Back in 1985, the last trail rolled through Sheridan as the railroad company tore up track. But now, while it may be 15-30 years down the road, there is a chance for the train to come back to Sheridan in the form of high-speed rail.
As air service replaced rail service, the last passenger train to come through Sheridan was in 1962. Air service was viewed as a way to get from one part of the country to another in just a few hours. However, that is changing following the 9/11 attacks. People must now go through long security lines to check in. People must also go through invasive searches. And starting on January 10th, the TSA (which handles security at airports) will no longer accept Missouri Driver’s Licenses as an acceptable form of identification, along with those of several other states.
This means that there is increasing interest in high speed rail service as an alternative to air travel. The US High Speed Rail Association is one of the chief groups in the US pushing this form of travel. They propose a fully-integrated rail system built in four different phases, with trains that go at a top speed of 220 miles per hour. They also propose a 110 miles per hour system of lines; one of their lines would run from Kansas City to Des Monies directly through Parnell, Sheridan, and Blockton.
These lines have a lot of potential. One could live in a rural area like ours, which is one of the safest places in the country to live in and take the train to work in, say, St. Joseph, Kansas City, or Des Monies, which have a lot more jobs available. One would not have to fill their car up every time they set out.
Jim Hightower, in the Hightower Lowdown of October 2015, notes that many different tributes have been made to various rail lines that were active earlier in our country’s history. Such songs include “Wabash Cannonball,” “Rock Island Line,” “Fireball Mail,” and “City of New Orleans.” Another one is a local favorite played from time to time at local concerns, the “Orange Blossom Special.” Another tune not mentioned by Mr. Hightower is “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” played by Worth County’s own Glenn Miller and his orchestra. “In contrast, you won’t find many lilting paens to the bumper to bumper traffic on the I-5 in Los Angeles, nor to the jam-packed Monday morning shuttles out of New York’s La Guardia Airport,” writes Mr. Hightower.
Mr. Hightower continues, “But neither are we hearing many new upbeat tunes about traveling from city to city on today’s passenger rail network. That’s because our corporate and governmental masters of transportation have sidetracked what not so long ago was a world-leading cross-country train system and reduced it to an underfunded hodge-podge that is an insult to the traveling public and wholly inadequate for a nation with pretensions of greatness. Highway builders, auto lobbyists, and airline monopolists – people with concrete for brains and oil in their veins – have hijacked America’s transportation policy. As a result, our mobility future has been clogged with their self-interest, blocking the efficient, reliable, enjoyable rail-travel alternative.”
The US High Speed Rail Association proposes a three-tired system. One is the national network discussed above, which they say would connect 80% of the country. The second is a regional rail system. This would connect major US cities with other places up to three hours away, based on demand. The third would consist of a city streetcar tram and light rail system that would connect different parts of our major cities. Cost would be an estimated $500 billion over the next 15-30 years.
Back in the 1950’s, President Eisenhower successfully pushed for the Interstate Highway System so that the country could move troops and National Guard units around the country in an emergency. With the Paris and San Bernardino attacks, national security is on everyone’s minds again. A national high-speed rail system would enable the country to move troops and National Guard units around even faster in the event of an emergency, such as the ongoing flooding near St. Louis. Such a system would have allowed this country to bring the National Guard into New Orleans following Katrina much sooner. Today, the Interstate Highway System routinely deals with delays and congestion, for instance, CNN reported back in 2012 that 600,000 people have commutes to work that take over 90 minutes. The ability to move National Guard personnel and supplies around in the event of an emergency could make a life or death difference.
Many other countries all have high speed rail. For instance, Mr. Hightower notes that travel from New York to Chicago (711 miles) takes 17 hours. But travel from Beijing (China) to Shanghai (819 miles) takes just five hours on that country’s high speed rail network. And travel from Denver to Los Angeles would take just six hours. And, as Mr. Hightower notes, it would be done without the hassle of air travel. Other countries that have high speed rail include Japan, Canada, France, Russia, India, UK, Morocco, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Brazil, Germany, South Africa, and Turkey. But as Mr. Hightower writes, “Our ‘God-blessed’ America has not even measured up to mediocrity in developing this essential piece of public infrastructure.”
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