US Congress member Louise Slaughter. FILE PHOTO
Construction on a $58-million high-speed rail starter project between Riga and Byron could begin later this year. | Earlier this year, New York received $151 million to advance statewide high-speed rail projects, which is the source of the money to build the track between the two communities. This would be an 11-mile stretch of new track that'll be in addition to what's already there. | "Any time we talk about each one of these projects, we understand they're pieces of the puzzle," says Victoria Dillon, a spokeswoman for Congress member Louise Slaughter. Slaughter's pushed heavily for high-speed rail in New York. | The Riga-Byron stretch of track is meant as a simple starting point for bringing high-speed rail to New York: it won't require new land acquisitions or rights of way, for example. | The way things work now, passenger and freight trains share the same tracks across New York State, which causes delays for passenger trains. Putting down a new statewide track would reduce conflicts and let the passenger trains travel faster - up to 110 mph. Until other sections of the state corridor are completed, however, it won't save passengers much in the way of travel time.
Comments for "HIGH-SPEED RAIL: Riga-Byron project could begin this year" (1)
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Will Condo said on Mar. 05, 2010 at 11:57am
The critics of High-Speed Rail tend to fall into two camps; those who see it as just another political project that will in the end cost taxpayers, similar to Renaissance Square, Fast Ferry and the Soccer Stadium, or those who think it just isn't necessary. The reality is that High-Speed Rail, a technology that has been around for 30 years, has been very successful in places like Japan and Europe. This is exactly the kind of project that the US needs today to catch-up with the rest of the industrialized world, create good jobs and address energy eficiency issues. Unfortunately however, New York State did not submit a very compelling grant request to the federal government for first-round funding, as California, Flordia and N. Carolina did . And here in Rochester, there is no movement to plan for a multi-modal transportation facility to accomodate rail,bus,automobile and potentially light-rail. Again, it seems that Rochester and New York State are flubbing the opportunity that exists to move forward in an aggressive and intelligent way to take advantage of the opportunities to realize economic growth and transportation sustainability. We are a follower rather than a leader, and this MUST CHANGE !
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