“We must do more than preserve the status quo."
That's right, Mr. President. But, how about starting with the preserving of the status quo, before we do more?
“Together, we can continue the work started by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to maintain a world class logistics network, create new jobs, and win the future for our children.”
Mr. President, let me ask you, do we not now have a world class logistics network?
And if not, is it because we have neglected to "preserve" it?
Isn't our freight rail capacity the best in the world? And isn't that true because the Class 1 freight rail carriers have continued to invest in their profitable business?
Don't we move more people with more modalities than any other leading industrial nation except for China, which happens to have four times the population than we do?
In order to have the world class logistical network that we do now (since we wish to maintain it), didn't we gradually abandon passenger rail for other modalities during the second half of the last century?
Mr. President, if you believe that “New companies around the world look for the fastest and most reliable ways to move people and goods." why is your fixation on building high-speed luxury passenger rail for only a few people, while there is no major commitment to the upgrading of the rail movement of "goods?"
It is rarely appreciated that it is possible to reduce the amount of truck traffic, especially big rigs, with major freight rail upgrades. Why should we want to do this? Because, 1. freight rail is the most cost-efficient way to move goods, 2.) removing big-rig trucks from highways will reduce traffic congestion and accidents, 3.) reduce fuel consumption nationally, 4.) capitalize on the existing 160,000 miles of existing rail tracks, and,5.) reduce the costly wear and tear on our nation's highways. Trucks do far more harm to road surfaces than all other vehicles combined. Optimizing containerized transit is systems-thinking at its best and should incorporate rail far more than now.
We can see the bottle-neck thinking of the Administration and the DOT when the President says, “We must repair our highways, re-engineer our railroads into high-speed rail networks and ready ourselves for the next revolutionary breakthroughs in transportation technology. We must provide increased transportation options that cut commuting time, ease traffic congestion, reduce oil consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions and expand access to job opportunities and housing.” It's all about High-Speed Rail. Although he does mention highways, there is no solid, substantive thinking about the entire panoply of transit and transportation modalities. It's a one-trick pony and it won't do the job we really need done. It's using high-speed rail as the solution that fits all problems.
Meanwhile, as the President advocates a vastly expanded Transportation Budget for the next six years, there is no indication about how to pay for it.
