Prospects for High Speed Rail in California

“High-speed rail is generally defined as passenger rail running at speeds in excess of 125 mph (200 km/h).” As previously noted, Asian and European high-speed rail networks are currently the world’s most advanced. However, Russia, Morocco and Saudi Arabia are planning to build their own high-speed networks in the near future.

There is only early development of high-speed rail in North America. Tel Aviv Treehugger Jesse Fox relays a challenge issue by Majority Whip Fiona Ma to the California State Assembly:”If we don’t pass this [a $10 billion bond initiative for high-speed rail in California], we will never have high-speed trains in the US.”

Speaking at the Ecocity World Summit, Ma, a leading advocate for high-speed rail in California, asserted, “High-speed rail is the most environmentally-sound option for meeting California’s future transport needs, and must be part of the discussion about global warming.”

California is the world’s 12th largest single source of carbon emissions, and emissions from transportation make up around 38% of total emissions. While Governator Schwarzenegger has committed the state to drastic reductions in greenhouse emissions over the next several decades, car-based planning has led to serious increases in automobile miles traveled in the state.

According to Ma, the proposed high-speed rail line, running from San Diego to Sacramento, with travel times of two and a half hours between LA and San Francisco, would be the most effective single investment that the state could make to lower greenhouse emissions, improve quality of life and stimulate the economy.

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Ma, however, believes that, after 10 years of work on the initiative, this year may finally be the “perfect storm” that gets the plan approved, due to rising gas prices, road congestion, endless lines at the airports and the latest airline crisis. Japan, Ma noted, has had high-speed rail for 40 years, and France for 25. Countries all over the world are now developing high-speed rail, and California and the US are “light years behind” the rest of the world.

The California State Assembly has twice postponed the vote on the bond, in 2004 and 2006. There is the possibility that it could be postponed for a third time this November.

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