Rocky Mountain Rail Authority Study

Anybody who has ever spent 3 or 4 hours on a winter (or summer holiday) evening creeping home, bumper-to-bumper, on I-70 has had one of these two thoughts roll through their weary, road-raging brain: "If I only had a monster truck I would crush all of you and be home in time to watch Sean Hannity!", or "Train, duh!"

In the news today is an announcement that the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority -- a coalition of Colorado counties, cities, transportation authorities, and the Colorado Department of Transportation -- will study the feasibility of high-speed rail links between Front Range and mountain communities. Cheyenne to Trinidad is maybe overreaching, but Fort Collins to Colorado Springs and Denver International Airport to Vail would be mighty fine.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3182/2758287891_5a1ab26554_d.jpg

It's about damn time. I don't care if the study has to use the most paleo-proprietary software one can find, let's get this on. I do, however, reserve the right to complain bitterly about any godawful ArcGIS Server-based transit user web applications.

Comments

Re: Rocky Mountain Rail Authority Study

Author: Paul Ramsey

Breaking news, feasibility to be studied, more at 11!

Another sorry chapter in the North American real odyssey.

Here in Victoria, we're busily allowing a perfectly good rail corridor up the island fall into complete disrepair. It's so bad the tracks have potholes! God forbid government should subsidize a transportation network. The highway system is required, but the rail system is optional. Bah!

Re: Rocky Mountain Rail Authority Study

Author: Sean

Yes, I know: I'm setting myself up for disappointment. The geography is favorable here (flat and linear), but money and politics will decide. High speed rail is way too much like Communism for people outside the liberal ghettos of Fort Collins, Boulder, and Denver. I suspect a high speed "ski" train in the I-70 corridor will be found most feasible.

Re: Rocky Mountain Rail Authority Study

Author: James Fee

Hey if they can't even get high speed rail between LA and Las Vegas, those in other areas (we here in Arizona are looking at Phoenix to Tucson high speed rail) don't have a prayer.