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Making the case

for high speed railThe high-speed rail system is an economical choice for long-distance travel withinthe state faster and more cost effective than air or vehicle travel.by Steve Geil and the Geil families

High-speed rail is, nodoubt, a contentiousissue.

How could it not be? Califor-nias $43-billion, 800-mile railline slated to begin in theCentral Valley is an infra-

structure project too grand tonot seem like a pipe dream,especially in light of the currenteconomic situation.

But anyone following thenews knows its also takingshape, even as you read this.

The California High SpeedRail Authority hopes to havepassengers on trains by 2020.Construction on the initial legof the line from Fresno toBakersfield is set for thesecond half of 2012. Environ-mental impact reports arealready being drafted.

On the following pages, youll

find a bevy of information onhigh-speed rail and how it willaffect our lives from transpor-tation and commerce, toagriculture and education not written by politicians, butby those with a personal stakein what eventually happens.

High-Speed Rail:

Game Changer for the Valley?A custom publication of

The Fresno Bee

Valerie BenderVice President of CustomPublications forMcClatchy California

Carey NortonCustom Publications Editor

Monica StevensAssistant Editor

Joshua Tehee

Project Coordinator

Erik DavisonCover/Graphics Designer

Infographic informationprovided by Steve Geil. Photosby Thinkstock.

Californias population isexpected to grow by morethan 15 million in the next 30

years and by 50% by 2050.We, Californians, love our cars,

but the increased demands on thestates transportation infrastructurefrom the projected growth forces usto look at alternatives to traditional

types of transportation systems:buses, planes and Amtrak trains.One alternative stands out from all

others: high-speed rail. High-speedrail would connect the Central

Valley to the rest of the state with acompletely grade-separated (nocrossings) rail system. With trainstraveling more than 200 miles perhour in the San Joaquin Valley, theCentral Valley becomes seamlesslyconnected to the metropolitan/com-merce centers of Southern andNorthern California.

Currently, there are no flightsconnecting Central Valley cities toSacramento except through San

Francisco. Costly freeway expansionpromotes urban sprawl, whilehigh-speed rail spurs high-densitydevelopment around city centerstations. This is critically significantin the Central Valley where, aspopulation growth pushes us to thelimits, we are trying to protect primefarmland from becoming the nextresidential subdivision.

The high-speed rail system will bean important and economicalchoice when traveling 400 miles orless. Faster, more reliable and lesscostly than air or vehicle travel perpassenger mile, high-speed raillessens the loss of productive time

in comparison to driving or goingthrough the air travel process.Reliability? High-speed trains

travel through snow, sleet, rain, fogand freeway accidents. No delaysdue to congestion, accidents, orfoggy-day schedules. High-speed rail

gets you there on time trip after tripafter trip, safely, reliably, efficientlyand cost-effectively.

With improved access to ourregion, some people may come tosee our Central Valley cities asbedroom communities to majormetropolitan labor and financialmarkets. The enhanced high-speedtrain connectivity could be thetipping point to persuade employersto move to the Central Valley andtake advantage of reduced costs ofoperation.

High-speed rail will add to thequality of life in the San Joaquin

Valley. Southern and NorthernCalifornia residents will gain extraor-dinary access to the Central Valleyto visit Yosemite, Sequoia and KingsCanyon national parks. The BlossomTrail and Madera Winery Tours

would be accessible to millions asnever before. All of the majoreconomic, cultural and visitor-orient-ed events and attractions would beavailable to a statewide audience.

This leads to increased exposure,and increased tax revenue generatedfrom tourist dollars spent in theCentral Valley. It is these tax reve-nues that support the quality of life

we cherish in our Valley communi-ties.

Quality of life will improve inother ways through high-speed rail: Reduced congestion and

accidents on highways Reduced highway repair and

maintenance costs Reduced pollution leading to

cleaner air Connectivity to Central Valley

innovation, know-how, and entrepre-

neurship and major marketsventure capital Creation of a level playing field

for allocation of federal and statetransportation tax dollars historical-ly given to Southern and NorthernCalifornia metropolitan areas.

Jobs, jobs, jobs

High-speed rail represents thegreatest infrastructure investment inthe Central Valley for futuregenerations. With the highestpoverty and unemployment rates inthe nation, there is no better reasonto support high-speed rail than theimpact it will have in changing the

fortunes of tens of thousands ofValley residents.

High-speed rail jobs perfectly alignwith the skill sets of the Valleyworkforce. Additionally, theUniversity of California, Merced:California State University, Fresno;State Center for CommunityColleges; as well as the WorkforceInvestment Agencies are in place toeducate and train an eagerpopulation to become equipped tocompete for the high-paying,high-speed rail jobs.

California and this Great Valleywere built on the shoulders ofdreamers who saw what the future

could offer. We can sit by andaccept the status quo, or we candemand that our country, onceagain, become the global center forthe worlds innovators andentrepreneurs, as we have been ingenerations past.

Beginning high-speed rail now forfuture generations is a responsibilityour generation must accept as ourparents and grandparents did for usin building the currenttransportation systems. We will notconcede defeat to apathy.

Our family believes we are theprogeny of those dreamers andvisionaries who came before us, and

we envision a future of economicopportunities and benefits thathigh-speed rail will bring to thisGreat Valley. The Geil families include Steve

and Eileen, Jason and Kym, Mattand Kelly and Ryan and Kasey

The HSR system would be more reliable and cost effective than air or vehicle

travel. If you factor in lost time for weather delays, drive time or the total

process for air travel, high-speed rail just makes sense.

MYTH: The California HighSpeed Rail Authority is building

the track to nowhere.

TRUTH: The CHSRA is going tobuild a high-speed rail trackthat runs from San Francisco toLos Angeles/Anaheim that willlater extend north toSacramento and south to SanDiego.

It is a massive infrastructureproject that will allow trains totravel between Los Angeles andSan Francisco in less than 2hours and 40 minutes. Like anymajor construction project,

whether it be I-5, Freeway 99 orhighways 41, 180 and 168, it has

to start somewhere.The Central Valley segment of

the line is the only segment thathas the potential to achievetrue high speeds of up to 220miles per hour and will serve asa test track for the system as itis home to miles of relativelystraight land where trains willbe able to run at top speeds formore than 100 miles.

Trains will not be permittedto carry passengers until theyare tested at top speeds for anextended period of time. Thistesting function is not possibleanywhere else in California.

A CUSTOM PUBLICATION OF THE FRESNO BEE SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2011 3