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BMWED Position on High-Speed Rail
The Teamster Rail Conference supports the development of high-speed rail in America and believes the jobs created by high-speed rail must be safeguarded for railroad workers and as such must be covered by all federal laws pertaining to railroad carriers. Laws like the RLA (Railway Labor Act), FELA (Federal Employers Liability Act), and the Railroad Retirement Act.
The workers currently employed on our nation’s railroads are among the most highly skilled and trained in the world because they are covered by a host of federal laws, promulgated to ensure the safety of the industry. To ensure the safety of high-speed rail, any system built must be considered a railroad carrier under the law, so that federal law protects the workers and the communities’ high-speed rail runs through.
Safety will be the key to any high-speed corridor, and the BMWED and BLET believe that any high-speed train that runs in this nation must have a certified and trained locomotive engineer in its cab to ensure its safe operation.
One of the ways to ensure that railroad workers do high-speed rail work is through an amendment to the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act. This amendment would both address the problems when states (and others) acquiring lines that are intrastate, but part of the interstate system, such as Florida, New Mexico and Massachusetts; the creation of new lines crossing state borders but not connected to the general system of rail transportation like the proposed Anaheim-Las Vegas line; and high speed rail.
The amendment would make these lines rail carriers under the law and would ensure railroad workers receive the benefits outlined by law.
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July 29, 2010 Amtrak President Joe Boardman's letter to US Congressional Representatives discussing a proposed ammendment to eliminate $1.2 billion in capital funding to Amtrak. Read letter, then contact your representative urging them not to support this ammendment.
January 27, 2010 High-Speed Rail Awards region by region, showing Route, estimated potential funding, and a description of what that funding will buy.
Beyond the Motor City - High-Speed Rail
PBS Reports on America's Infrastructure ~BluePrint America
A national high-speed rail plan was put forward by President Barack Obama in April 2009, just months after he set aside $8 billion in stimulus funds to begin such an undertaking. But, already, forty states and the District of Columbia have requested over $100 billion for high-speed train projects.
Though any state can ask for funding, the administration has identified 10 potential high-speed rail corridors: California, the Pacific Northwest, Texas, the Gulf Coast,
Florida, a Southeast corridor, the Northeast Corridor, the “Keystone Corridor” through Pennsylvania, the “Empire Corridor” through New York, and a Midwest hub centered in Chicago. Anyone outside these regions will be hard-pressed for high-speed rail dollars.
That $8 billion is going to have to go a long way as, for example, building a system in California — the state furthest along in high-speed rail planning with construction set to start as soon as next year — will cost $42.6 billion alone (up from $33.6 billion just a year ago).
In addition to the stimulus investment, Congress has approved $2.5 billion more in high-speed rail funding for the annual federal budget this year. Still, that is budget to budget, year to year support for projects that take 10 to 20 years to build. And, if a system is implemented nationally, it will cost hundreds of billions of dollars — not counting inflation over the decades it will take to build. Read More...
Missouri should get on track with high-speed rail
By R. Hunter Biden, former Vice-Chairman of Amtrak’s Board of Directors
January 25, 2010 - In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, railroad pioneers laid out tracks that galvanized Missouri. Today, Missouri is helping lay the groundwork for high-speed rail, which promises to be the greatest advancement in our country’s transportation network since we built our interstate highways. Like the interstate, high-speed rail will boost our mobility and productivity. Read More...
High-Speed Rail a Clean Win for Commuters
By John D. Porcani, US Deputy Secretary of Transportation
December 23, 2009 - By John D. Porcari, US Deputy Secretary of Transportation - As Americans travel this holiday season, many will be frustrated by long lines at airports and congestion on the roadways, caused by years of neglect to our national infrastructure. President Obama has an ambitious plan to fix these problems, which includes the creation of a nationwide network of high-speed and intercity passenger rail routes. To advance this goal, the president made an $8 billion down payment through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and proposed another $1 billion for each of the next five years. Nearly 40 states have applied for this money. Read More...
Vision For High-Speed Rail in America
U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary of Transportation
April 2009 - (1.4mb) In the 20th century, the United States built highway and aviation networks that transformed the country – fueling unprecedented economic expansion, fostering new communities and connecting cities, towns and regions. Strong public-sector leadership along with private industry partnerships were the lynchpins to that success. States forged the path by identifying the needs and investing in key portions of the system, private industry brought innovation and resources, and the Federal Government provided an integrating vision, the policy roadmap and a funding framework that enabled the realization of a national system. Read More...
High-Speed Rail: A National Perspective
High-Speed Rail Experience in the United States
December 2008 - (1.9mb) A report prepared for National Railroad Passenger Corporation by Cambridge Systematics, Inc. with SYSTRA Consulting, Inc. Amtrak commissioned this study to help identify the trends and prospects for improved service – in terms of operating speeds, frequency, and reliability – in rail corridors around the country. The goal of the study was to produce a summary of the lessons learned from the corridor improvement projects across the country and to develop criteria that might describe corridors most likely to succeed with high-speed rail improvements. Read More...
