four years Ago, the hope was still large: A new Chapter for the American railway should be opened, because, in California’s Central Valley and Governor Jerry Brown gave the starting shot for the most ambitious modernization project since the Second world war. For round $ 45 billion Los Angeles and San Francisco should be with a “Bullet Train” connected, could compete with European and Japanese high-speed trains.
But the project financially from the beginning, in the air, and had in addition to the enthusiastic Governor Jerry Brown politically, little allies. Now the new Governor Gavin Newsom wants to build only a Mini-track and real high speed train to give up. The world’s a lot of rail project noticed Quickly in the United States, it is dying a slow death.
One of the concerns of the left and right
example: railway projects have it in the USA extremely hard. After a brief investment boom in the year 2009, the spending of the US government for roads, bridges and Railways back to 3.3 percent of economic output has fallen, and therefore have a low level since the 1940s, reached. If it is built, so the experience of the last few years, primarily for the street, not the Track.
Here, the “Bullet Train” is not only a dream of left-wing or green politicians. The Californian TGV was for decades one of the concerns of the left and right.
the Republican Governor Pete Wilson, to smuggle in 1996, the project by the Parliament. And the Republican Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the vote was in the year 2008, the financing of a people. And finally, it was 2015, the Republican wife of the democratic Governor Brown, who had to persuade their spouse to the start of construction. “I wasn’t sure where we should get the hell to the Rest of the money,” said Brown, as he began started in Fresno for the groundbreaking ceremony and to defend the project vigorously.
But the Etappierung of the construction project aroused from the beginning, doubts as to the Success. The demanding and urgent modernisation of the route from San Francisco through Silicon Valley to the North and through the large conurbation of Los Angeles in the South has been moved a year later. In Silicon Valley, the land owner threatened with endless lawsuits against the planned expropriation; and the route to the South fluctuated between a cross-connection to Las Vegas and the direct connection of Los Angeles.
to turn to Instead of these difficult questions, was taken for the section between the oil town of Bakersfield and the agricultural city of Fresno. But both cities are connected by motorways sufficient and threaten to plunge now, the project is still deep in the red Numbers, because the number of passengers is simply too low.
The bad planning also Economists, which are the public transport well-disposed. “I’m a big supporter of investment in public infrastructure,” says Larry Summers, Treasury Secretary in the Clinton administration and adviser to the Obama administration. “But I’m extremely skeptical that high-speed trains such as in California, the Benefit justifies the cost.” Exactly this Argument was used Governor Newsom, in order to justify the drastic reduction of the project.
Sure is today: The “Bullet Train” will not keep what was promised. “Newsom has buried with his speech, the project virtually,” says Ray LaHood, the transport Minister of the government of Obama. “That was very short-sighted.” The financing depends more than ever from California. But here very few politicians want to burn yourself with the billion-dollar project, the Finger, whose Budget has already doubled, to 98 billion dollars, and even for the completion of the 290-kilometre-long stretch between Bakersfield and Fresno over nine billion dollars are missing.
The setback is symptomatic of a country that neglected the Development of public transport for decades.
The setback in California is symptomatic of a country that has neglected the Development of public transport for decades, up to a point where it is financially hardly possible to make the train a real Alternative to road and air transport.
Even for private projects that want to start without public money, have it hard. So a high-speed train should connect two years ago, the cities of Dallas and Houston in Texas. But here, too, Objections from land owners and a negative court have delayed judgments in the construction several times. In this case, the project would have in the difference to California the advantage of geography, in Texas, a string would be just cheap line.
Also projects in Florida and in the North-West of the United States have made little progress since the government Trump has buried their plans for a infrastructure programme.
Dramatically the situation for the national rail company Amtrak has tips. She’s just on the corridor between Washington, New York and Boston make a profit and writes on all of the 15 cross-country routes to high losses.
Legendary trains,
The roll material is more than 40 years old and notoriously unreliable. So needs to Amtrak for intercity routes, an additional diesel engine for the case of biasing, the first locomotive gave up the Ghost. The Situation had become untenable, grants to Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson. “If we were a private company, so we would get no licence to operate.” Alone for the renewal of the rolling stock, Amtrak requested $ 3.8 billion. For Anderson, a former chief of the Delta Airlines is to a deep incision into the route network.
All of the long distance between the Amtrak-Central Chicago and the coasts in the West, South and East are to be trimmed. For Amtrak more the city wants to offer-to-city Connections. Rail fans from all over the world love, while legendary trains like the California Zephyr and the City of New Orleans. But much more than tourist attractions.
(editing Tamedia)
Created: 05.03.2019, 20:30 Uhr
