View
227
Download
0
Category
Tags:
Preview:
Citation preview
1
High-Speed Rail —High-Speed Rail —
American StyleAmerican Style
Steve Heminger
Executive Director
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
June 3, 2011
2
“You’ve got to accentuate
the positive. Eliminate the negative.
And latch onto the affirmative.
Don’t mess with Mister In-Between”– Bing Crosby, 1944
(lyrics by Johnny Mercer)
1. Connectivity Is Key
3
2. Deliver Early Co-Benefits
4
5
3. Environmental Review(s) Run Amok
4. A Need for Constructive Criticism
Recent LAO Report recommends transferring HSR development to Caltrans.
But the LAO itself has found major shortcomings at Caltrans in the areas of project delivery, budgeting and hiring:
“Caltrans has a less than perfect record in delivering projects on time and on budget.”
(2007-08 Budget Analysis, p. A- 44)
Given its size and complexity, California’s HSR system must be developed by an entity whose sole purpose is successful delivery of that project.
7
5. Reward Self-Help
7
8
6. High-Speed Rail is Not the Interstate System Redux
High-speed rail is about connecting large metropolitan areas
The critical decision is focusing on the proper city pairs
9
7. High-Speed Rail Is Not Stimulus
OBLIGATION AND OUTLAY OF MAJOR TRANSPORTION STIMULUS FUNDING(Millions of Dollars, As of Close of Business on Friday, March 4, 2011)
Agency Bureau AccountTotal
Provided ObligatedOblig. % of Total Outlays
Outlay % Of Total
DOT FHWA Federal-Aid Highways 27,500 26,847 97.6% 18,596 67.6%
DOT FTA Transit – Capital Formula
6,900 7,314 106.0% 4,166 60.4%
Highways + Transit Formula
34,400 34,161 99.3% 22,762 66.2%
DOT FTA Transit – Rail Modernization
750 748 99.7% 436 58.2%
DOT FTA Transit – New Starts 750 748 99.7% 743 99.0%
DOT FRA High-Speed/Intercity Rail 8,000 4,908 61.4% 83 1%
DOT FRA Grants to Amtrak 1,300 1,302 100.2% 1,181 90.9%
SOURCE: Transportation Weekly
10
8. There’s No Such Thing as a Democratic or a Republican Road…
11
9. So Why Do It?
Alternative to congested air travel Clean electric transportation $7 per gallon of gasoline
“Facing Up to End of 'Easy Oil'” (Wall Street Journal, May 24, 2011)
Are all of major economic competitors crazy?
“The question is, are there any special circumstances that suggest all these other countries are wrong and we are right?”
To prove we still can
12
“ The Commission envisions an
intercity passenger rail network
that provides competitive, reliable,
and frequent passenger service,
comparable to world-class systems
in other countries. This network
would primarily connect regions
and population centers within
500 miles of each other.”
10. Keep Our Eye on the Prize
13
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
www.mtc.ca.govwww.mtc.ca.gov
Recommended