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Archive for the ‘High Speed Rail’ Category

Comments on Preliminary National Rail Plan

Monday, June 21st, 2010

AMERICA 2050
America 2050 launched a research program on highspeed rail in 2009 to provide input and help shape the federal government’s new highspeed intercity passenger rail (HSIPR) program. In September 2009, we released the report “Where High-Speed Rail Works Best,” which discussed factors contributing to ridership demand for high-speed rail. The paper argued that the federal government should focus preliminary ARRA grants in corridors with the greatest passenger demand for high-speed rail service.

Moving forward, our research will continue to focus on success factors in developing high-speed rail systems and strategies for developing a national intercity passenger network. To that end, we offer the following recommendations for the long-term National Rail Plan, focused primarily on the elements of success for passenger rail.

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Is the High Speed Rail Program At Risk?

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Ever since President Obama announced his high speed rail (HSR) program initiative and Congress approved $8 billion to fund it as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in February 2009, many States have lined up to stake out a share of the new money. States that had been working on high-speed rail plans for years saw it as an opportunity to finally bring their projects to fruition, while others scrambled to get rail corridor planning underway so that they too could qualify for a share of the pie. The prize looked particularly attractive because the dollars will flow directly to the recipient states without requiring a local match.

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The Economic Impacts of High-Speed Rail on Cities and their Metropolitan Areas

Monday, June 14th, 2010
keyfindings1

UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF MAYORS
Existing modes of transportation currently consume more than two-thirds of our nation’s oil supply and are responsible for nearly a third of our carbon dioxide emissions. As a result, we need to make tomorrow’s transportation infrastructure more energy efficient, more environmentally sustainable, and less reliant on foreign oil. Future federal transportation investments should address energy, economic, and climate concerns through reforms and programs that emphasize sustainable transportation environments.

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Connecting the Region with Transit: Implementing the Central Florida Regional Growth Vision

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
Modes of Transit

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

The Federal Government supports a vision for high-speed rail to connect regions throughout the country. In Florida two high-speed rail corridors were identified to provide connections from Central Florida to Tampa and Miami.

The High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, offers stimulus money for passenger rail projects throughout the United States. FDOT applied for four separate projects to receive funding: High-speed rail connecting Orlando to Tampa and Orlando to Miami, Central Florida Commuter Rail (SunRail), and Amtrak-Florida East Coast Passenger Service.

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Just Released: Infra report from Urban Land Institute

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
infra2010water2

Infrastructure 2010: Investment Imperative, the latest annual infrastructure report by Urban Land Institute and Ernst & Young, focuses on water infra and urges decision-makers to view infrastructure as a long-term investment.

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INFRASTRUCTURE 2010: INVESTMENT IMPERATIVE

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

URBAN LAND INSTITUTE
Falling behind global competitors, the United States struggles to gain traction in planning and building the critical infrastructure investments that are necessary to ensure future economic growth and support a rapidly expanding population.

Recent federal stimulus spending addresses some pressing repair needs for transport- and water-related systems and provides seed funding for high-speed rail in important travel corridors, as well as new energy infrastructure. But recession-busted government budgets, entitlement and defense expenditures, and ballooning health care costs push infrastructure down most political priority lists—leaders continue to procrastinate when it comes to new investments as stressed taxpayers balk at more spending.

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Regional Plan Association (RPA) addresses infra issues at Regional Assembly 2010 in NYC, April 16th

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
REGIONAL ASSEMBLOY 2010

REGIONAL ASSEMBLY 2010: INNOVATION & THE AMERICAN METROPOLIS
“The Regional Assembly is New York’s premier public policy event, bringing together several hundred top business, civic, philanthropic, media, and government leaders from across the metropolitan region and nation. Each year the Assembly focuses on a priority issue. This year, we examine how the innovative spirit and creativity of urban America can build and sustain a better future for our cities.”

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Colorado: High Speed Rail Feasibility Study

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

ROCKY MOUNTAIN RAIL AUTHORITY
Colorado has a unique transportation challenge. Our mountain resorts and metropolitan areas play a special role as national and international attractions. The vast majority of the state’s commercial and recreational centers are connected by just two major highways, I-70 and I-25. Traffic congestion is increasing in both corridors, impeding travel during weekdays on I-25 and weekends on I-70.

For illustrative purposes, one of those options was further optimized and used to develop a sample implementation plan as part of this report. That implementation plan identifies four potential phases for having high-speed rail operational in Colorado as early as 2021.

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High-Speed Rail: Track to the Future?

Monday, March 29th, 2010

BLUEPRINT AMERICA
With the one-year mark of President Barack Obama’s stimulus plan approaching last month, the White House selected 13 passenger rail corridors in 31 states to receive funding. High-speed rail projects in Florida, Illinois and California were the big winners.

Here’s the dream: A sleek, state-of-the-art train that whisks you from LA to San Francisco in less than three hours, and helps save the planet while doing so.

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Guest on The Infra Blog: Petra Todorovich, Director, America 2050

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
todorovich-petra

Petra Todorovich is Director of America 2050, a national urban planning initiative to develop an infrastructure and growth strategy for the United States. She has written articles on transportation and infrastructure policy and is a frequent speaker on the topics of transportation policy, megaregions, and national planning. Prior to the launch of America 2050, Ms. Todorovich directed Regional Plan Association’s Region’s Core program and coordinated the Civic Alliance to Rebuild Downtown New York, a network of organizations that came together shortly after 9/11 to promote the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site and Lower Manhattan.

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