PROP 1A

As a student you’ve probably heard, “Do you have a minute for high-speed rail?” uttered to you as you walk through Centennial Walkway or Aztec Center. The cause these campaigners are supporting is not as annoying as their methodology of campaigning, but, when it boils down to it, most people don’t even know what high-speed rail is. What they were looking for were signatures in support of Proposition 1, which has become Proposition 1A after some late modifications to the bill.

Depending on whether Proposition 1A passes, the future of transportation in the state of California will rely on a technology that actually predates the automobile. However, it’s a good thing.

If the proposition passes, it means in the future, you will be able to travel by train at speeds of about 220 mph, which could get you from Los Angeles to San Francisco in about two and a half hours — beating traffic, gas prices and long lines at the security check at the airport. And you’ll be leaving a much smaller carbon footprint for the cost of about $50 a ticket.

However, this transportation feat will not be without a hefty price tag. Over the next 30 years, the high-speed rail initiative will cost about $10 billion. That’s about two-thirds of the state’s budget deficit, which took almost two months of deliberation to resolve this summer. Add in interest, and the price tag comes to almost $20 billion, with operational costs about $1 billion every year, though that will be partially offset by the fares.

It’s not going to be cheap, but it is going to be worth it. As of now, the state’s transportation infrastructure is in dire need of a pick-me-up and a new way of connecting the state’s major northern and southern metropolitan centers together. With the current outlook of the economy, any way of pulling together the forces of the state would only help.

While a flight between LA and San Francisco may be short, the amount of time a person needs to allot for a flight’s boarding and security procedures would be more than the amount of time needed for the train.

If California were to take part in the high-speed rail system, it would be one step closer to the state providing a more sustainable and efficient mode of public transportation.