High Speed Rail Connectivity

When ideas for Obama's high speed rail system first surfaced, people were skeptical of its realization, but hopeful for its promise. It seems that the starting point for the project has been finalized, and will soon start building in Florida. This project could be the connection that the country needs to change the way we travel and work in the positive direction.

Details and elaboration after the jump.

The train itself will be a high speed rail, meaning that it will travel at speeds above 120 mph. This will make the first leg that Florida is building, the 85 mile trip from Orlando to Tampa, less than an hour long. While this is a great first move for our transportation systems, it is nowhere near the systems that are currently in place and have been for years in places like Japan. Right now, in China, the world's fastest high speed rail connects twenty cities with a train that travels, on average, 217 mph, covering a distance of 663 miles in 2 hours and 45 mins.

Eventually, as the map proposed fills out, the Northeast Corridor will be completely connected, flowing continuously from Providence, Boston, and NY, all the way to D.C. The rail will continue down through Virginia and the SE to Florida. It looks like there are vague plans for cross-country rails, but this entire systems completion is years away from final completion.