(howstuffworks.com)
Last year, I decided to take a nice road trip to Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa. For those who have not been to Omaha and Council Bluffs, you should consider taking a trip there as the region is currently experiencing a high amount of growth due to their railroad heritage. Everywhere you go, a Union Pacific decal is right around the corner.
If you ever go to Council Bluffs, Iowa, make sure you check out the Union Pacific Railroad Museum...
http://www.uprrmuseum.org/
When I was in Council Bluffs, the UPRR museum was the first place I visited. It is quite an experience as you will see both railroads from the 1800s as well as railroads of the future. As I walked up to the third floor of the museum, I noticed a huge painting on the side of the wall. On the side of the wall was a painting depicting a railroad heading into the future with the caption,
" The Road To The Future Isn't A Road At All!"
This quote sums up the high speed rail movement perfectly. No longer is it acceptable for the automobile to have a monopoly on the transportation industry. No longer is it a popular belief that paving interstates will carry the U.S into the 21st century. Rails, whether they be freight, high speed, commuter, light, heavy, maglev, or personal rapid transit are the future.
Let's take a look at some of the reasons and trends that indicate a future movement to rail.
Younger Americans Are Driving Less
Contrary to what auto supporters want you to believe, younger americans, which are the future, are driving less miles.
http://www.cahsrblog.com/2010/06/the-great-shift-away-from-driving/
If you look at the graph on the link above, you will see that the percentage of miles driven by those between the ages of 21 and 30 has decreased by 7.7%. This is an enormous decline in miles traveled. The main reason for this decline is the digital revolution. When you are driving a car, you cannot surf the internet, send and receive texts, or make phone calls safely. When you're on a high speed rail, a commuter rail, or even a light rail, you can tap into the WiFi on the train and not have to worry about the road ahead. As the link says, younger people want I-Phones not cars.
Here is another link that talks about this great shift away from the automobile...
http://www.cahsrblog.com/2010/10/more-evidence-for-a-shift-away-from-driving/
Oil Prices Are On The Rise
Unless you live in a cave, you are fully aware of the rise in gas prices. The scary thing is that most people feel like the current prices are off the charts and indeed they are...
http://www.mongabay.com/images/commodities/charts/crude_oil.html
But, if you think these prices are the sky, you haven't seen anything yet. Former Shell executive John Hofmeister predicts gas prices will go over $5 a gallon in 2012...
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/135343-former-shell-executive-raises-the-specter-of-5-per-gallon-gas-prices?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
If that isn't bad enough, Deutsche Bank is predicting oil barrels to be $175 each by 2016...
http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2009/10/07/204770/deutsche-bank-oil-to-hit-175-a-barrel-by-2016-which-will-drive-a-final-stake-into-long-term-oil-demand-spurred-by-a-disruptive-technology-the-hybrid-and-electric-car-that-will-very/
So how can we avoid these high gas prices? Simply put, build rails. Unlike the automobile, rails do not shackle themselves to the oil industry therfore fares remain constant and affordable for a longer period of time.
More Americans Are Moving Into The City
Traditionally, urban sprawl has been left uncontrolled by cities of all shapes and sizes. Because of this, the automobile has been needed for someone to get from point A to point B. But now things are changing...
http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/117186/37/New-Trend-Toward-City-Living
Due to rising costs of infrastructure for urban sprawl such as sewers, roads, and power lines, many cities are rethinking urban sprawl, and many Americans are finding life in the city to be much more affordable. You can learn more about the Smart Growth Movement here...
http://www.smartgrowth.org/
Because of this great shift to the urban core of cities, more cities are investing in light rail and it is proving to be successful...
http://www.lightrailnow.org/features/f_000003.htm
Economic development is one of the main differences between rails and roads. While roads are built and designed to attract and encourage urban sprawl, rails are built and designed to encourage Smart Growth planning. Because rails offer a solution for those trying to escape urban sprawl, it is the future.
Less Opposition From Airlines
As you may know, rails compete with both the automobile and the airplane for market share. High Speed Rail has already gained significant market share overseas...
http://www.connectthemidwest.com/2010/09/high-speed-rail-grabs-market-share-of-airliners/
Now, the ACELA Express in our Northeast Corridor is gaining market share on air and auto...
http://reasonrail.blogspot.com/2010/12/acela-continues-to-gain-marketshare.html
Due to this competition, many airlines have previously hired lobbyists to defeat high speed rail movements. Previously they have been successful in states such as Texas and Florida. But as population begins to increase, many airlines are rethinking this theory.
Currently, most airports are filled with airplanes that are traveling less than 400 miles. This is proving to be quite expensive for the airline industry as these short trips are not as profitable as their long distance trips, and these airplanes are filling valuable space at airports. Therefore, the airline industry has reversed their though process on high speed rail which traditionally serves routes that are less than 400 miles. One of these airlines is JetBlue...
http://www.cahsrblog.com/2010/07/jetblue-sees-benefits-of-hsr/
Removing the barrier of airline lobbyists is a tremendous asset to the high speed rail movement as air and auto will no longer be able to double team the rail movement. Just about everyone that isn't a lobbyist for an interstate is now on the side of high speed rail.
The Vast Majority of Americans Now Support High Speed Rail Over Air And Auto
Over the past few years, the high speed rail movement has gained tremendous progress in winning the hearts of Americans. Study after study, survey after survey, and poll after poll has proven this...
http://www.cahsrblog.com/2011/03/79-of-travelers-would-use-high-speed-rail/
http://www.hntb.com/news-room/news-release/america%E2%80%99s-high-speed-rail-aspirations-remain-strong
http://www.planetizen.com/node/43117
http://fastlane.dot.gov/2011/06/us-mayors-declares-support-for-president-obamas-high-speed-rail-initiative.html
No matter what part of the U.S you live in, support for high speed rail is at an all-time high, and it has already surpassed support for the auto and air industries. This trend will only continue to grow.
There you have it, no matter what angle you look at the rails vs roads debate, one thing is clear, rails are America's future. This begs the question: Why haven't we invested in high speed rail in Evansville and why are we supporting I-69 which is expected to cost over $5 billion?
Unfortunately, interstate supporters are setting us back behind other regions again. They refuse to look into the future. Instead, only the present is what they see. Sooner or later, Evansville will wake up. At that point, Evansville will see why investing in high speed rail is vital to the success of their city. They will then see the wisdom in Union Pacific's quote. They will then understand...
"The Road To The Future Isn't A Road At All!"
(www.baileylauerman.com)
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