Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Words as a form of Action

It is often said "Actions speak louder than words". But, what if those words serve as the action? Can words serve as the primary source of bringing solutions to life? This question was never more a reality than the past year’s presidential elections as President Obama circled the nation amidst the ‘rock star-esque’ crowds to his “words”. Many of his doubters and opponents attacked him, urging the people not to be blinded by his polished speeches of hope and promise. They often agreed he was a powerful presenter, however they claimed they were ‘only words’ and lacked tangible action. To this day, many criticize his resume for a lack of results against the backdrop of his rich, bold promises of a better tomorrow. Which brings us back to the question, “can words be a form of action?”. Are the words Pres. Obama has made a part of history serve as the building blocks of progress? Close to home, are the words of POWV shaping the policy of tomorrow's transportation infrastracture?

Visionary movements are born out of the seeds of ingenuity of individuals. They feed of the hope and dreams of the founding few. They spread to reality via the persistence of those willing to defy the odds and deafen the naysayers. A bit naïve, the movement moves forward, nimbly morphing as necessary while maintaining the core vision. With small wins along the way, people start to take notice and the early adopters jump on board. All the while, there’s a pack of people who’ve heard the message yet it sits dormant in their brain’s corner. Then, with an exhilarating transformation, the movement reaches a key hurdle and the pace moves into overdrive. At the crest of this energy, the force takes on a new life. Those who casually joined early on, deepen their roots and dedicate their being to the cause. The words once locked away emerge into the conversations of the majority, and key players emerge to see it forward. Yet, to this point, it is often only “words” which brought us to this point. Many great ideas fail to reach this stage simply because they couldn’t get the message across. At times, it was a lack of persistence, poor choice of recipients, and/or the lack of charisma, credibility and trust from the presenter.

It is my belief; POWV High Speed Rail now sits within the early adoption stage however the foundation is starting to rumble with encouraging signs of progress towards the next steps. Repeatedly, we’ve seen our requests take hold and the policy continues to shift towards our cause. And, now those around us are starting to take notice with a bit more than the original blank stares…the “words” are creeping form the back of their brains, as they consider their part in this historic movement. But to this point, it has been ‘just words’ brought to the attention of whoever will listen via a consistent, persistent message. Now putting words into action, we at POWV continue with a purpose to bring high speed rail to the Pittsburgh-Columbus corridor…any successful national high-speed rail plans will have to include this corridor. It has served as a primary component of all major transportation developments throughout our country’s history via the Ohio River, the original rail system and I-70 as part of the interstate highway system…we are now on the cusp of including it within our country’s interstate high-speed rail system, and we’re playing a critical role in sharing the message across the 3 involved states (Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia) and beyond.

Please join our movement and become one of our early adopters, mark your place in history…it’s happening before our eyes and the pieces are about to pick up steam…

POWV High Speed Rail Mgmt

Saturday, May 9, 2009

"Who knows? We can dream."

POW V continues to talk, people continue to listen, now it seems some are beginning to take notice, and take action...

Stimulus Money To Improve Rails In Jefferson County
Posted: 5:37 pm EDT April 14, 2009Updated: 7:04 pm EDT April 14, 2009

Ohio Transportation Stimulus funds will be used to improve the Gould Tunnel outside Mingo Junction in Jefferson County.

Mike Paprocki with The Brooke Hancock Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission said, "It's an important link from the rail yard. It connects Norfolk Southern Railroad and Ohio Central Railroad. That services a lot of coal mines and trains that go to the Apex mine."
The $5 million in stimulus will be used to improve the tunnel because it leaks and has drainage problems.

"This ought to put about 40 people to work," said Paprocki. "It's a big help to the railroads in our area. They're making resurgence." The exact solution isn't clear yet because Paprocki said there are several different options state crews could take. "They could lower the bed and raise the clearance because it has clearance issues. The tunnel will not take double-stacked cars. Or, they could line it and keep it as is," said Paprocki.

With improvements on the way, leaders have high hopes for the future including the possibility that one day the tracks could carry passenger trains. "This could be used as a critical link between Pittsburgh and Columbus for high-speed rail through our area," said Paprocki. "Who knows? We can dream."

