It's about darn time we had a President who was an advocate for high-speed trains in this country. Not to mention the fact that we have a Vice President who actually utilized high-speed trains on a weekly basis for years and years in his commute between Delaware and D.C.
Trains have always been my favorite mode of transportation. I love the fact that you can walk around, visit the dining car (nowadays the "snacking" car), and have general freedom of movement. Trains are generally less crowded than airplanes or buses, so it's always been a pleasure to take them, as far as I'm concerned.
http://news.yahoo.com/...
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is calling for the country to move swiftly to a system of high-speed rail travel, saying it will relieve congestion, help clean the air and save on energy.
Appearing with Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Thursday, Obama said the country cannot afford not to invest in a major upgrade to rail travel. He said he understands it necessarily will be "a long-term project" but said the time to start is now.
It's refreshing to have a President who is thinking AHEAD for a change, and not BACKWARDS. It would be incredible to have a high-speed rail network built in my lifetime. Of course, this all should have happened decades ago, but better late than never I suppose.
Obama said that "this is not some fanciful, pie-in-the-sky vision of the future. It's happening now. The problem is, it's happening elsewhere." He cited superior high-speed rail travel in countries like China, Japan, France and Spain.
It's sometimes hard to believe that the U.S. has one of the worst train systems in the industrialized world. A comprehensive high-speed train network would ease both ground and air traffic, especially in the urban areas. Trains actually have the most favorable ratio of person to oil consumption of any major form of transportation. Vive les trains!