High cost could slow high-speed rail


Don’t hold your breath waiting for high-speed rail to come racing through Henderson.

Yes, an announcement of the proposed stops for the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor could come from that state’s rail division this spring. And yes, Henderson is likely to be a stop at least one way on the route between Raleigh and Richmond.

But that still leaves the matter of many billions of dollars to pay for the project.

While the federal government is running annual deficits in the $400 billion range, $7 billion or more for a regional project will be hard to justify, Sen. Elizabeth Dole’s staff told Henderson’s lobbying delegation last week.

Remember, we can’t even get $7 million from the feds for a library.