Editor, Times-Union: I have a new goal to work on in the coming years. After much research I believe I agree with our president on one very important point.
Trains - We need to revive them and we need to do it now. There are several reasons that I think his idea of a fast train going from major city to major city is so necessary that I am ready to spend all my energy working toward it as a (new-old) reality in our country.
Our area is a prime candidate for a new train route from east to west. I have had the misfortune of driving to the Fort Wayne airport only to wait up to six hours for an incoming flight from Chicago. We have weather here that is incomparable to anywhere in the U.S. Thunderstorms move in in a moment’s notice, shutting down all outgoing and incoming flights. That alone wreaks havoc with our orthopedic industry. I don’t need to tell most of you we deal with doctors and other very busy people and they can’t sit around waiting on a plane that may or may not get them here or back home. Planes are effected by weather, trains for the most part are not.
We need to clarify something. When Mr. Obama speaks of a high-speed train he is not referring to a bullet train. He is talking about something under 100 miles per hour in the open spaces between towns and stops. If we could jump on a train in Warsaw and be in Chicago in just under two hours, that would be great.
Why now? The price of fuel by next year will be $5 per gallon. It will be difficult to make a car small enough to go anywhere on an affordable amount of fuel that will barely carry two people much less a family with luggage.
Mostly, we have to look at the future of our country. We are spreading out across the land again and we need to have affordable transportation to the city and country and back again. Trains are the answer to our ever-growing problem. They are the least expensive way to transport people and goods. We have the land and the tracks are ready to be upgraded to accommodate our needs.
You’re going love this part – I want to turn the old Gatke building into the Warsaw-Winona Lake depot and also have the bus station there, including a rental car location and restaurant. There is a double track up there and no road crossings that would be affected by the stopped train.
I know most people believe that building is a goner, but it is well built and has a good foundation. A contractor like myself could utilize the existing structure and location for many years to come. I live by the saying, don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater.
I believe with all my heart that we can do this and the benefits in the future will be beyond measure.
The thing that generated my interest in this was the booklet printed by OrthoWorks that was in the Times-Union several weeks ago. I agree that transportation is a problem for them, our biggest employer, and we need to address it as of yesterday.
