A nation's priorities

[bikkuri bahn]

Cost of an improvement to a segment of an interstate north of Dallas, TX: 5 billion dollars.  Total federal grants for High Speed Rail nationwide: 10 billion dollars.  Any questions?

 

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/112310dnmetI35project.3e44c35.html

[to2leo]

It is hard for the US not to prioritize funding to highway building. 

 

After all, the railways connect America and the car industry created the American middle class and its consumption culture.  (While the banks inject consumption steroid <-but that's another story).

 

I wonder if Germany prioritizes highways funding over railways too?

[Mudkip Orange]

In fairness, this is more about a get-rich-quick scheme then it is about actual public works.

 

We have this kinda BS because privately-financed toll roads get Rick Perry hot, and him and his cronies control the GOP political machine in this state.

 

Dallas actually has a bunch of solid commuter rail infrastructure in place for the TRE, and there's a parallel rail line with a nice big ROW that runs the whole stretch from Denton to the big D. But this isn't a Dallas proposal, this is an Austin proposal, intended to line the pockets of investors and cement support for Perry's presidential ambitions.

[Guest ___]

Keep in mind Mudkip,. that not every state in the union has labor unions, and the mafia in control of the construction trade like the Commonwealth of PA. And believe me, I know a few things about the mob and PennDOT

 

*cough I-79 from the WV boarder to Fort Pitt

[Mudkip Orange]

Yeah so my info on this was super out of date.

 

This entire rail corridor is already being improved. The Dallas half is LRT and opens Monday. The Denton half is going to be commuter rail with non-compliant Stadler DMUs.

 

For $500mil you could electrify the Denton side and add a couple four-track stations to the Dallas side to let Denton run their trains express into town. But then TXDOT is an executive-level agency, and Perry really isn't a train guy...