From 0 to 12,000 mph to something in between: FRA's Rae talks high-speed rail at APTA's 2010 Rail Conference

High-speed rail was one of several topics of discussion during a June 7 press conference/teleconference at the American Public Transit Association’s (APTA) 2010 Rail Conference, which is being held this week in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Hosted by APTA President Bill Millar, participants in the 45-minute conference included Peter Rogoff, administrator of the Federal Transit Administration; Karen Rae, deputy administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA); and Ian Jarvis, chief executive officer of TransLink, metropolitan Vancouver’s regional transportation authority.

In her brief introductory remarks, Rae traced the progress the U.S. high-speed rail program has made during the past year thanks to the inclusion of $8 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars for high-speed and intercity passenger-rail projects.

“We went from 0 to 12,000 mph in literally less than a year,” she said. “It’s been a challenging and exciting time.”

One current challenge is “finding a balance in moving funds out in an expedited manner and ensuring there is a stable program in place” while the FRA focuses on demonstrating the public benefits of high-speed rail, she said.


Rae also sounded a common Obama Administration theme, comparing the development of U.S. high-speed rail to the interstate highway system.


“It wasn’t built overnight — it’s part of a network that has many important connections,” Rae said. “We’re here [at APTA] to work our rail-industry partners on how we best create a national [high-speed rail] network.”

Only a handful of the press conference questions were of the high-speed variety, including a query regarding the possibility of the financial backers of DesertXPress — a proposed 200-mile high-speed line along Interstate 15 that would link Las Vegas and Victorville, Calif. — seeking public funds.

In March 2009, the FRA issued a draft environmental impact statement on the project. DesertXpress plans to apply for permission to construct and operate the line once the environmental review process is complete.

“They haven’t yet come to us … [but] we are very impressed with the amount of environmental and engineering work they’ve done with exclusively private money,” Rae said. “I am sure when they are ready for the discussion, they will be welcomed.”

— Pat Foran