Dan Smith

high speed rail not partisan

transportation associate, US PIRG, Nov 11, 10.

Tagged with high speed rail, election, partisan

Now that Republicans have made substantial gains in both houses of Congress and taken the Governor’s mansion in several states, pundits and passenger rail critics have been quick to write obituaries for President Obama’s vision of a national high-speed network. Doing so is both premature and unwise.

While electoral politics and the stimulus bill have recently cast high-speed rail as a partisan talking point, one need only look back a short time to see ample evidence of bipartisan support for high-speed rail. In 2000, the Republican Party Platform included the following:

“Republicans support a healthy intercity passenger rail system, and where economically viable, the development of a national high-speed passenger railroad system as an instrument of economic development, and enhanced mobility.” MORE

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