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SEHSR: A Time to Act
The Southeast is no longer quiet and rural. With its mild climate, educated workforce and positive labor and regulatory environment, the Southeast is experiencing burgeoning population growth and massive economic development. Many important industries now call the Southeast home. CNN, the world's leader in news and information, and the storm tracking Weather Channel are headquartered in Atlanta, the city of the Braves and the 1996 Summer Olympics. Major auto manufacturers, such as BMW and Honda, have located in South Carolina. Charleston has built one of the nation's most modern and important intermodal ports. North Carolina's largest city, Charlotte, is now the nation's second largest banking center, containing the headquarters of Bank of America (NationsBank) and First Union Bank. Raleigh-Durham is home to Research Triangle Park, where companies such as the biomedical leader Glaxo-Welcome are located.Virginia is not only a vital distribution and manufacturing link between the Northeast and Southeast, but also supports major military installations, port facilities, and federal government complexes. Richmond and Norfolk, VA are headquarters for two of the nation's largest railroads, CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern. Delta Airlines (Atlanta), Midway Airlines (Durham, NC) and US Airways (Arlington, VA) also call the Southeast home. Major public and private colleges and universities are thriving in the Southeast, attracting an international student body, contributing mightily to the Southeast's education levels and becoming important research institutions in their own right. Yet, population growth and economic development have led to increasing traffic congestion on major highways and thoroughfares in the Southeast. Average highway speeds, particularly during rush hours, are declining while concerns about air quality along such corridors are rising. Indeed, the explosive growth the Southeast has experienced, the kudzu-like spread of residential and commercial developments into areas only recently rural, and the resulting traffic and urban congestion have led many residents to express concern that these events may pose a threat to the Southeast's quality of life. As a result, each of the four Southeast states is facing serious transportation choices. Government, business and community leaders in the Southeast have expressed a renewed interest in creating wider number of transportation alternatives, including conventional and high speed passenger rail. Maintaining the progress and economic development of recent decades while meeting the transportation needs of the next century is a daunting challenge, but one that the four states of the Southeast are committed to meet. The Northeast Corridor's success serves as an impressive example of how high speed rail can be made a vital component in a balanced transportation system. The SEHSR can perform a similarly important role in the Southeast's twenty-first century transportation system. Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia are working together to create the Southeast High Speed Rail corridor to connect the communities of the Southeast and provide convenient and affordable access to and from the Northeast. We ask that our Congressional representatives become our partners in this historic endeavor. To succeed, much time, energy and effort will be needed to make the SEHSR a reality. But it is time to start. And Congress can assist us greatly by:
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