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Staying competitive in todaysglobal economy is no easy feat.Emerging markets are challeng-
ing more developed countries likethe United States, and this trend willonly continue as the marketplaceevolves.
One area that is adversely affectingthe United States competitiveness isits transportation system. Thecurrent system needs to be updatedand integrated with other modes oftransportation to create a compre-hensive network that makes it easyfor businesses to ship their productsto customers and for people to get
where they need to go. Unfortunate-ly, the United States is currentlystuck in the slow lane, not onlyfiguratively, but literally.
A truly intermodal transportationnetwork that integrates air and
automobile travel with passenger
rail, in particular, high-speed railnetworks, would strengthen the
United States position in the global
marketplace by driving economic
growth, increasing energy efficiency while reducing dependence on
foreign oil, and facilitating the smart
growth of towns and cities. The
benefits ofhigh-speed rail arealready beingrealized by countriesaround the globe countries the UnitedStates is competing with inthe global marketplace.
In China, a 4,300-mile high-speed network is connecting citieslike Beijing and Tianjin in just 30minutes, and the country plans toexpand the network to 8,000 miles by2012. High-speed rail is not onlymaking it easier for people to movearound in dense urban areas thesystem recorded 41 million passen-gers in its first two years but alsostimulating the economy, driving updemand for construction materialssuch as steel and cement, andcreating jobs to construct the line.Construction of the Beijing toShanghai line put 110,000 people to
work.In a 2010 study Siemens sponsored
for the U.S. Conference of Mayorsexamining the economic impact of
building high-speed rail in four
major cities, researchers found thatbuilding high-speed rail would add$6.1 billion annually in new businesssales to Chicago while creating42,000 new jobs. In Los Angeles, $7.6billion would be added yearly andsome 55,000 jobs created, and inNew Yorks state capital, Albany, $2.5billion would go to the local econo-my and some 21,000 jobs would becreated.
Dispelling a myth, high-speed railactually started in Germany in theearly 1900s with the first rail car that
ran 126 mph on a testtrack near Berlin. The
country now has more than1,000 miles of high-speed networks
connecting cities in Germany and
connecting Germany to the rest ofEurope with trains that cross bordersinto Austria, Belgium, Denmark,France, the Netherlands, Switzerlandand the United Kingdom.
These highly efficient trains arefully integrated into the countrystransportation network and worktogether with the airlines and auto-mobile travel. A passenger travelingthrough Germany can purchase acomplete travel itinerary including
SEE World, PAGE 10
HSR: A world
connectedHigh-speed rail has helped countries like China, Japan,
Germany, Russia and Spain transform themselves in
many ways.by Oliver Hauck, President, Siemens Mobility
Division, USA
While high-speed rail has yet to catch on in the UnitedStates, there has been a global expansion in HSR lines inrecent years, and for many countries, it is a major source
of transportation. Spain, for instance, has been pursuing HSR for20 years and by 2012 will have the longest system in Europe.
The benefits of high-speed
rail are already being
realized by countries
around the globe
countries the United States
is competing with in the
global marketplace. Oliver Hauckr
While high speed
rail is new to the
United States, it
has already made
an impact globally.
China, Japan,
France, Germany,
Spain, Italy and
Russia are the
global leaders in
high speed rail.
CHINAFuture planscall for 8,000
miles by 2012
4,300miles
Moves at217 mph
Services 152,000 passengersa day from Beijing to Tianjin
FRANCEFuture planscall for 2,500miles by 2025
1,143miles
Moves at199 mph
Paris is the central hub for allHSR connections in France
GERMANYFuture planscall for 1,500miles by 2025
1,056miles
Moves at186 mph
German trains traveled morethan 14 million miles in 2009
SPAINFuture planscall for 2,000miles by 2020
633miles
Moves at220 mph
HSR absorbed 50 percent ofairline traffic from Barcelonato Madrid
ITALYFuture planscall for 800miles by 2020
547miles
Moves at186 mph
70 daily connections for the37-minute trip from Bolognato Florence
RUSSIAFuture planscall for 7,000miles by 2030
403miles
Moves at155 mph
Had 411,000 passengersin first four months ofoperations
UNITED STATESFuture planscall for 1,200miles by 2020
435miles
Moves at149 mph
Acela links Boston,Washington and New York
Future planscall for 1,800miles by 2015
1,487miles
Moves at186 mph
$19 billion economic impactannually, with no passengerfatalities in 45 years
F ANCE
JAPANOverseas jobs?
Any rail project in theU.S. will require steelrails imported fromKorea or China and traincomponents importedfrom Germany.
Yes, we will need a fewlocals to put this alltogether, but the primary
jobs will be createdoverseas.
CNN.com userStanCalif
Expert response: Nottrue
The high-speed railprogram includes strictBuy America provisions,
which require steel, ironand any manufacturedgoods used in theprogram to be producedin the United States.
Examples: Already,the steel rail for projectsin Maine and Vermontare being cast at a plantin Indiana.
Rehabilitation ofpassenger cars is under
way in Delaware, Indianaand New York. And, railsector manufacturers andsuppliers are developingor expanding theiroperations in the U.S. to
accommodate anticipat-ed future demand.
Roy Kienitz, undersecretary for policy,U.S. Department of
Transportation:
A CUSTOM PUBLICATION OF THE FRESNO BEE SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2011 9
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