RALEIGH -- The future of high speed rail in North Carolina was a hot topic Monday.
Raleigh was the site of a national summit on the rail issue. Many state leaders hope high speed rail could ease congestion on highways and in the sky, but finding funding to build the rails remains a challenge.
When it comes to high speed rail, it literally boils down to speed.
"Technically high speed rail starts at 90 mph or higher," NCDOT Rail Division VP Patrick Simmons said. "Today you can travel at 80 mph. High speed rail really means more frequent service, it means service that is reliable."
Many state leaders hope high speed rail could ease congestion on highways and in the sky, but finding funding to build the rails remains a challenge.
High speed rail takes you long distances from places like Washington, DC to Raleigh to Charlotte to Greensboro. In comparison, light rail will take place within your own city or area.
As an example, high speed rail from Raleigh to Charlotte would take two and a half hours, which is about a half hour less than now. High speed would also allow stops in the Triad with twice as many trips per day.
"You're never going to get people out of their cars so forget about that, that's not going to happen, but I think we have to offer people options particularly in these busy corridors and high speed rail is a great way to do that," Wisconsin Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi said.
"If it's likely to happen in North Carolina anytime in the foreseeable future it will probably be between Charlotte and Raleigh although there's a lot of discussion to linking Charlotte with Atlanta," Craig Lewis from Norfolk Southern Corporation said.
The big hold up is funding-money to build thousands of miles of tracks to support high speed.
"By 2010 we'll have our planning work and environmental work completed," Simmons added. "We need that federal partnership. After that federal partnership I believe North Carolina can build its system within three to five years."
Lewis added, "High speed rail is so expensive that we as Americans have to become upset enough with congestion on our highway systems to be willing to have dollars diverted into this alternative transportation area."
For an in-depth look at the issue make sure to check out Political Connections this weekend. You can view the entire show from the summit this week. You can see it Friday night at 6 p.m. and again Sunday morning at 11 a.m. only on News 14 Carolina.