NYS+Highspeed+Rail


 * __NEW YORK STATE HIGH-SPEED RAIL__**

[|**High-speed rail**] **in** [|**New York**] has been a hot topic that is consistently discussed among legislators, political leaders and, several past governors since the 1990s, but thus far little progress has been made. In 1994 Mario Cuomo, Governor of New York, promised to bring high speed rail up the Hudson Valley and along the Catskill Mountains, but it was not a priority for the subsequent administration. Currently, Amtrak's Acela service between Washington D.C., and Boston, Machasschusetts, is available to New York City, but the cities in Upstate New York and Western New york remain isolated from High speed rail service. Further, destinations outside the New York metropolitin area have experienced delayed service for decades. In some areas, New York State has been quietly endorsing and even implementing rail improvements for years. Frequently cited as a partial solution for Upstate and Western New York's economic stagnation, faster rail transportation between New York City and the rest of the state has been suggested as a way to make rural areas grow into suburban destinations for daily commuters, and easily accessible for businesses to relocate to cheaper real estate. Many politicians also endorse closer ties with destinations in Canada.



With hopes of building a faster rail line stretching across the state, Gov. David Paterson released a plan that will be a cornerstone of New York's application for federal transportation stimulus funds. The plan calls for $10.7 billion more in railway funding in New York over the next 20 years, even as the state faces tens of billions of dollars in deficits over the next three years. New York is competing with more than a dozen other states for a chunk of the $8 billion in federal stimulus funds for rail service available later this year. The New York rail plan is the second since 1978 and includes several proposals that will need further study and planning. The governor wants to upgrade crossings so trains on specific routes could go from 79 mph now to 110 mph within five years. If more funding is secured on top of the proposed federal stimulus and state spending, train speed could rise to 150 mph within eight years. The railway system in new york is still slower than the 200 mph trains in Europe and Japan and the 300 mph trains in China, but it could help revitalize upstate cities by drastically cutting truck hauling and automobile traffic. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer called the announcement a crucial first step toward high-speed rail. Republicans in the Senate minority have said Democrats are using the announcements, three so far, as a ruse to mask a lack of upstate aid in New York's $24.6 billion share of the stimulus package. New York officials have announced a 20-year, $10.7 billion plan to improve the state's freight and passenger rail service. The plan was announced at the Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak station, includes high-speed passenger train service between Niagara Falls and Albany. Gov. David Paterson made the announcement surrounded by lawmakers who have been pushing for federal funding for a high-speed rail line. He says the plan will be partly funded through the state's share of the $9.3 billion set aside in the federal stimulus package for railroad projects across the nation. Most people would agree that high-speed trains improved passenger train service would boost the struggling Upstate economy.