So. Why high speed rail?

Enter high speed rail.

It’s the future. We’re not going to be able to pave our way out of our congestion problems. We just aren’t going to be building more roads. Our society can’t afford to do so. Even without creating new highways the state has an increasing burden of roads to maintain. A lot of people might not think about it, but when we build a subdivision, for example, the roads eventually get turned over to the state to maintain them.

Enter High Speed Rail. A modern, low-pollution, lower-cost, efficient way to move people quickly. Our nation has embraced this technology, and we’re honestly kind of late to the game. There are reasons why we didn’t embrace it sooner; particularly because of our country’s size, compared to, for instance, Europe or Japan.

The way that we’ve embraced it in the US is for distances of 500 miles or less–it is faster and more efficient to use rail than air travel and automobiles. So the way that we’re doing it here is by connecting regions together in ways that make sense.

The region is quickly becoming the global unit of competition–where before it had been, say, a company, or a city. Now, the region is the basic unit of competition around the world. HSR does an excellent job of connecting regions.

There is a plethora of things that HSR does to help build a region–it builds economies, it promotes tourism, it provides routes of evacuation that Hampton Roads, for instance, sorely lacks. Moreover, in our region, the presence of HSR would help support national defense–it connects our military members with the Pentagon. A lot of people have to spend $1,000 getting to DC because they’re forced to fly to get to there on time.

And for our generation, HSR speaks to mobility–and there is this boxed-in feeling here. Speaking from the younger generation’s perspective, for the creative folks that I know, mobility is a key consideration as to where they choose to live. So perhaps the most important reason for us to have HSR here is to end the so-called “brain-drain” in our area.

The biggest challenge I can see, is that unlike transportation projects of the past, for HSR we have to compete. Because we’re dealing with limited resources now more than ever. Competition is driving the decision and the planning process for who gets HSR when and where. There are 11 corridors around the country that have significant HSR ambitions. And these regional groups are competing with others across the nation.

We, in Hampton Roads, are an integral part of the Southeast HSR corridor. By our inclusion, we lower the cost per mile and increase the ridership. Those two things help elevate the entire corridor’s chances of being funded sooner.

The other challenges are a bit more political. We’re getting conventional rail to Norfolk. That’s all but a done deal–and that’s a good thing that I fully support. If we never get funded for true high-speed rail, at least we have a train here. And yet I don’t want to mortgage the future by stopping at Stage 1. I believe conventional rail helps us in our efforts to establish true HSR by proving ridership and showing the federal government we’re serious about having HSR in Hampton Roads.

But we can’t stop there.

Another challenge is the fact that we need to be focused as a region on what we want. And we have done this. Our TPO has rallied around bringing HSR to the Southside, specifically to Norfolk. And with the hope of a regional light rail system (fingers crossed on that one) we have an even better chance of getting HSR.

So what do we need to do to make it happen?

Join the movement.

October 5, show up to the informational meeting about HSR in Hampton Roads. Media attention to the droves of people you help bring out will send a shockwave and make a statement to the feds. That informational meeting will take place at the Half Moone Cruise & Celebration Center next to Nauticus in downtown Norfolk. It will run from 6 to 7:30. The program will include remarks from Mayor Fraim, a presentation by Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and an open-floor Q&A period. Also in attendance will be department director Thelma Drake and Chief of Rail Transportation Kevin B. Page.

Before the meeting, there will be a pre-event party at Granby Theater at 4:45 where you can find out more about the message, get a drink or two, and pick up your “Get on Board” t-shirts and signs before the group marches over to the terminal as one.

That’s the highest priority of this message–get out to that event! Bring your husband, wife, girlfriend, sister, brother, cousin, co-worker, sworn enemy, you get the point. We need a bold amount of people.

Also, this issue resonates with younger generations. Because in reality we’re going to be the ones riding the trains. There’s been a groundswell from the youth into this movement. And if you’re looking for something to get involved with, get on board.

The way to do that would be to join a Facebook group that has been started locally to help draw attention to Hampton Roads’ need for HSR and rail in general. Just search “757 Get On Board” or click here.

That group also pulls in another local movement to ensure the development of light rail throughout the Hampton Roads region–Light Rail Now. As I mentioned earlier, having a clear vision for intra-modal connectivity pushes everything else forward, including high-speed rail.

And finally… Tell everyone you know. Blog. Write letters. Contact locally-elected officials. Make your voice heard in any way you can.

This is the most important challenge of our generation. There are regional issues and then there are regional super-issues. HSR falls into the category of regional super-issue. Instead of focusing on the myriad of things we’ve gotten wrong in our region in the past, let’s instead look at this as the tremendous opportunity that it is to get it right this time.