From The Flint Journal

It wouldn’t be fair to say Michigan has been asleep at the switch when it comes to high speed rail to tie cities such as Flint to destinations in other places, but it hasn’t been moving as swiftly as other states.

It needs to start.

For years, Michigan and other Rust Belt states have been exploring a high-speed rail network to connect people and products in our major cities.

Imagine Flint being a couple-hours train ride away from Chicago, essentially becoming a suburb of that large Illinois city. Imagine a commute to the Detroit area or north to stops in the Great Lakes Bay Region being accomplished quickly, not to mention without the wear and tear on roads, vehicles and the environment.

The money to make such a system a reality is available. Eight billion dollars in economic stimulus funds have been earmarked for just this purpose, and the first round of grant money has already been doled out.

Yet Michigan secured only about $40 million to build train stations. Other states are much farther ahead.

In our automobile culture, where even car pooling can be a hard sell, the residents of Michigan as well as our leaders need to embrace high speed rail as vital component of future economic prosperity.

In addition to whisking passengers from place to place, such a system would be able to transport freight, making doing business here all the more attractive.

Around the state, including in Genesee County, public officials and average people have been meeting at forums to gather ideas and get people talking about public transportation.

Let’s hope these talks prove fruitful and that support for light rail continues to swell.

Source: http://www.mlive.com/opinion/flint/index.ssf/2010/10/calling_them_out_michigan_must.html