Sen. Jeremy Cooney says it’s time for a serious talk about high-speed rail in Rochester after Florida ride

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – “Rochester has been having conversations about high-speed rail since I used to work for Congresswoman Louise Slaughter 20 years ago,” said Senator Jeremy Cooney, chair of the NYS Senate Transportation Committee.

Fresh off a high-speed train ride in Florida, Senator Cooney says it’s time to have a serious talk about it here. There have been serious conversations for two decades, but a state report this year says the maximum speed for a high-speed train upstate is 90 miles an hour.

News10NBC Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean had some questions for the senator.

Berkeley Brean, News10NBC: “Right now the plan says the maximum speed for trains going through our community would be 90 miles an hour. Is that fast enough for it to work?”

Sen. Jeremy Cooney: “Well it’s certainly faster than where we are and that’s an improvement. But the technology already exists to go faster. I’m talking about 125 miles or more per hour. And that’s what some other states are already pursuing.”

Last week, Senator Cooney rode the Brightline East, a high-speed train between Orlando and Miami. It cuts the trip between the two cities in half. Brightline West cuts the trip from LA to Las Vegas in half., Brightline is a private company.

Cooney says the key to high-speed rail through New York is connecting New York City to Toronto.

Sen. Jeremy Cooney: “It’s about better connecting Toronto and New York City and all the upstate cities, including Rochester, along the way.”

At a hearing in January, he questioned the state transportation assistant commissioner about why the maximum speed upstate is 90 miles an hour but the maximum downstate is 110.

Sen. Jeremy Cooney: “What I’m saying to the Department of Transportation is, if we’re going to make a monumental investment in rail, let’s go faster. Let’s embrace the newest forms of technology so that we can prepare for the future.”

High-speed rail was the dream of the late Congresswoman Louise Slaughter. The train station is named after her. The state transportation hearings begin early next year.

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