US transport boss: Spain's trains are US' model

[marmar]

AP via Yahoo!:



US transport boss: Spain's trains are US' model
By HAROLD HECKLE, Associated Press Writer


MADRID – Spain's bullet train system is a model to follow as America plans how to spend the money the government is injecting to stimulate the economy, the U.S. transportation secretary said Saturday.

Ray LaHood said the $8 billion allocated for high-speed railways in the United States will spur economic growth and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

President Barack Obama has cited Spain, France and Japan as countries with systems worth emulating.

The Spanish network is likely to interest the U.S. government because its specially designed, electrified tracks — first devised for the French TGV system — are not as expensive to lay and run as some German or Japanese alternatives.

And Spanish state-of-the-art tunneling technology has proved successful in boring efficiently through mountain ranges to reach the cities of Valladolid and Malaga. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090530/ap_on_re_eu/eu_spain_high_speed_rail_5