Amtrak and Congress are attempting to bring a high-speed rail system similar to that of Europe to the United States. The passage of the High-Speed Rail Investment Act is crucial to the birth and survival of the speed train in America, as the presence of speed trains will have positive effects both on the state of Minnesota and on the environment, not to mention its vast improvement on the nation’s traffic system.
As rail transportation helped our country grow, newer, cleaner trains will help preserve it. The incredible amount of exhaust car engines emit is leaving many American cities brimming with pollution and acid rain, and both automobiles and planes contribute to global warming. As environmentally friendly mass transportation methods would help diminish carbon dioxide’s negative impact, speed trains connecting major American cities could be an important solution.
Currently being evaluated by Congress, the high-speed rail act would allow Amtrak to raise $10 billion over the next ten years by selling tax-exempt bonds. Since Amtrak was created to fill the role of a passenger train service left vacated when the private corporations switched to the higher grossing market of freight hauling, it has been under the government’s nurturing wing, receiving subsidies to keep its operation going. These high-speed train services, however, are essential to freeing the company from federal support.
The High-Speed Rail could link the Twin Cities to Chicago in as few as ten years. The trip would take only three hours and fifteen minutes. In order to be competitive with the airlines and to offer a relaxing environment, the train would be stocked with dining services, fax machines, and T.V. screens at a cost competitive with airplanes.
The positive benefits reaped by the United States and the environment should compel Congress to ratify the High-Speed Rail Investment Act.