This could help convince more automobile drivers to travel by train and thus see the appeal of expanding the network. However, Mathews argued that in order to build upon and expand this support, it was also critical to focus on improving current rail services. In addition to the environmental benefits, Jim Mathews, President and CEO of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, stressed that the demand for high-speed rail services is prominent due to the appeal of improved convenience and flexibility for passengers. This impact demonstrates that high-speed rail has the potential to attract passengers for journeys that are too far to drive, but too short to justify a flight.ĭue to the challenges of decarbonising the aviation sector, this shift would offer huge environmental benefits, and could present the US with opportunities similar to those leveraged in countries such as France, which is stopping domestic short-haul flights on routes with feasible rail alternatives in order to significantly reduce transport emissions. However, over the last 20 years, the Acela has made significant inroads on shifting these transport habits and Amtrak has now gained a 75% market share of business travel within the Northeast Corridor. Prior to its launch in 2000, business travellers typically relied on air travel to make trips between cities such as Boston and New York. Marc Joffe is a federalism and state policy analyst at the Cato Institute.According to Amtrak’s President, Roger Harris, this service has had a significant impact on attracting rail passengers. It should also prioritize more water storage projects so that agricultural water supplies become more reliable and the need to pump groundwater is reduced. Meanwhile, the state legislature should ask Authority leadership how it plans to address the heighted flood risk around Corcoran and other Central Valley locations impacted by subsidence. regulators have ever seen, and they will have an understandable incentive to impede the start of revenue service until their many concerns are satisfied. With an unprecedented 220 mph running speed, safety challenges for the new system will be much greater than any rail system U.S. A 171‐mile system using technology never before deployed in the United States could face a much longer shakedown process. rail projects, including Honolulu HART, the San Francisco Central Subway, and the DC Metro Silver Line extension have stalled for multiple years in the testing phase as construction errors and design flaws came to light. Once the first 171-miles of track are laid and electrified, it is possible that the project will get stuck in an extended cycle of testing and remediation. The relatively high degree of subsidence in the area is the result of agricultural interests pumping out ground water due to the inability to obtain sufficient reservoir water for their crops.Īnnual crime report shows Californians’ fear of increasing crime is justifiedįlooding is unlikely to be the only remaining factor impeding the start of operations. In 2021, The New York Times reported parts of city had sunk 11.5 feet over a period of fourteen years. The area around Corcoran has been suffering from subsidence, a gradual reduction in the land’s elevation.
Regardless of whether this incident results in a schedule setback, it may not be the last time weather deals a blow to the project. We probably won’t know until the Authority issues its 2024 Business Plan Update. It remains to be seen whether contractors can make up for lost time. An Authority spokesperson told me that construction was restarting this month at most suspended sites, and that all remaining sites were expected to be in operation by September. Area resident Curt Rowe surveyed construction sites near Corcoran on June 14 and found that only one location remained underwater: an area adjacent to CA-43 in Angiola, CA. More recently, the floodwaters have started to recede. If the lake were to become a permanent feature, it could leave a portion of the high-speed rail right of way under water. The flooding prompted discussion of a rebirth of Lake Tulare, once the largest lake West of the Mississippi.
#US HIGHSPEED RAIL UPDATE#
The California High Speed Rail Authority’s March 2023 Project Update set back the date for Central Valley service to late 2030 at the earliest-a stark contrast to the original projection of 2020 for service along the entire Phase I line connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles and Anaheim.īut shortly after the Authority released its update, several work sites near Corcoran flooded, halting construction. This year’s rainy season has raised a new threat to the California high-speed rail project’s construction schedule: flooding.
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