At last week’s Great Lakes Metros Summit there was much discussion about the potential benefits of developing high-speed rail line that would connect NYC to Toronto along with a number of upstate cities including Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. The line could produce jobs associated with maintaining the line as well as attract industry that would create more jobs. An electric line would also be one way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cars and create a more sustainable transportation infrastructure not totally dependent on cheap oil. The high-speed rail was applauded by all and local assemblyman Sam Hoyt in particular who is a strong supporter of developing a rail line between Buffalo and Niagara Falls.
High-speed rail connecting NYC and Toronto would certainly address the transportation needs of people who frequently travel between NYC, Toronto, and the upstate New York cities. And there is definitely a need for a more sustainable transportation option for this corridor. As cheap oil becomes scarcer and the costs associated with traveling by private automobiles increase, an electric rail-way will become a very valuable asset. The idea is very logical and has a lot of merit.
But does it address poverty?
As mentioned above there is definitely a chance that the line will create jobs associated with the construction and maintenance of the line and it could attract new industry to the area. An increase in the number of living-wage jobs available directly addresses one of the major causes of poverty.
However if you ask the poor and homeless themselves what they’re greatest transportation needs are, it become clear that inter-city rail is not their highest concern. According to the Homeless Alliances’ report Left Behind: How Difficulties with Transportation are a Roadblock to Self-Sufficiency, the greatest transportation concern cited by Buffalo’s poor and homeless is limited suburban routes (49.4%). The most common difficulty respondents cited was the inability to pay for the use of public transportation (53.9%). The second most common difficulty was that the respondent had to turn down a job due to lack of route (42.1%). Respondents also cited a long commute of over an hour as a major concern (40.6%).
Obviously the biggest transportation concern facing those living in poverty in Buffalo is a lack of affordable transportation within the Buffalo metropolitan area. People are not able to make it to jobs, they miss appointments, and are not even able to afford the cost of public transportation when it may be of use. Getting to Rochester or Toronto really fast is not their biggest concern.
