Hang on, here come the fast trains (Oct. 26)
By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune
It’s beginning to look as though construction work actually may start in our lifetime on the California High Speed Rail System, and those of us who live in Madera will know when it’s done by that roaring sound we’ll hear each time one of the trains passes near or through our town.
We already hear a roaring sound 20 to 30 times a day as north-south Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe trains pass through. The UP track goes right through the center of town; the BNSF track runs east of the city.
At this point, it is hard to know how many high-speed trains will pass through or near our town, or on which route, but it is likely to be plenty. In order to pay its way, the high-speed system will have to run a lot of trains.
Transit systems that succeed do so because they offer quick and frequent service at competitive prices.
So we can expect a lot more train traffic when the high-speed rail starts running.
The cost on total build-out is being estimated at something like $45 billion for 800 miles of track and associated infrastructure. That’s about $56 million a mile. Compare that to the cost of the first transcontinental railroad, built between 1863 and 1869. That line ran from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Sacramento. Its cost averaged $28,173 per mile.
The federal government lent the railroads $50 million to build the first transcontinental railroad. On top of that, the feds made huge land grants adjacent to the railroad rights of way, complete with mineral and timber rights.
California already has approved $10 billion in bonds to get the project started, and the state has applied for the Lion’s share — more than $4 billion — of the $8 billion the federal government plans to sink into high-speed rail throughout the country.
Hang onto your hats and plug your ears.
