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The New Rail Service Could Be on Its Way to a City Near You

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Amtrak is set to receive a $66 billion boost—these are the cities that will enjoy the most.

On November 15, when President Biden signs a $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law, the country’s transportation systems will get a significant boost of federal funding, including one of our favorite, more environmentally beneficial modes of travel: rail.

The $66 billion, 10-year Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which the House passed on Friday, would provide Amtrak with more than $66 billion in federal funding—the highest federal investment in passenger rail service since the organization was founded 50 years ago.

So, what is Amtrak going to do with all of that money? That’s the primary aim, according to a statement sent by Amtrak.

For one thing, the rail operator will spend more on the Northeast Corridor, which encompasses lines in New England, Connecticut-Westchester, New York City, the Mid-Atlantic North, and the Mid-Atlantic South.

Amtrak is planning to pay for a 15-year Northeast Corridor project that would provide more frequent service, decrease travel times, and add connections to some new markets. Other items on the to-do list include large infrastructure and station projects for lines connecting Washington, D.C., and Boston, as well as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Springfield, Massachusetts, Amtrak says.

Finally, the rail operator revealed that it intends to replace the Northeast’s 45-year-old intercity Amfleet with new trains.

What about the rest of the United States?

Following the passage of the infrastructure bill in the House, Amtrak’s president and CEO Bill Flynn specified which American cities and regions may see new and improved rail service as a result of the additional funding in an interview on AXios on HBO. They are:

  • Arizona: Phoenix–Tucson
  • Ohio: Cleveland–Columbus–Dayton–Cincinnati
  • California and Nevada: Los Angeles–Las Vegas
  • Tennessee: Nashville

“They’re essentially new routes where service practically doesn’t exist today,” said Flynn in the interview. “I believe Nashville would be a wonderful place to pause,” he continued, noting that the city does not presently have any Amtrak services. “How many country-western songs are there about trains?”

Amtrak informed AFAR that the majority of the money would go to developing new intrastate and long-distance passenger trains and infrastructure improvements for national routes, as well as making Amtrak stations fully accessible.

Rail is also an environmental investment because it reduces highway traffic.

The announcement of new rail funding follows last week’s pledge by the United States to increase its efforts to reduce carbon emissions at the UN climate negotiations currently underway in Glasgow, Scotland.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the transportation sector is responsible for the most carbon emissions in the United States. In 2019 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), transportation was responsible for about 29% of global emissions, followed by electricity at 25%, and industry at 23%.

Rail travel is one of the lowest carbon emitters, which means that investing in rail might help you lower your carbon footprint. According to the EPA, road vehicles are responsible for the largest proportion of air pollution, accounting for over 82% of those emissions, followed by aircraft at 9%, and rail transportation at just 2%. (Transport by ship, boat, or other means accounts for 7% alone.)

According to Amtrak, its electric trains produce 70 percent fewer emissions per passenger mile than a short-haul flight and around half those of a long-haul flight.

In conclusion, taking the train instead of a plane will almost certainly result in a lower carbon footprint. Unfortunately, in the United States, where the rail system has lagged behind in sophistication and breadth when compared to its international counterparts, including Europe’s high-speed rail networks, it has not been as simple to achieve.

Hopefully, there is change in our future!

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Why French President Macron’s Comments About COVID Are Raising Eyebrows

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Following the continuing COVID-19 epidemic, French President Emmanuel Macron has offered an eyebrow-raising perspective on unvaccinated people. While visiting a French publication, the politician stated that vaccine requirements that force people to get vaccines for things like going out to dinner or watching a film are intended to irritate non-compliers. “I really want to piss them off. And so we will continue to do so, to the bitter end. That’s the strategy,” Macron commented.

The president’s call for a strong line on vaccinations has sparked controversy in France, according to the New York Times. Macron’s policy of making unvaccinated people miserable has generated some pushback in the country, with the president’s latest remarks receiving varied responses on Twitter. “To me, that’s leadership,” opined one person. “I like him…my kind of strategy. Keep the pressure on!” someone else weighed in. And another Twitter user commented, “Macron doesn’t force them, he puts baby in a corner, as he should. It works. They’re getting vax’d. No vaccine? Then no bars, restaurants, or clubs for you. You disqualified yourself by not caring abt overburdening the hospitals, taking up ICU space, vents, & exhausting staff.”

Not everyone likes Macron’s COVID comments

Despite the fact that French statesman Emmanuel Macron received a lot of backing on social media for his COVID remarks, many people were not pleased. “Macron’s comments are completely beyond the pale. Really vile stuff. In a just world, his election hopes would now be toast,” tweeted one person.

