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SALT LAKE CITY -- President Barack Obama gave long-term plans for a high-speed rail system a push in his State of the Union Address Wednesday night.
People we talked to at the Intermodal Hub in Salt Lake City like the idea.
UTA rider Sandy Osburn said, "I think we need it, actually. I think it would be good, like the bullet trains in Japan."
During the past decade, light rail and commuter rail transformed transportation on the Wasatch Front. In the decades ahead, high-speed rail could change the way we travel throughout the West.
Imagine traveling to Denver, Las Vegas or Reno in half the time it takes in a car, say 150 miles per hour or more.
"I like to travel, but I don't have a car, so high-speed rail lines work great for me," said UTA rider Stephen Phillips.
During his speech, President Obama touted a high-speed rail ground-breaking in Florida. Thursday, he announced an $8 billion investment in 13 major corridors nationwide, but none in the Intermountain West yet.
Four months ago, the Utah Transit Authority co-founded the Western High-Speed Rail Alliance with several neighboring states. UTA spokesman Gerry Carpenter said it included, "Nevada, Colorado, Arizona and Utah to make sure that we really have a seat at the table, and we're part of the national discussion on high-speed rail."
The director of the Western High-Speed Rail Alliance points out it will take decades to deliver high-speed rail throughout the west, but UTA and its western partners want to make sure that it's on track with the development.
"The federal government and the Obama administration are aware of the Western High-Speed Rail Alliance, and that we want to be part of the discussion, and we're on the map now so to speak," Carpenter said.
Originally, the western states corridors were not even on a national map of U.S. Department of Transportation designated high-speed corridors.
"We're hoping that over the next 12 months we would receive some funding, but we're not relying upon the federal government to do all of it. We will be reaching out to the private sector to participate as well," said Tom Skancke, with Western High-Speed Rail Alliance.
High-speed rail is also an option for freight, which gives development of the rails more weight.
"This is where we drove the Golden Spike and connected railroads when they first connected across the United States," Carpenter said. "So, we need to be part of that discussion."
UTA will pay $50,000 a year for membership in the alliance. It will take a lot of study and investment to build hundreds of miles of high-speed rail, but UTA believes it's an important part of the future of our region.
E-mail: jboal@ksl.com
