North Carolina's Southeast High-Speed Rail line shows progress

Last week, an important portion of the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor line received approval for its environmental impact statement, and now that the statement has been approved, the region is one step closer to attaining the crucial service between Raleigh and Richmond; the project planning first started in the early 1990s, and now the officials are closer to breaking ground.

Now, the officials must address simple issues that have arisen, such as how to maintain the effort to construct a strong Southern rail network. Ideally, the network should connect Raleigh, Atlanta, Richmond and Charlotte to Washington, D.C. This network, which provides service important to the area, must maintain its momentum to achieve success.

After a generation of planning, discussions and designing, the leaders are finally reaching a point where the construction can begin. The officials cannot take another generation to finish the project -- high-speed rail is an important part of the region’s economy. Without the rail line, the area will remain congested with traffic for years to come.

Many people use rail lines to commute from their homes to work or school on a daily basis. Forcing these people to wait in traffic congestion is harmful to the environment as well as the economy.