Grauberger says they've already ruled out light rail because it would be too slow to travel the 173-mile route.
"We need higher speeds to be competitive with the interstate system," he says.
— KDVR
Regional governments in Colorado are studying ways for boosting the Front Range Urban Corridor region's interconnectivity. Officials expect the regional population to grow by 1.7 million inhabitants over the next 25 years and are looking to position that future growth to take advantage of forthcoming non-automobile-dependent transportation infrastructure.
Project director Randy Grauberger tells KDVR, "All of those people aren't going to want to be traveling on I-25 at that point, so this will give them options."
A 100-mile corridor between Fort Collins, Denver, and Pueblo, Colorado could see a new high-speed rail line take shape over the next five years, according to officials. Acquiring the appropriate right-of-way is a key concern, as is the price tag. A cost estimate for the proposal has not been released, though Colorado officials will be working through the summer to fine tune their ideas.
9 Comments
The US is a banana republic. Japan has had 200 mph trains in service for over 50 years.
Yes please!
Land acquisition is next to impossible, layers and layers of bureaucracy and regulation, out-of-control costs - these projects were possible 50 or 100 years ago - not anymore. Need a better solution.
Land costs are irrelevant as existing rail lines are a structural backbone and eminent domain could provide the rest. As to cost, look at all the dough being dumped into the idiotic Hyperloop, also Modern Monetary Theory.
High speed rail is a critical missing part of the civil infrastructure. Cheap oil and other forms of transport decimated the rail system, which is now is a critical state of disrepair. Resistance to public transport comes from all those cashing in on the existing shitty system, and have been for a century. The US truly is a third world country.
"Resistance to [x] comes from all those cashing in on the existing shitty system, and have been for a century."
After living in the US for about a year and a half, I think this is the one thing that has most irked me. Outsiders (foreigners) have always looked at American ingenuity as a progressive force for technological advancement with good reason, but when you actually get to living here for a bit, the special interests dedicated to stifling innovation for the sake of money is mind-boggling. I've now lived in 4 countries and traveled to some 30+; none have this nearly this kind of problem to the extents of the US.
Eminent domain was once a tool that could be used for such projects. Use of eminent domain now will lead to endless lawsuits that will kill most projects. NEPA has exponentially increased project schedules. Unionization, labor laws, etc. have increased costs. Americans made a choice to prioritize property rights, workers rights and safety, and the environment over implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects. That's fine, but people need to accept the consequences of those priorities. You can't have your cake and eat it too. I'm in complete agreement that we need a larger investment in transportation infrastructure, we've just created a system that doesn't allow for it. I believe a new form of as yet unregulated transportation infrastructure will need to be invented for real change to happen. (Think the Uber of infrastructure.) The hyperloop ain't it.
Americans did not make a choice, corporate politicians did. We have the very best government that money can buy. Until that is fixed we are fucked.
Uber is a disgrace and the farthest thing possible from public transportation. If you have to use Uber, leave a cash tip so the corporation doesn't steal it from the driver.
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80 mph is not high-speed, unless it is 1919, not 2019.
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