There is no timeline in place as to when work on the Gould Tunnel could start.
Officials with the Ohio Railroad development Commission said improvements will be on the existing structure. Jefferson County isn't the only area that will get rail improvements.
More than $1 million in stimulus funds is expected for rail work in Harrison County at Miller Station.

-NEWS9
Copyright 2009 by wtov9.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

All Aboard...

All Aboard…

The trainmaster calls out “All Aboard” and the people shuffle themselves and their belongings towards the gate like a content herd of cattle. After boarding the train at the King Street Station (Seattle), we find ourselves gliding along smooth tracks to Portland. The leather seats are inviting and apparently (if the gal snoring across from us is any indicator) comfortable enough for the 4 hour ride aboard Amtrak’s Cascader (wouldn’t an under 2 hour high speed line we wonderful?). After pulling through the industrial landscape from Seattle to Tacoma, the rail line takes a scenic burst along the Puget Sound. The clouds clear, the mountains appear and I begin to wonder what the phrase “All Aboard” means for our nation. Are we all on board? Has the POW V corridor been left behind?

For the past 25 years, our country has experienced great strides in ‘so-called’ economic expansion. Despite the recent recessions, our GDP and other economic indicators illustrate a nation living the good life. However, as we ‘peel the onion back’, we realize not everyone is ‘All Aboard’. Despite the harsh warning signs of the prior generation, we continued to build an economy driven by the oil of other nations and (increasingly) the muscle of other nation’s labor. With cheap oil/gas in our nation’s engine, we plowed forward building corporate profits by selling the goods ‘Made in China’. In turn, we now face immensely divided economic classes, a fragile economy (one spike in oil prices away from collapse) and an environment in peril. On both sides of the political aisle, we’ve built policy on the ‘sink or swim’ ideas. These flawed concepts have left the communities which once built our nation’s infrastructure as people/regions which ‘couldn’t make it’. Our heartland became more of a liability as we moved into the global ‘free-market’ economies. Areas throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia became second-thought on the political landscape as the unemployment rose, the ‘strong’ escaped, and the proud people suffered.

Economic booms and busts come in cycles, and there’s always going to be areas/people which benefit more/less from those movements. Our region has always played a key role in providing the foundation for our nation’s prosperity. We built (and served as the primary corridors of) the transportation lines of the 1800’s (original rail lines) and the 1900’s (interstate highways). We furnished the coal to burn and the steel to build the bones of a country. For the most part, we missed the call to transform our economy into the Information-Age and continued to grasp onto the jobs (which put food on our tables for the generations) like a fading dream. But, the next ‘age’ is upon us and has our names (all of our names) written all over it. The ‘green economy’ is plowing ahead with an agenda which will transform the jobs of the industrial age into those which will provide the same benefits (and more) but in a more responsible manner. This is why it’s so important we embrace a concept of ‘All Aboard’ rather than outsource the next cycle of development. The new leaders must boldly step forward and provide a platform for the U.S. to take a front role in this inevitable movement. We must innovate in ways which not only provide profits for the corporation’s short-term agendas but capture our communities’ welfare for generations to come. If not, not only will the poor and middle-class suffer, those at the top of the pyramid will continue to prosper on false realities.

Currently, we’re ‘only’ one voice in this movement however POW V High Speed Rail holds this concept as a driving principle. We believe without all of our neighbors “All Aboard”, any short-term gains will be fragile for all. We’re not advocates of hand-outs nor are the people of our region. We don’t need the flashy bling of Hollywood, the pressed suits of Wall St, but rather we want to build something. We want to be at ground zero of a strong and vibrant nation. You see, instead of needing our names in lights, we put our names on lunch pails. We’re people who want to provide for others and provide for our families in return, and hope it extends to our grandchildren. POW V believes bringing high speed rail to this region will facilitate our involvement in the ‘green economy’ and fuel the fires of innovation towards jobs within our borders.

All Aboard?!?

Place your name on the POW V lunch pail by joining our team at http://www.powvtransit.com/

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Community Action & High Speed Rail

The recent presidential election brought the concept of "Community Action Groups" to the forefront of driving democracy and providing solutions for the next generation. Although some ignorantly ridiculed the leadership and stature of a community organizer, the American people have awoken to the call to get involved and to take responsibility for the direction of our nation and the communities which comprise it. This is not a new concept however one which has been buried amongst the belief that government and corporations are the primary avenue to provide the infrastructure we depend on. But, there's a noticeable change in the air. One which has the youth ready to dedicate their time and energy to make things happen. And, while the shifting tides resides within the younger generation, it is carrying to all generations as contagious inspiration.