“When elected leaders can talk and act in the vile way that Macron and Trudeau do, othering and baiting millions of their own citizens, and most observers barely bat an eyelid, we’re facing very worrying times. An age of authoritarianism is upon us. It can’t end well,” opined another non-supporter.

And as another Twitter user joked, “Macron apparently skipped the part of history where the French ruler pissed off the French people.” 

Meanwhile, as The New York Times reports, French Parliament is in the process of approving a bill that will require proof of vaccination to take part in many aspects of French life, including eating at cafes and visiting museums.

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U.S. reports over 1 million new daily Covid cases as omicron surges

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The United States has seen its most ever single-day number of Covid infections in a single day, with over 1 million new infections reported.

According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, 1,082,549 new coronavirus infections were reported Monday, as the highly contagious omicron variant continues to spread across the country.

The fresh daily count has increased the total number of cases discovered in the United States since the pandemic’s start to 56,189,547. At a minimum, the virus has caused 827,748 deaths across the country as a whole.

The record single-day total may be attributed in part to delayed reporting over the holiday weekend. Many states failed to submit data on New Year’s Eve, and many do not submit data on weekends, suggesting that some of these occurrences could be due to prior positive tests.

Nonetheless, as of January 3, the seven-day average of daily new U.S. cases has reached 479,273, which is the highest such statistic for any country monitored by Johns Hopkins.

According to a seven-day average of data from the Department of Health and Human Services, as of January 3, 98,000 Americans were hospitalized with Covid-19, up 32% from a week ago. Covid recorded a peak of roughly 103,000 hospital admissions across the United States in early September, but it remains lower than last winter’s high of about 137,000 U.S. hospitalizations.

According to data from Johns Hopkins, the United States has recorded an average of about 1,200 daily Covid deaths each week since Jan. 3, well below the record numbers seen after last year’s holiday season, when the daily average hovered around 3,000 for roughly a month beginning in January 2021. In other words, the death toll tends to lag behind increases in case counts and hospitalizations.

The omicron variety has begun to surpass the formerly prominent delta strain of the virus in recent weeks, according to experts.

According to the latest available weekly data from the CDC in the United States, which ended on December 25, delta was responsible for around 41% of cases, whereas omicron represented about 58.6 percent of infections.

Given the new variant’s potential to spread, U.S. health officials have urged vaccinations and resistance immunization against the coronavirus while monitoring developments.

Early research suggested that Covid vaccines are less effective against the omicron form than other strains. However, three doses of vaccine — the two initial vaccinations plus a booster — significantly boost omicron resistance by threefold, according to the same research.

The omicron variant, according to study, causes less severe infections.

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Biden will deliver a speech to the nation during which he will announce that 1 million new cases were reported in a single day

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Joe Biden will speak to the general public Tuesday about omicron variant COVID-19 cases continue to surge following the holidays, with more than 4,000 new infections.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, 0.1 percent of Americans have tested positive for the virus in the last week. On Monday alone, over 1 million incidents were reported in the United States, with many of them likely backlogged from New Year’s weekend.

While the holidays may have caused COVID-19 case counts to fluctuate, the increase in coronavirus cases across the country indicates a clear trend: another surge of the virus – and it’s likely that not all cases are reported from at-home testing. Before the new year, Biden committed $137 million to boost production of home screening devices

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with the White House COVID-19 Response Team. They’ll be educated on resources being delivered to states and local communities to assist with staffing shortages and hospital capacity, as well as expanding access to COVID-19 therapies and recent data on the omicron variant.

Today’s numbers: According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the United States has more than 56 million confirmed COVID-19 infections – one for every six people in the country – and almost 827,000 fatalities.

World totals: More than 292.6 million cases and 5.4 million deaths have been recorded worldwide as of today. The CDC has recorded more than 4,000 new cases in the last week, with a possible many more backlogged from New Year’s weekend.

According to CDC projections, it is estimated that between 35 and 50 percent of infected individuals will not show symptoms. The CDC has reported that 25 percent of infected people have been hospitalized or killed on average across all countries.

The number of cases in each state is kept private by the CDC, but it released a national map showing outbreaks occur across all regions. Bismarck ND has had at least one confirmed infection from reports from local hospitals, with many more being reported on a daily basis.

What we’re reading: In preparation for the reopening of schools during a COVID-19 outbreak, officials plan to increase coronavirus testing when classes resume in January. Leaders are still working out the details, leaving significant concerns about safety and logistics.

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