On the fast track (link).
LaHood has sent Obama a memo outlining a half-dozen rail corridors across the country that could be in line to get some of the high-speed rail money.Of all the things Obama has to face, this is the one opportunity for a real legacy project, perhaps not greater in significance, but more influential than the trans-continental railroad or Eisenhower's interstates. One that shapes the future of this country and stimulate increased investment in our left behind urban cores.
While it is good to see the hometown of Harrisburg, PA get on the list, it is interesting that a Texarkana to Little Rock connection is more important than Dallas to Houston. There is a full size map of the entire country and all lines at the link above. Here is a zoom in locally:
So what this is telling me is that if I could somehow get to Houston, greyhound of the skies or actual greyhound, I could hi-speed train it all the way back to mama's house. With the new green line, I would be able to DART to Love Field, Southwest it to Houston, somehow get to wherever their train station might be and then get on the 1500 mile trek home.
Meh, it would be easier to just fly. How about we focus on the Megalopoli [sic] as I mentioned previously and worry about linking them later (and to second/third tier cities). Bo-Wash, Charlotte-Richmond-Atlanta-RDU, DFW-Houston-Austin-San Antonio - California corridor, etc.
Here was my take from a couple of months back on a full hierarchy of new routes from Hi-speed, to commuter, to streetcar:
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3 comments:
Almost looks like a wishbone there extended from TX to OK and AR. Would be nice if they added the line from Dallas to Houston, that drive SUCKS. Guess they don't want Dallas folk to have the option of getting to New Orleans a little easier, or any of the other gambling cities on that route. Let's just keep us going to Oklahoma... not that I go gambling or anything.
My only concern with hi-speed rail is what I call the "Stroud Effect." There's probably another name for it but I don't read enough planning theory to know what it is. Basically, when I was growing up in Oklahoma every hi-speed rail conversation involved connecting Tulsa to Oklahoma City with a stop mid-way in Stroud. The two metros are only 100 miles apart. With Stroud only 50 miles from each city, it stands to reason that dual income households could live in Stroud and commute to two different metro areas. By living in one community and commuting to two wholly different communities, are you able to develop any connections whatsoever? And what on Earth happens to a small town like Stroud? Is it something like a Mega-exurb? The same thing could happen in a place like Madisonville, TX.
I'm certain something similar has happened in the Eastern Seaboard, but the densities are quite different in the central states.
i think it makes a lot of sense to spend the money to link austin/houston/dallas. too far to drive, too expensive to fly, and in fact, it takes longer to fly when factoring in all the driving and waiting.
personally, think the money would be better spent on local streetcars throughout the country. where the positive effects can be seen more immediately...then once those returns start coming in (in the form of investment and tax base) then scale up to larger rail.
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