http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/08/18/us.high.speed.rail/index.html?hpt=Sbin
President Obama is passing a bill that will grant $8 billion in order to build high-speed train rails throughout the United States. Citizens of the US have been limited to the use of cars, buses, and other non-environmentally friendly modes of transportation. But recently, the Department of Transportation awarded $8 billion dollars to 31 states to build these train rails. These trains woudl be state of the art, traveling at speeds up to 200mph, and would give off little to no pollution. If people used these trains instead of cars, it would save time, and cut back on CO2 emmisions. It would also create a lot of jobs, and reduce the United States' dependence on foreign oil. It's just an all around good idea.
While the plan is good, there is still the problem of the time frame. It will take five years for the earliest high-speed rails to be developed, so what can we do to help the environment in the meantime? Personally, South Carolinians have the issue of no access to the high-speed rails. How do we use them and help the environment when they are unavailable to us? However, the creation of new, green jobs will surely help the American economy and should we implement Maglev rails, which run on magnets and use no oil whatsoever, we could further the production of jobs and lessen the impact on the environment. I believe this is a good idea, but I worry about how long it will take.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it would even end up helping the economy. In theory it's a good idea but how many people are actually going to use them? You'll have to wait at the train station and people aren't that patient. I know if it was me I would much rather just drive. I think it would take an extremely long time for the price that it would cost to build it to benefit the economy. I agree that it would help the environment, I just don't think it would make as much of an impact as people think.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say that many people in South Carolina wouldn't use a high-speed rail, but that's coming from a rural point of view. These will be constructed first in urban parts of California, where the riders would be used to riding trains. The difference is that they would be more eco friendly and quicker.
ReplyDeleteIt could benefit the economy by creating thousands of jobs. These jobs would include both building and maintaining the railways. This could potentially be a major economic boost.
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