Imagine boarding a train in the center of the city, no racing to an airport, across the terminal, no delays, no sitting on the tarmac, no lost luggage, no taking off your shoes. This is the idea that President Obama imagined, and proposed, on April 16 when he announced his administration's efforts to "transform travel in America."
High speed rail travel is already in use in Japan, China, France, and Spain, but not here in America. The Obama administration will focus on improving current rail systems along with creating new high speed rails. For the United States, this is a new development. Californians have already bought into the concept and are excited to hear that the president wants to move on it quickly.
In the November election, $9.9 billion in bonds were okayed by voters to help pay for the first part of the 800-mile high-speed rail system in proposition 1A. The initial project can now get underway. So what's the hold up?
First of all, the bonds haven't been sold yet and the Pooled Money Investment Board froze funding on the project in December because of the state budget crisis. This meant that the private consultants who were performing engineering and doing environmental reviews had to stop working because they weren't getting paid.
However, $29 million has now been borrowed from the state treasurer's office to keep the project running through the fiscal year; meaning the private consultants can keep up their work through June 30.
There is a bright spot on the horizon. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, approved by Congress in February, calls for $8 billion to be utilized within the different states for high-speed rail services.
California is asking for half
Whether or not this will happen, the Golden State is the only state with a real project, according to Mehdi Morshed, executive director of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.
The stops for the train here in the Central Valley are, according to http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov, conditionally chosen. The stops closest to Modesto will be Sacramento, Stockton, Downtown Merced, Fresno, Bakersfield, and Downtown Modesto - or possibly, Ceres. It is projected that the trip from Modesto to L.A. will take one hour and 51 minutes, at the cost of $46. To get to Sacramento from Modesto will cost $22 and take 31 minutes.
When the construction will actually start is still being decided. All that is known for Modestans is that "Modesto is not part of the first leg" of the project, said Cindy Empal of the Modesto City Council. The first stages in the creation of this high speed train will not go through Modesto.
If and when the project does get underway, it will create a mini economic boom for the state. On average, the entire project will create, according to http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov, "160,000 construction-related jobs to plan, design and build the system."
Also, 450,000 permanent jobs are expected by 2035 as a result of the economic growth created by the train. Ironically, all that is needed is a boost in the economy to get the project started so that the economy can be boosted by the train.
It's good to know, for many reasons, that Modesto will be a stop on the route, bringing many needed jobs to our town when the construction finally starts, and connecting us more solidly to the rest of California culturally and geographically.
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