California HSR:
A new Field poll shows 47% in favor, 42% opposed. This is in contrast to 52% in favor, 36% opposed back in July. The economic crisis is starting to take its toll on voter confidence for new projects. The people have it all wrong, though: this high-speed rail project would prove to be a dramatic job-creator and economy-stimulator.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Dianne Feinstein campaigned vigorously in San Francisco for the proposition’s passage.
The L.A. Times’ architecture critic writes positively about the potential densification of L.A.’s downtown as a result of HSR.
Overcrowding in Philadelphia:
The Phillies’ World Series parade seems to have driven SEPTA ridership to record levels – even though the trains had to be shut down for five hours in the middle of the day to prepare for the massive number of people leaving the parade. It’s too bad Philadelphia’s underfunded transit system was so woefully unprepared for this exciting event.
HSR in Great Britain:
Labour, currently in power, last year rejected the opposition Conservative Party’s push for a high-speed rail link between London, Birmingham, and Manchester. Now, however, Labour has reconsidered. Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon is even considering a maglev option.
Opposition grows to Labour’s vision of a third runway at Heathrow, with the Tories oppose; even some Labour MPs in Parliament see the third runway as a mistake.