So, what does this mean for high speed rail? After all, trains are the product of large amounts of capital and resources requiring engineering expertise and government approval. Please welcome POWV High Speed Rail. In the mid-80's, POWV was born via the desire of a group of railroaders who fought for what they felt was right for their community and the nation their line was supporting. Other local parties joined the cause and together they found an avenue to protect the Panhandle line from removal. Although the plot details play out like a riveting novel, the basic story of this line being saved revolves around the group pledging to bring high speed rail to the line. Although there were hopes of actually bringing high speed rail to the tri-state (Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia) region, the primary intent of the pledge was capitalizing on the right of way's protection if such a pledge was made. Although they weren't able to save the freight running over these tracks, they had displayed an act of courage and won the battle. The following 20 years weren't so favorable for the region as they saw countless jobs shipped overseas and the people who served as the backbone of our nation's infrastructure soon felt the pain, and still do to this day.

Fast forward to today, POWV High Speed Rail is reemerging and embracing its position as a well-purposed community action group. An organization moving with direction to provide solutions for the people, and our collective nation. POWV is moving with a passionate pace to bring place the POWV Corridor into the current discussions for high speed rail. Anyone viewing the current FRA HSR Corridor Map can see the obvious disconnect in the proposed network. POWV's current mandate is to ensure those in the decision making positions see it, understand it, and connect it. Amidst the HSR discussions taking place across the country, POWV sees the monumental challenges in front of it. The other proposals come via State Transit Authorities, Multi-national corporations, and other large scale entities which are expected to be here and have the resources to move decisions. While this is reality, POWV has pledged to do what they feel is right for the broader community and are gaining steam with each person they bring on board. It will be, and has been, a trial by fire approach which is building momentum (along with setbacks) forward. It involves the courage of the people behind it who know what hard work is all about.

It's been nearly 25 years in the making however the time has come for POWV vision to come to fruition. Their intentions revolve around building the next generation economy for a region sitting at the heart of our nation. Their embracing their role as a community action group and energized by the resurgence of community involvement witnessed in recent times. It's time to make Ohio high speed rail, West Virginia high speed rail, and Pennsylvania high speed rail all a reality on a connected network via the POWV Corridor. It's time to put the people back in democracy, and drive a nation forward.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

High Speed Rail Gets $8bn: Obama's Signature Issue in Stimulus Bill

In the final hours of the stimulus bill's negotiations, high-speed rail more than tripled its prior renditions to end up at $8 billion. Critics of the bill tried to cast blame of Sen. majority leader Reid 'earmarking' $8bn in high speed rail funds for a line from LA to Vegas however the real driver seems to have come from the White House. While a few of Obama's 'favorites' were battered through the negotiations (school building, electricity grid upgrade), the high-speed rail push seems to have faced limited opposition, and little knowledge it was coming from Obama. Some of the lessened resistance to the HSR funding seems to come from the vocal opposition (ME and PA Republicans strongly opposed other items in the bill) since their Northeast constituents will likely benefit the most from HSR development.

So, $8bn is a lot of money, right? In U.S. relative terms, yes, this far surpasses any previous investment in HSR. However, it is only the beginning of what will be needed to build a comprehensive HSR network. And, apparently there is more on the way, whereby Obama (per Politico's interview with administration officials) is prepared to add $1bn each of the next 5 years within his initial 2010 budget outline.

What's next? Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is given 60 days to come up with a strategic plan for the funds. The combination of large capital upfront — followed by annual appropriations — fits the prototype for the infrastructure bank once considered for, but never included in, the recovery bill.

Then what? Simply throwing a large chunk of money at HSR is not going to make it successful. It is going to take prudent deployment of these funds but more importantly it is going to take a combination of private investments, human ingenuity and U.S. labor to bring Obama's vision to reality. Some call HSR a pipe dream and mock it as an investment into fairy tale programs to nowhere however these were dreams we let fail more than 25 years ago. Dreams which fell along with the middle-class of our nation and the blue-collar workforce. Dreams are what defined this country's leadership throughout the world and thinking beyond the status quo is what will propel us into the 21st century as a leader the world can respect and join.

