Could Eastern Jackson County be in line for high-speed rail service?
That might not be as far-fetched as you’d think.
The Obama administration is eager to pour a good deal of money into the nation’s transportation system, including the long-underfunded Amtrak. One of the routes identified for possible high-speed trains connects Kansas City and St. Louis. Amtrak service along that route includes stops in Independence and Lee’s Summit.
This doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll have the 125-mph or 175-mph bullet trains of Europe or Japan. Think of something closer to Amtrak’s fast-train service on the East Coast, which averages a little less than 90 mph. Still, fast and reliable service would give travelers an alternatives to flying or driving. Amtrak has indicated every willingness to go as fast as the tracks and traffic will allow but now is theoretically topped out at 79 mph. And in vast stretches of the country – certainly just about everything from Kansas City to the Rockies – fast, fast trains would make sense.
The administration’s idea is for a high-speed corridor from Kansas City to St. Louis and then St. Louis to Chicago. Other cities – Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Detroit, Indianapolis – would connect with Chicago as well.
Officials point out some of these plans have been gathering dust for 20 years. We have a president and Congress inclined to support public works projects in the name of economic stimulus. A few weeks ago in this space, we supported two main tests for effective stimulus spending: Will it create a long-term benefit to the economy? Can it be done fairly quickly?
The answers here would appear to be “certainly” and “well, maybe.” Still, that might be enough to keep this moving ahead.
The bigger issue is the massive amount of debt the country is adding for all of this stimulus work. That’s tomorrow’s headache, and it will come, but the country has decided on this course of action. Now it’s a matter of spending the money to the best effect. This idea is at least worth a hard look.
