congestion.  And we’re going to significantly lessen the damage to our planet.  This is a giant environmental down payment.

Here’s a video clip showing portion of President Obama’s announcement, courtesy CNN, March 16, 2009.

President Obama Unveils High-Speed Passenger Rail Plan for Ten Corridors is a post from: CleanCarTalk

Here’s a video clip courtesy of CNN TV on the Federal stimulus package portion for Amtrak in the amount of $1.3 billion. The funds will be used in fixing and upgrading infrastructure and security, among other things. Broadcast date 03-13-09.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP3R1omN2VQ

Amtrak Gets $1.3 Billion Slice of Stimulus Plan is a post from: CleanCarTalk

A couple of positive public transportation statistics for 2008. According to a recently published ridership report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Americans took public transportation to an all-time record of 10.7 billion trips in 2008. That’s 29.3 million trips per day on public transportation and a 4 percent increase over 2007. It was also a modern ridership record that has not been seen since 52 years ago (1956).

At the same time, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that vehicle miles traveled (VMTs) on American roads dropped by 3.6 percent in 2008 compared to the previous year. Here’s a video courtesy CNN, March 9, 2009.

It was no surprise to see ridership increase when gasoline passed the 4 dollar mark last year in some places, but ridership kept growing toward the end of the year when gas prices actually dipped below an average of $2 per gallon. So people are still getting on the buses and trains and leaving their cars at home.

Whether this is a permanent shift in Americans’ driving habits or just a temporary downturn until the economy turns around, one thing is clear. This is the time to grab the opportunity and invest, build and modernize our public transit system. It’s a great opportunity because it has clearly shown that the American public are willing to ride public transit if safe, convenient, and affordable services are available. The $8.5 billion provided by the stimulus package will help, but the government should provide even more funding to ensure the momentum is not lost. It’s a favorable scenario for public transit growth.

The sad part in all of this is the many people who are not taking public transit because they don’t have a job to go to. But that’s a topic for another day.

So are you doing your part and ride public transit? What’s not working in public transportation in your area? Share your public transit riding stories with us.

Public Transit Ridership Hits 52-Year High: an Opportunity to Improve and Invest in Public Transit is a post from: CleanCarTalk

Prop 1A wins! Head over to the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to read and view some cool content about the proposed high-speed rail system to carry passengers, linking Southern California, the Sacramento San Joaquin Valley, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Proposition 1A is the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act, which asks the question: “To provide Californians a safe, convenient, affordable, and reliable alternative to driving and high gas prices; to provide good-paying jobs and improve California’s economy while reducing air pollution, global warming greenhouse gases, and our dependence on foreign oil, shall $9.95 billion in bonds be issued to establish a clean, efficient high-speed train service linking Southern California, the Sacramento San Joaquin Valley, and the San Francisco Bay Area, with at least 90 percent of bond funds spent for specific projects, with federal and private matching funds required, and all bond funds subject to independent audits?”

John Addison also blogged about this on the Cleantech Blog. His blog is called “Voters Approve High-Speed Rail for California” and offers a number of key points. Mr. Addison wrote, “California is moving ahead with an 800-mile high-speed train system serving Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, the Central Valley, the Inland Empire, Orange County and San Diego. High-speed trains will be capable of maximum speeds of 220 miles per hour, covering San Francisco to Los Angeles in 2 hours and 40 minutes. The system is forecast to carry over 100 million passengers per year by 2030″. Voters around the country also cast their votes for rail and public transportation, not just in California.

View a 10 minute video describing the California High-Speed Rail project, courtesy of the CHSRA. (Updated 10/12/08, file size: 26MB)

Voters Give Thumbs Up to High-Speed Rail for California is a post from: CleanCarTalk