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New Report Shows Benefits of Long Term Commitment to High Speed Rail in Missouri

St. Louis, Feb. 9 – The Obama administration’s recent decision to award $31 million in high speed rail funds to Missouri is the first step towards a stronger, faster rail system that will reduce congestion, oil use, and carbon emissions, but there is much still to be done.  That was the message that MoPIRG, Missouri Sierra Club, and Citizens for Modern Transit made clear today when they gathered at Gateway Transportation Center to release The Right Track, a new research report from MoPIRG.

“A national network of fast, frequent and dependable trains is a critical tool for reinventing the nation's economy.  Our state has recognized the need to greatly improve our rail system and we are committed to building off of the momentum provided by the administration,” said Andrew Bailey, MoPIRG transportation associate.

The new report analyzes the potential of high speed rail in nine different regions, including the Midwest, and presents eleven public-interest recommendations for how to spend high speed rail investments in the future.  According to data cited in the report, the completion of a national high-speed rail network would reduce car travel by 29 million trips and air travel by nearly 500,000 flights annually.   

The report concludes with 11 recommendations for investing in high-speed rail.  Among these are investing in adequate resources, private investments with public protections, focusing on transparency, and ensuring domestic manufacturing.  By following these recommendations, the report shows the nation will receive “the rail system we deserve at a price we can afford.”

Last month, the Obama administration announced that 31 states will receive a portion of $8 billion in funding to build and plan for high speed rail under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Missouri will receive $31 million for rail from Kansas City to St. Louis.  According to the MoPIRG report, the project will raise the on-time rate of trains from 18% to 80%.  Additionally, Missouri stands to benefit significantly from a $1.1 billion grant connecting St. Louis to Chicago via high-speed rail.

“This project might one day be part of a national network of high speed rail on par with the bullet trains of Europe and Asia, but it is going to take a long-term commitment from all levels of government to plan and fund the system,” said Bailey, “Without such a commitment, this recent momentum could be lost. We simply cannot afford a false start on high speed rail.”

 You can find a copy of the report here