Bruno's been working on the railroad.

All the live-long day. Joe Bruno, foreseeing the demise of the execrable-except-for-Acela Amtrak, wants to ensure that New York maintains rail service throughout the state.

"Bruno said he envisions an entity similar to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to operate the service, featuring trains that travel at speeds of 200 mph. Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, D-Buffalo, chairman of the Assembly task force on high-speed rail, called Bruno's plan 'extremely ambitious.' Hoyt applauded the senator for 'thinking big,' and added, 'They originally laughed when they talked about building the Erie Canal.' Hoyt said any high-speed rail plan would cost several billion dollars, but is doable. 'It would take a monumental consensus-building effort in the Legislature and the general public because it will require bonding, and ultimately the public has to buy into it,' Hoyt said. 'But there isn't anyone in the State of New York who is satisfied with the status quo.' "

Which one, Sam? JetBlue? But seriously, high-speed rail is a great idea, and I'd be in favor of it. If government did nothing more than facilitate its construction by obtaining rights-of-way, etc. How about letting a private concern come in to build & run it? I mean, the state didn't buy JetBlue's planes, did it? Some people just don't like to fly, and high-speed rail between upstate's cities would be quite a boon to the region. If I had business in Albany, I'd much rather zoom across the I-90 corridor at 200MPH than drive at 65 or fly through JFK. But build it out to Boston instead of New York. Every major upstate city has a cheap JetBlue link to NYC. There is no convenient and cheap air connection to Boston, however.