More than 150 years ago, Chicago interests financed the first railroad span across the Mississippi River, and Chicago became the “City of Broad Shoulders.” The too-late expansion of Lambert airport dropped St. Louis from the competition to be either a national passenger or air freight hub.
The visionary proposal to link St. Louis-Columbia-Kansas City with a passenger Hyperloop is a similar once-in-a-century opportunity (“Missouri banks on tube travel to attract Amazon,” Oct. 20). It is clear that technology and people will continue to concentrate around great urban centers. By linking rather than competing, St. Louis and Kansas City can concentrate our talent and resources while maintaining our reasonable cost of living within a network of parks, hiking, cycling and rural venues across the region.
Imagine the opportunity for students able to take a selection of courses from the three University of Missouri campuses from the best instructors. Funding for the UM system could eliminate duplication and increase collaboration among administrators, faculty and students at lower cost to limited state resources. Similarly, fans could attend a Mizzou Tigers game, Sporting KC soccer match or Chiefs football game on an afternoon and still quickly and safely return home that evening.
Rather than spend more money expanding and rebuilding Interstate 70 between St. Louis and Kansas City, the Hyperloop conveying separate passenger traffic from commercial freight would be safer and more efficient. Similarly, the subsidies for Amtrak could be diverted to supporting the Hyperloop. This separation of passenger and commercial movement of goods would allow the state to have rail lines and commercial trucking more equitably bear the cost of maintaining such road and rail routes.
Letโs seize the once-in-a-century opportunity and build for a future that maximizes and unifies our strengths.
PenneyVanderbilt 