During the last two Congressional recesses when national government leaders went home, it was the health care question that dominated town hall meetings and congressional presentations.

The second most talked about topic was high speed rail, and the importance of this subject is simply destined to grow, maybe slowly, but also maybe rapidly.

The reasons are many.

First, consider scope and recall the mid-’50s of the last century when President Eisenhower launched what we now call the Eisenhower Interstate Highway system, and imagine that we may now be at the beginning of an Interstate High Speed Rail system. The Interstate Highway system was a game-changer for the nation and the localities it served. It required massive investments and some 30 years to complete. It spawned countless technologies, enabled Americans to see places that they had only dreamed of and much more. Today, President Obama, aided by the spadework of recent years has placed actual dollars on the table and has launched an Interstate Railroad system. It is likely that the scope of the Interstate High Speed Rail system will have no less long-term impact.

Second, consider the potential inevitability of the High Speed Rail idea. Airports are full and maybe peaked out, and air travel is expensive and becoming less attractive. Aggravating automobile congestion is now commonplace and everywhere. In many, many parts of the nation, it has become untenable; witness here, the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel every morning and every afternoon. Most leaders today recognize we cannot pave our way out of congestion. Foreign oil costs are both rising and harming our national import-export accounts. Something has to change, and that something just might be the arrival of High Speed Rail and sooner rather than later.

Indeed, for Hampton Roads, major High Speed Rail questions will confront us very, very soon. Are you ready to advance your druthers? If not, who will? As is always the case, we need to brush up and get ready.

And yet we also need to realize that it will take 15-20 years to complete the entire high speed rail build-out. This rather means that it is especially important for the 40-year-olds and the Generation X / Y citizens to plug in, study the issues and to muster and advance our best-possible professional and commonsense opinions.

Quality and solid input reflecting the projected needs from all areas of interest–arts, business, ports, tourism, personal travel, military, homeland security, shipyards, culture, etc.–as they concern Hampton Roads must be advanced for two reasons.

Now, more than ever, is the time to get on track.

First, the feds need to know what we need and want. It must be multi-faceted to reflect broad need and value. It must reflect our passion. And it must consider the next generation and their lifestyles.

Second, the feds need to see and feel genuine and committed interest, or they will simply work on the Greater Tulsa, Tampa Bay, Little Rock Region or Duluth Metro areas first. This is no time to go to sleep.

This will be the first in a series of AltDaily articles that we will run on almost a daily basis up to January 28 in order to better inform us all on the imminence and importance of high-speed rail.

There will be no solar eclipse on January 28, but on that day and as directed by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) the third Public Hearing on the Rail to Hampton Roads (R2HR) Project will be conducted here in Norfolk. Specifically, the Public Hearing will address the Alternatives Analysis and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)* that was released last December 18.

Our near daily High Speed Rail blog articles will address pros and cons, explain the federal process, tell you what’s good and what needs to be added to the EIS (for your good), and tell you how to make inputs into the process and into the public record**.

Be warned; this is a most complex topic. The competition, nationwide, to be funded first or at least early will be fierce and ultra-intense. Hampton Roads will need well-grounded reasoning and support.

How we should be traveling.

Timeline, with important coming events in bold:

2004 – Year in which studies commenced for the Rail to Hampton Roads Project

December 18 – FRA released the Alternatives Analysis and Draft EIS

20 January – Future of Hampton Roads sponsors a Town Meeting at Granby Theater

26 January – Public Hearing in Richmond

27 January – Public Hearing in Newport News

28 January – Public Hearing in Norfolk

11 February – End of public comment period; written inputs must be received

1 March (pure estimate) – the Commonwealth makes its input on what will be the Final EIS (FEIS)

Summer 2010 (pure estimate) – USDOT approves and FRA issues the FEIS

*The EIS (7 Chapters, 625 pages) can be found at: http://www.drpt.virginia.gov/projects/hamptonpassenger.aspx.

**Over the course of our series, we’ll be providing info on how to communicate your input. But if and whenever you’re ready to do so, here are a few simple ways to go ahead:

• Electronic form comments to VDRPT (5 pages, 6 questions, excellent procedure): http://www.rich2hrrail.info/. Click “Comment on Draft EIS” at the bottom of page (take your time; do it well).
• Written comments to: VDRPT, Public Info Office, DRPT, 600 E. Main St, Suite 2102, Richmond, VA 23219.
• Verbal comments at the public hearing: From the floor, if called upon (three minutes max, limited numbers). Or to the on-site VDRPT Stenographer/Recorder.

There will be a Town Hall Meeting in support of the event on 1/20 at the Granby Theater at 5:30. Mark your calendars.