High Speed Rail: Getting America Back on Track

On April 2009 President Obama announced his economic stimulus package that was to put the American economy back on the road to recovery. The plan included $8 billion for the development of high speed rail networks to service the busiest commuter routes in the country. In the intervening years that budgetary allowance has become less certain until finally Congress decided to eliminate it altogether in November 2012. While this is obviously a major setback to the plan it is by no means the end of the project. Currently there is a bullet train network being built in California linking Fresno and Bakersfield which is just the beginning of the developments nationwide. At first it might seem like high speed rail is something of a luxury toy for first world countries but the real rationale is actually much deeper. By creating reliable alternatives to air and road travel along the busiest travel routes high speed rail contributes to the reduction of congestion, reduces fuel consumption and carbon emissions and frees up resources like fuel and rolling stock for other forms of cargo. With all of the added time that now goes with air travel it can even be quicker to travel by high speed rail for short to middle distance trips. The greatest advantage of investing in high speed rail is in its future potential for changing the way that we travel. Initially most of the focus will be on transporting passengers, although there are some high speed freight trains in countries where high speed rail is well developed like Japan and France. As the network grows it will eventually offer an alternative to air freight for fast delivery but at a fraction of the price. There are currently projects like the Californian one all across the US with plans to upgrade the most heavily used portions of the rail network considerably within the next 30 years. The plan is to develop a fast and efficient rail network that services areas where three quarters of American economic activity takes place by connecting the most densely populated areas in the country. All of this can only improve the efficiency and so the economic viability of rail freight transport and contribute to more sustainable in the logistics industries as a whole. To find out how you can take advantage of the efficiency of rail transport, get in touch with http://www.bmishipping.com/ to discuss all of your options.