Editorial: Railroad renaissance a plus for Tennessee

Written by jrood

(The following editorial appeared on the Knoxville News Sentinel Website.) Railroads hold a unique position in the American psyche, blending the symbolism of uniting the country and the romanticism of a bygone era.

Trains never went away, of
course, but automobiles and airplanes all but killed passenger service in the
United States. Railroads, however, seem poised for a much-welcomed renaissance.
Recent developments point to a renewed emphasis on rail travel that we hope
will benefit the region.

Most welcome was the
announcement by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood that "America is
going to get in the high-speed intercity rail business … and I hope that includes,
for my money, from Atlanta Hartsfield (airport) to Chicago through Chattanooga,
Nashville and beyond."

Of course, we would prefer
to see a high-speed passenger rail line come through Knoxville, but an
Atlanta-Chicago line running through Chattanooga and Nashville would be a boon
to the state’s economy.

Since World War II the
United States has focused on building the interstate highway system and
expanding airline service at a cost, according to the U.S. Department of
Transportation, of more than $1.8 trillion in constant 2009 dollars. Rail
transportation has largely been ignored except in the Northeast.

With a new vision for
high-speed rail and $8 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,
the U.S. at last will begin building a network of high-speed rail lines similar
to those in Japan, Germany and other countries.

Rail transportation between
urban areas is efficient and could improve the environment. According to a
study cited by the Transportation Department, implementation of the high-speed
corridor plans could result in the reduction of 6 billion pounds of carbon
dioxide released into the atmosphere every year.

There are challenges, of
course. They include a lack of expertise because of America’s neglect of
passenger rail service and a lack of money in many states.

However, the investment
could pay off in less crowded highways, less congested airports and cleaner
air. Plus, the administration wants to help states pay for implementation,
similar to the way Washington subsidizes highway construction, to the tune of
$1 billion a year.

And just because Knoxville
isn’t in a passenger service corridor doesn’t mean that our area won’t benefit.
At least one local business, Unitrac Railroad Materials Inc., will be able to
compete to provide track, switches and other infrastructure that will be needed
to establish the service.

The Knoxville-based firm
expanded its plant at WestBridge Business Park two years ago and recently inked
a $7.2 million contract with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit
Authority. As part of the company’s expansion, Unitrac installed
state-of-the-art, computerized milling and planing machines that allow it to
make high-performance rails and longer switching sections required by transit
lines.

We hope the investment pays
off in more work for the company and more jobs for East Tennessee workers.

And we urge state and
federal officials to move forward with high-speed rail in general and in
particular an Atlanta-Chicago corridor. We’ve allowed the third leg of our
transportation system to wither long enough.

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