The $8 billion in stimulus funds the Obama Administration is planning to invest in high-speed rail is “purely seed money,” a consultant told a roomful of rail boosters yesterday at a forum organized by the Cascadia Center. 

“I think it's very unrealistic” to hope for a network of high-speed rail lines around the U.S. any time soon, said Larry Salci, who is past president of several rail companies, including Bombardier Corp. and Colorado Railcar. 

Rail boosters point to Europe as a model for high-speed rail in the U.S. In Europe, some trains go as fast as 220 miles per hour. 

The star of Talgo's rail fleet, the Talgo 350, travels at that speed. Antonio Perez Hurtado, the company's president and CEO, said it is also a beautifully designed and comfortable train “with amenities [that] exceed any amenities you find in an airplane.” 

Talgo was a sponsor of the Cascadia conference. 

But Salci pointed out that not only are the capital costs of new rail lines high, the operating costs are steep, too. “Somebody's going to have to subsidize that operation,” Salci said. Salci used to head two transit agencies: Metro St. Louis and SEMTA, the Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority. 

Freight rail officials also participated in yesterday's forum, which was held at the Washington Athletic Club. 

The recession has made a big dent in BNSF Railways' cargo business, which is down 50 percent in some markets, said Andrew Johnsen, BNSF's assistant vice president for state government affairs. 

“We're still investing $2.5 billion into preserving, maintaining and expanding tracks where we can,” he said. 

Though enlarging Stampede Pass is not as important now as it was before the recession, Johnsen said it will need to be done eventually. Stampede Pass will need to be higher so double-stacked trains can pass through, and it will need to be wider, too. 

“It will be a secondary route for Boeing 737 fuselages,” Johnsen said.