700 Series Bullet Train | The Conservation Report

Next, we can put Americans to work today building the infrastructure of tomorrow. From the first railroads to the interstate highway system, our nation has always been built to compete. There’s no reason Europe or China should have the fastest trains, or the new factories that manufacture clean energy products.

- President Obama in his State of the Union address

Images: Some of Japan’s fastest trains—the 500 Series and the 700 Series bullet trains

In the video below, you’ll notice that the United States has fallen behind in providing high-speed rail infrastructure and services when compared to the rest of the world. This is due to several factors. First, when compared to Europe—which has higher population densities—the population of the United States is distributed over a much larger area (although an argument can be made for high-speed rail for this reason). However, the United States is growing—particularly in the northeast, some areas of the west, and some parts of the south—and the cost of petroleum-based fuels are increasing and will continue to increase, so the need for upgraded mass transit is inescapable.

Furthermore, given air pollution and corresponding health care costs, global warming, and the cost of maintaining massive amounts of paved roads, the automobile is an costly and inefficient method of transportation. Nonetheless, the automobile has historically been prioritized over rail services (see the Great American streetcar scandal).

Another reason why high-speed rail is underdeveloped in the United States is that the federal government hasn’t aggressively promoted high-speed rail (although, the Obama Administration wants to update the United States’ rail infrastructure as part oft their economic recovery plan). As a result, the only high-speed rail in the United States is the Acela Express, but it is slower than other high-speed rail services around the world.

There’s a lot of utility in high-speed rail, and there’s a lot of opportunity in the United States for high-speed rail. For example, high-speed rail can compete with air travel, and not only can high-speed rail alleviate congested highways, it’s environmentally friendly, since it produces less carbon than automobile or air transportation. Furthermore, a study by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that foreclosure rates went down in areas “with good bus or rail service – and so having a car is not required.”

Video: High-speed rail around the world:

In this video, President Obama makes the case for high-speed rail and described the success of high-speed rail in other countries:

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