Blog: Pressing Forward on Southeast Passenger Rail

Statement

Posted by Anthony Foxx

President Obama has a vision for inter-city passenger rail in America, and, as Politico reported [external link] --and tweeted [external link]-- recently, this Secretary of Transportation is bullish on that vision.

Why do I see a future for passenger rail? Because, as the President has said, this is America. The country that built the Transcontinental Railroad more than 150 years ago shouldn't be lagging behind others when it comes to building quality rail connections between our cities.

We know how to build it. We also know why we need to do it.

Our Beyond Traffic study indicates that by 2045, America will be home to 70 million more people than today. And, like the rest of us, those people will be going places. So, take our already congested roads and runways, and imagine what they look like with 70 million more Americans trying to wedge their way from city to city.

We have a capacity problem now that is only going to get worse in the very near future. A world-class passenger rail network in our fastest-growing regions is no luxury; it's a necessity. We also have a rail network that --with a commitment from DOT, States, and regions-- can be upgraded to accommodate quality passenger service.

Yesterday, I sat down with a group of men and women, Virginians for High Speed Rail, who share that commitment. And I let them know that they are not alone.

I reminded them that this Administration has already gotten the ball rolling on plans to get speeds up to 90 MPH between Arlington and Richmond and to double the amount of daily service. Because of these investments, we're now looking at an alternative route between Richmond and Raleigh that will cut a 3.5-hour trip down to 2 hours and 15 minutes --saving 75 minutes in each direction.

That will make it more realistic for people traveling for vacation or business to keep their cars at home or skip the ride out to a suburban airport.

I also announced that this Department will undertake a $1 million planning effort to create a shared, workable vision for a Southeast passenger rail network that connects Washington, DC to Richmond, to Charlotte, to Raleigh, and to Atlanta. These are cities that --like their Northeast Corridor counterparts-- are business and population centers between which people need a travel option beyond crowded highways and airplanes.

As part of this, we'll create a governance organization to oversee this whole process. But this is not going to be one of those initiatives where we talk about it for another decade while the cost of taking action increases and economic growth gets choked by congestion. We're ready to do something substantial in the next 18 months to begin recreating the benefits of the Northeast Corridor and continue fueling economic prosperity in the Southeast.

We have the need; we have the knowledge. We have an Administration with the will --in fact, President Obama has requested additional funds for passenger rail in every budget proposal he has sent to Congress. And we have support from States, from regional planners, and from local business communities.

So let's get moving!

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