The construction of the California High-Speed Rail will solve the problem of ever-growing demands in transportation sector. The project focuses on building first the routes from San Francisco to Los Angeles and later constructing the railway from Sacramento and San Diego.
The planned routes can be used as environmentally friendly alternatives for passengers by taking advantage of travelling by car or plane. Because the project is large-scaled, it is split into several stages1.
First, the project managers and constructors seek to evaluate the requirements of the service area to comply with broader policy issues.
Second, the project analysis should also be concerned with accurate assessment of station location to ensure greater community input and improvement of the transportation system in California.
Better evaluation of possible gaps in project planning is possible through analysis of potential benefits. Economic advantages presuppose creation of new jobs for Californians that relate not only to construction but also to chains of restaurants and services suppliers along the routes.
Sustainability of the project consists in producing electric power by such renewable resources as solar and wind, which reduces the risk of smog and air pollution in the state2. Finally, cheaper and more convenient transport contributes to the economic and social welfare of the community.
In addition, it enhances public safety owing to the separation of existing tracks. The benefits enumerated above do not introduce financial issues about construction potential. Further assessment of the project, therefore, should be more concerned with numerical data, which plays a crucial role in analysis.
Despite the benefits, the project still fails to gain public’s trust in its sustainability. This is of particular concern to community and environmental issues.
Although the project aims to increase the employment rates in the state, many citizens reject to the construction of the new 800-mile system because of the fear of destruction of 220-mile route in downtown region3. Farmers also express their opposition to the project due to the farmland gobbling.
The construction, therefore, can destroy arable soil and deprive rural citizens of their only source of profit. However, the major concern should not be connected with land and financial issues, but to the route line chosen for construction.
In fact, the public is worried about the usability of the route in the Central Valley, as well as the threat of total reconstruction of the total area. Although the government reassures the population that the new railway system will not affect the Central Valley, the rural area is still under the threat.
The predictions made several years ago can be withdrawn by the current research dedicated to life-cycle assessment of the project to define environmental impact at each stage of transportation.
For instance, detailed evaluation of energy use and possible amount of gas emissions has discovered that the potential impact of the project is connected with supply chain process because nearly 67 % of emissions are due to the concrete production needed for construction4.
Despite the extensive energy consumption, high-speed rail project still manages to reduce environmental footprint of infrastructure by 15 %. However, even this insignificant problem can be compensated in future by introducing small and less power-consuming trains with 400 passenger seats instead of 12005.
Hence, the project managers can employ such facilities during low-traffic hours. Moreover, the high-railway system has succeeded in reducing the traffic area and increasing public safety.
The current research, therefore, provides sound and meaningful solutions to the previously identified problems. The project authorities should reconsider their budgeting schemes and include transparent reporting principle for the public to make sure that all construction procedures are carried out in compliance with the established norms.
Environmental concerns should also be eliminated due to the correction made to the train design. Although there are some negative consequences of concrete construction, the final outcome is worth considering because it can reduce the traffic in the most densely inhabited regions in California.
The controversies will be eliminated as soon as the government introduce sufficient media coverage of the project to ensure the citizens that the system can produce only positive influence on the economic and social welfare.
Works Cited
California High-Speed Rail Authority. Project Vision and Scope. 2008. Web.
McKinley, Jesses. “Worries Follow Route of High-Speed California Line”. The New York Times. 2001. Web.
Yang, Sara. “Future of California High-Speed Rail Looks Green”. US Berkeley News Center. 2012. Web.
Footnotes
1 Consider California High-Speed Rail Authority website that reveals information about mission and vision of the project.
2 See California High-Speed Rail Authority.
3 Look up the newspaper article by McKinsley that criticizes the project implementation.
4 Consider the studies introduced by Yang.
5 Yang’s studies.