High-Speed Trains May Be Coming to California, Florida

People in Europe and Asia have enjoyed high-speed trains for years. This Japanese train set a speed record of 581 kilometers an hour. Yet the fastest American train reaches less than half that speed. It operates only between Washington and Boston. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says changes are coming to American trains.

RAY LAHOOD: The day will come when you can see travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco in under three hours going 220 miles per hour.

Work on a high-speed train could start in California in two years. Conditions might be right for such a train. President Obama has announced plans to spend eight billion dollars to develop high-speed railroads. John Risch is with the countrys largest labor union for railroad workers.

JOHN RISCH: In California alone, it is estimated that 160,000 construction jobs would be created just to build those two high-speed rail corridors.

The federal project will develop 13 high-speed rail links. Steve Kulm works for Amtrak, the passenger railroad company. He says only the links in California and Florida will truly be high-speed.

STEVE KULM: There is a difference between, you know, high-speed in Europe and Asia and high-speed in America. In Europe and Asia, they are dedicated tracks where only high-speed trains operate on. Here in America, our passenger trains share tracks with slower freight trains.

Most of the money will go to improve service on slower trains and existing transportation. Kulm says Amtraks fastest train is already competing with airline companies.

STEVE KULM: Before, between Washington and New York, the passenger train only had about 37 percent of the market. Today, Amtrak has 61 percent of the market compared to air flights. Same thing that happened on the north end of the corridor, between New York and Boston.

Environmental groups have praised the project. Howard Lerner is head of the Environmental Law and Policy Center.

HOWARD LERNER: On a per passenger-mile basis, rail is about three times as efficient as travel by car, in terms of fuel efficiency, and six times as efficient as travel by air. So there are pretty substantial pollution reduction benefits, both in terms of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

John Risch of the United Transportation Union has other reasons.

JOHN RISCH: Passenger trains are the safest form of transportation available with the exception of the elevator. Trains are fuel efficient, they relieve highway and airport congestion, and they also reduce our dependence on foreign oil, making trains -- passenger trains -- the safer, cleaner, greener transportation option.

Critics say the federal money will start many small projects, but not finish them. Supporters of the plan say it will lead to a new form of public transportation in the United States. Im Doug Johnson.

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[magenABC]

YESSS PLEEEAAAASE BRING BULLET TRAINS HERE PLEEEAAASSEEEEE!

[JoestNash360]

BREAKFAST IN LONDON LUNCH IN PARIS DINNER IN FRANKFURT VIVE EUROPE !!!! HIGH SEED TRAIN THE TOP / YA CAN DO IT TOO AMERICA JUST DO IT

[JROCC901]

Bring high speed train here!!!!! It time for us creates jobs here

[dwc1964]

Opponents of HSR and Amtrak in the U.S. apply arguments against rail that they never apply to auto and air transportation. Taxpayers subsidize highways, airports, and a lot of other things needed to keep cars and trucks driving and planes flying, at a much higher level than rail - yet rail alone is expected to "pay its own way". Even Europe's regular-speed inter-city rail system (all electric) is better than US's, and TGV blows it away. Time to catch up to the 20th century!

[sideslide23]

Its coming to California but not Florida now because The Judge decided to desmiss the case and grant Scott to turn over the $2.4 B

[wikct2]

China has fastest high-speed train in commercial use. Why it didn't say so? Instead, it mentioned that Japan has the fastest train, but that is in experiment only. Some people just cannot say that China has something better than others.

[sierracuban]

@sideslide23 HELLO AGAIN SIDESLIDE......Did you hear the good news ????? Governor Scott will reconsider his decision if we can come up with private funding......WE CAN DO THIS ! ! !

FLORIDA WILL HAVE HIGH SPEED RAIL.....

[martinims]

and they enjoy it in Russia now to, just search for Sapsan

[shinyaondrums]

Put the Japanese HSR system, the system is designed with frequent earthquakes. So far, they have the safest record with many earthquakes every year

[jenevajones991]

What about CA earthquakes? Just like subway system they were going to put in, did a little bit of it, calmer heads prevailed...seems like this is another case of some fast talkers trying to get some money for a place it just won't work...or, for long, anyway.