U.S. and Mexico could be connected by multi-billion-dollar high speed train within FOUR YEARS taking passengers from San Antonio to Monterrey
- Route would link San Antonio, Texas, to Monterrey, Mexico
- 300 mile trip could be completed in under two hours
- High-speed link would slash journey time from five hours by car
- Mexico estimates its share of the cost for the project will be around $1.5bn
- Construction set to begin first half of 2015 and completed by 2018
- Project would provide huge economic boost to regions north and south of the border
A multi-billion-dollar high-speed train network linking America with Mexico moved a step closer as officials from both sides of the border thrashed out details.
The proposed 300 mile route would link San Antonio, Texas, to Monterrey, Mexico - slashing the current journey time from five hours by car to under two hours.
Advocates say the project, which would be the first high-speed train line in North America and is set to be completed by 2018, will provide huge economic boost to regions in both nations.
Swift: A new high-speed train link would cut the 300 mile journey time between San Antonio, Mexico, and Monterrey, Mexico, to under two hours
Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar and Texas Department of Transportation Commissioner Jeff Austin, as well as Mexican officials, presented the plan to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx on Thursday in Washington D.C.
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Mr Cuellar told Fox News Latino: 'Secretary Foxx and his team are interested. A high-speed rail between San Antonio and Monterrey through Laredo would revolutionize trade and travel between the United States and Mexico.'
Monterrey is Mexico’s third-largest city and is considered a financial and business captial of the region.
According to Rolando Zubiran, the state’s deputy minister for foreign investment, 80 percent of U.S. Mexican economic activity passes through Monterrey, Fox News Latino reported.
But it has also been mired in violent clashes between two of Mexico's most feared drug gangs.
Getting up to speed: The ambitious project to create a high-speed rail network linking America with Mexico would embrace technology widely used in other parts of the world, such as Japan, pictured,
Playing catch up: America is someway behind China which has already built hundreds of miles of high-speed rail network on which bullet trains can reach 250kph
Authorities behind the plans have tried to allay fears that the train connection could be exploited by the violent drug gangs which control many parts of Mexico.
Officials insist the train will be non-stopping between America and Mexico.
Passengers would be able to go through strict immigration controls before the train departed, cutting the time spent at road border crossings dealing with paperwork.
Construction set to begin first half of 2015 and completed within four years, under the ambitious proposals outlined the U.S Transport Secretary.
Mexico estimates its share of the cost for the project will be around $1.5billion.
Lowering costs: The rising price of petrol has put pressure on authorities to find a cheaper means of mass transport, such as high-speed rail, similar to that used in Japan, pictured
But the final go-ahead is dependent on a U.S. study into the feasibility of a regional high-speed network linking Oklahoma City and South Texas to southern neighbors.
America is currently flirting with the idea of constructing a nation-wide high-speed rail network, joining major cities on both the west and east coast.
The U.S. finds itself playing catch up to other nations around the world which have far more established high-speed networks.
Japan has had bullet trains running well over 150mph since the 1950s. It is currently fine-tuning a maglev system where trains can reach speeds of 350mph.
China has the world's longest high-speed rail network with more than 6,200miles of routes in service.
Now pressure is mounting on America to introduce a similar, low cost passenger transport network.
According to a 2005 study by the Texas Transportation Institute, traffic congestion is costing Americans $63.1 billion a year.
Those in favour of more rail travel claim an expansion of train routes will help the nation save billions.
PROPOSED NETWORK OF HIGH-SPEED TRAINS COULD SHRINK AMERICA
Surging oil costs has caused car-loving America to look to the train for a cheaper means of getting around the country.
High-speed rail projects linking mayor cities on both coasts have now been pushed to the top of the political agenda.
Multi-million-dollar feasablility studies have been launched across the country in a bid to get a network build within the next decade.
A route from Chicago to Philadelphia via the Keystone Corridor HSR system is being contemplated.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority was created in 1996 by the state to implement an extensive 800-mile rail system that is estimated to cost about $40 billion.
Once built, the system will not require operating subsidies, and it is expected to generate $1 billion in annual profits.
The system would provide high-speed service between and among major cities, like Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, and would allow travel between Los Angeles' Union Station and San Francisco's Transbay Terminal in two and a half hours.
Plans have been drawn up for 125 to 150mph electric trains running between Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada.
In September 2010 Amtrak unveiled proposals for 355 km/h trains to run between Washington DC and Boston, stopping at various cities along the way including Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. The end to end journey time would be three hours.
The proposals would cost $117bn and would take 25 years to complete. Amtrak estimates that the capacity would be needed, as even after current investment programmes, the Acela trains will be full by 2030.
The proposal envisages completion by 2040.
Source: Wikipedia
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