Let's get to work, and make good on Obama's Signature Issue of this Stimulus Package! Join POW V High Speed Rail in connecting the corridors and redefine the dreams of PA, OH and WV and the nation they've built before.

Some of the information from this post is sourced from David Rogers' article for Politico.

JOIN US TODAY!

POW V Management
highspeedrail@powvtransit.com

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Stimulus Package and Mass Transit

Today, the Senate passed their version of the stimulus bill. Since the same legislation must be approved by both Houses of Congress, we now await Conference Committee to hammer through the differences between the Senate and House versions. Then, the two houses will have to vote and approve the same bill prior to President Obama's final signature.

The Transport Politic prepared the below comparison chart which details the two house's versions which is reconstructed below. For more discussion, go to Transit in the Stimulus Package.

Within the mass transit aggregate, there are some 'winners' and 'losers' in the two version. For high speed rail, it appears the Senate version will provide a more friendly environment for the surging high speed rail discussions. Although only a fraction of the total stimulus package (mass transit will not get much more than 1% of the total spend), $2bn for high speed rail could throw 'fuel to the fire' in promoting high speed rail investments around the country. Pending the final package, there appears to also be some 'wiggle room' for the states to determine the allocation of the transportation spending between building roads and building public transit. This could go a long way in stabilizing state/local projects which might otherwise be compromised in the face of tight budgets during a recession. To let these projects fail and not bring forth even bolder strategies for mass transit will be a failure in many aspects. Failures we might not realize until we hit the next economic crisis, oil shortage, national security breach or all of the above. We must invest now in the next generation of moving people. This is no George Jetson transportation system, this is a real solution which is being successfully utilized throughout the world. It is widely discussed how Germany, France and Japan have used high speed rail for decades however we're now seeing countries like Sweden move ahead and Turkey is scheduled to open a high speed rail line in March.

Join our movement in bringing high speed rail to America!

Email us at highspeedrail@powvtransit.com or visit our website at http://www.powvtransit.com/ to become a member of our growing movement...

Sunday, February 8, 2009

What is the POW V Corridor?

The POW V corridor is a railroad 'right of way' which spans from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Columbus, OH. POW V High Speed Rail was born ~25 years ago when a group of railroaders and regional leaders gathered to save the 'Panhandle Right of Way' via a motion to bring high-speed rail to the line. Under the terms of the provided 'right of way', if there was intent to bring high-speed rail to the line, the line could not be removed. This, in turn, blocked the railroad's intentions back in the 1980's. If we fast-forward to 2008, the original POW V team realized the climate was ripe to resurface the idea. While high-speed rail should have been implemented 25 years ago in the United States, we are now presented with the obvious need for its development.

Ok, now that you have the basic story of how the POW V Corridor came to be, where does this route actually take us? As mentioned the route begins from the East in Pittsburgh, PA and heads westward. The route heads due west towards the West Virginia northern panhandle passing through Weirton, WV. Crossing the Ohio River from Weirton, this line then passes into Ohio thru Steubenville, OH. From there, the line continues westward although dropping a bit to the south towards Columbus. Along its pathway in Ohio, the POW V line touches the cities of Uhrichsville, New Comerstown, Coshocton and Newark (then Columbus).

Let's assume you agree we need high-speed rail from Pittsburgh to Columbus. You might then ask, why this route? To fully understand this route's significance, we need to understand the history of this line. This line attained and is still often referenced as the 'Pan Handle Railroad' because of its passage across the northern pan handle of West Virginia. In the 1850's, multiple railroad companies connected this route. From its origination to the 1970's, this line served as a primary route in building the infrastructure of our nation. For the industrial revolution, it connected the Eastern seaboard with the Midwestern cities like St. Louis. As it still does today, the location of this line made it's service a necessity of a growing nation. To read more details on the railroads which originally brought the Pan Handle Railroad, see Pan Handle Route.

High-speed rail makes sense. It makes sense now in America and it makes sense to start it within a route and region which brought us our first industrial revolution. To join our movement, go to www.powvtransit.com or email us directly at highspeedrail@powvtransit.com to learn more about our growing team!