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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