Pipeno Launch Contest

Hurtling across Germany at 185 kph (115 mph) on the infamous autobahn with no speed limit in sight is truly an awesome experience. I know because I just got back from such a trip. As fun as it was, I was in a rented diesel car. That got me thinking about how much more fun it would be to get from point A to point B in a supercar like a Ferrari 599 or an Audi R8, or even a more “normal” sports car like a Nissan 370z or the new Chevy Camero. Obviously I’m a car guy, but I think almost anyone would experience exhilaration speeding across farmland at over 100 mph pretending they are Steve McQueen. But alas, I don’t know if I will ever be in an economic class that will allow me to put my foot to the floor just to see how fast I can shoot across the land in the car of my dreams.

There is, however, one other way to experience such speeds while enjoying the scenery of the surrounding landscape - it’s called high speed rail (HSR) and it seems to be one of President Obama’s catch-phrases of late. Having experienced these trains in both Asia and Europe, it pains me to say that we have no such transportation in America. They are clean, comfortable, and ludicrously fast. With HSR trains having a top speed of 200 mph, a Ferrari 599 all out at 205 mph will still merely inch away. But even on the autobahn, you’ll never have the straight-aways long enough to get up to top speed in your 599, so the trains will still be faster.

I will say right here and now that I love the idea of HSR connecting America’s dynamic cities. Not only do you get to see the beauty of America’s unique landscapes, but you get to ride from city center to city center without the hassle of getting to the airport 2 hours early, checking baggage, waiting for a potentially delayed flight, flying and then doing all the above in reverse. HSR brought down transportation costs in Europe, and yet there are still so many airlines - it’s hard to see the economic struggle. It’s just pure competition in yet another sector. Cars versus planes versus trains. It will give us another option, and when was the last time you heard an American say, “Whoa, that’s too many options. I don’t like that much freedom to choose”?

With my position on the right for Americans to choose among driving, trains and planes, the current proposals I have read about HSR alarm me. One plan is to use existing rails and simply run HSR trains on them. I can’t explain how many STOP signs, red lights and flags I see when I hear this. America currently has arguably the best freight rail system in the world, and possibly of all history. Despite this, putting a HSR train on the same rail is a big mistake that policy makers would be wise to avoid. Not only would the rail system have to be almost completely rebuilt because the current system is not capable of handling 200 mph trains, but you would have to coordinate the schedules with the 50 mph freight trains that would be sharing the same rails. Anyone who has driven on an American freeway understands how dangerous someone going 20 mph is, even if that person is in the right lane and everyone sees him/her. It’s just a matter of time until we see a devastating accident due to the inevitability of human error.

So, these plans simply can’t be allowed to happen in the United States. We need a plan of dedicated HSR for the country. I understand that this plan is expensive, but I also am under the impression that it is an investment to make life in the U.S. better. I don’t want to invest billions of dollars for a job that is slapped together because it was the cheaper option. I want it done right, and sometimes that costs money. America is one of the only developed countries in the world with a population that is still growing. We will need this rail system for the future, not for now. That is why it is so important not to scrimp on doing this.

I understand that the American companies are trying to win over the bids from European or Asian competitors by essentially asking the government for help. I’m sorry, but why in the world would we protect American train makers build systems that are expensive and not even fast enough to be classified HSR? When we reluctantly bailed out the auto makers, they relied on their European subsidies to provide technology that they will incorporate immediately in the US to make them competitive in the changing world. When the government protects American farmers, they are protecting American costs, not inferior products. This is exactly what the American train makers are asking the government to do, and that does not fly with me (I couldn’t resist the pun).

So, in the end, what do we need? We need high speed rail. We need a system that will connect major metropolitan areas to cut down travel time, protect the environment, and provide competitive prices. This will only be able to be done if we plan for the long term. The First Transcontinental Railroad was built in 6 years. The Interstate Highway System began in the mid 1950s and is still transforming today. As for high speed rail, yes, it is expensive and yes, it will be difficult. But when you are sipping on your latte, surfing on the trains wifi network while enjoying purple mountains majesty and amber waves of grain, you’ll appreciate the investment.