Construction starts on 1st high speed "bullet" train in the US
After decades of debate, planning and controversy, this project has finally begun. This is currently the largest public works project in the US.
California High-Speed Rail - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nation's 1st Bullet Train Breaks Ground in Fresno | NBC Bay Area
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In 2009, the Authority projected that construction of the system will create 450,000 permanent jobs through the new commuters that will use the system, and that the Los Angeles-San Francisco route will generate a net operating revenue of $2.23 billion by 2023, consistent with the experience of other high-speed intercity operations around the world. Even Amtrak's high-speed Acela Express service generates an operating surplus that is used to cover operating expenses of other lines. The 2012 Business Plan estimates that the first segment's construction will "generate 20,000 jobs over five years," with the Phase 1 system requiring 990,000 job-years over 15 years, averaging 66,000 annually... In 2022, when the Initial Operating Section (Merced to the San Fernando Valley) is up and running, the resulting greenhouse gas reductions will be between 100,000 to 300,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the first year. That's the equivalent of from between 17,700 to 53,000 personal vehicles taken off the road. Between 2022 and 2040, the cumulative reduction of CO2 is estimated to be between 5 and 10 million metric tons. By 2040, the system is estimated to reduce vehicles miles of travel in the state by almost 10 million miles of travel every day (16,000,000 km). Over a 58 year period (from the start of operations in 2022 through 2080), the system is estimated to reduce auto travel on the state's highways and roads by over 400 billion miles of travel (6.4Ã--1011 km). |
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Gov. Jerry Brown said high-speed rail is essential to meeting his new challenge: Encouraging the nation's most populous state to increase renewable energy use to 50 percent in the next 15 years. "It's not that expensive. We can afford it. In fact, we cannot NOT afford it,'' Brown said... Rep. Jeff Denham, a Central Valley Republican who vows to block federal money for the trains because he doesn't believe they will be as fast or carry as many riders as promised. "It's hard to celebrate breaking ground on what is likely to become abandoned pieces of track that never connect to a usable segment,'' Denham said. |
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