Rail Transit

[flyingcowz]

Rail is part of the solution.

During the 20th century Oklahoma, like other
states, partnered with the federal government to
build the world's most extensive systems of
aviation and highways.  These facilities have
allowed unparalleled travel freedoms and
contributed mightily our nation's growth as a
world economic power.
These systems will continue to be essential to
our mobility and economic development.
However, their astounding success in inducing
travel and commerce is threatening to restrict the
very freedoms they have made possible.
Congestion on roads and runways is costing us
all billions per year in lost time and productivity.
Road maintenance needs are hopelessly
backlogged and in heavily traveled corridors
undercapacity is the norm.  In 20 years we have
built just one new airport while the jetports of the
1960s are now largely hemmed in by sprawling
development.
Long ago other industrialized nations realized
that a modern rail network is essential to a
healthy, balanced transportation system.  Its time
we did, too.  Rail is part of the solution to
maintaining our mobility.  
By better utilizing our existing rail lines and
building new ones we can help preserve our
cherished mobility by adding new capacity to the
transportation network.  Significantly, rail serves
purposes not otherwise addressed with air and
highways alone.  The advent of fast, frequent
trains has been shown to increase healthy
private-sector development in the center of our
cities and towns.  Rail travel encourages new
types of tourism.  And it enfranchises those left
behind by our existing transportation modes
-people unable to easily access our air and
highway systems because of age, disability,
health, or lack of auto ownership, with the ability
to easily travel.

I feel with gas prices going even higher than they are right now, that it's about time we start looking into this.
What are yur thoughts?