Expansion of Rail Links are Vital to Nation's Economic Growth

John W. Frece of the Baltimore Sun reports: "...Trains are once again moving onto the public agenda ... Jim Charlier, a transportation planner from Colorado...On behalf of a coalition of housing, environmental, public health, urban planning, transportation, real estate and business groups...has drafted an ambitious plan to link the 10 biggest "mega-regions" of the United States by high-speed rail by 2030...What supporters of these projects have in common is the belief that an expanded rail system serves multiple purposes at a time when we can no longer afford the luxury of single-purpose investments. They see rail as a way to reduce greenhouse gases, to offset high gas prices, to mitigate or at least avoid highway congestion, and to save rural resources by fostering more compact, transit-oriented city living."