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Detroit, 3:44 AM
Sat Nov 21
31 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/15/09
Since private industry hasn't done that yet, in spite of the technology having been available for decades, I don't think there is a strong business case for them.
Yet anyway. #rants
11/14/09
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11/14/09
Also, check out the Swedish X2000 train. It has a suspension which leans it in turns, making special tracks unnecessary. Good for those countries who only want to dip a toe into HSR.
[en.wikipedia.org] #rants
11/14/09
11/14/09
Makes you glad they figured that out _before_ they started running them, eh? #rants
11/15/09
11/16/09
Hearties for both of you for expanding my knowledge. #rants
11/14/09
States such as California could surely benefit from such a system. It's got a large population across a very serviceable area. Unfortunately, there's no way in hell the state could ever pay for it (I'll spare you all any diatribe aimed at our crew in Sacramento).
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11/13/09
That having been said, the difference between Europe and North America is that once you get off this state-of-the-art high-speed train, you have regional and local subways and surface streetcars and buses going wherever you might want to go in the destination city.
In the USA, unless you've rented a car (or have your own car in a nearby parking lot), you are stranded in place. These systems have been in continuous development in every German city worth mentioning (taking a break, perhaps, for World War Two) since Kaiser Wilhelm's regime. We destroyed ours. Utterly. Unless you happen to be standing in a handful of cities on the East Coast, the only way you're going to get anywhere is by automobile.
We will have to re-develop our local public transportation systems before we can even think about building a high-speed rail network. Without the former, you will not be able to expand ridership for the latter to even the subset of Americans who use commuter airlines.
11/14/09
I love cars, but this kind of public transit means I can buy something completely impractical to drive for fun and forget about a "daily driver" that is practical. #rants
11/13/09
Trains are romantic, they are elegant, they are things of beauty. In the 1930s and 40s, rail travel practically became the mascot for the U.S. They put the flashiest Cadillac to shame. While not on par with the ocean liners of the 1910s and 20s, they were close enough.
Just thing. Trains could give the American population as a whole, something to be proud of! Something that hasn't really happened with cars of late, or cruise ships, or airplanes. #rants
11/13/09
We have always had aircraft to be proud of, and the latest Boeing 787 Dreamliner is no exception.
We do need to bring back other things that we, as a nation, can be proud of again, and I think that an advanced rail system and a renewed ship building program could be just the thing. While the original SS United States still exists, and is rumored to be the target of a major renovation in the near future, I would like to see more things like that.
With the latest round of cars put out by GM and Ford, I think that we are at last on the right path with cars again, though. #rants
11/13/09
We've got the upcoming 787 Dreamliner sure, but is that enough? We need something that will look good on billboards, something that will be a household name. Something only America has. There is definite potential both on the rails and at sea for America to achieve something great.
Back in the 30s, 40s, you had kids playing with Lionel models of trains like the Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 electrics, or the New York Central Hudsons. World famous designers like Loewy and Henry Dreyfus were being contracted to work for specific railways like the PRR and the New York Central. #rants
11/13/09
As you point out, much of the appeal of rail travel once upon a time was the glamor of it. And I think that before we can get people to agree on building a national HSR system, it might help if we kind of manipulated them into wanting one. If we were to renovate the current tracks, and recreate may of the old, elegant, art deco engines of yore with modern propulsion advantages, and made it a full luxury experience, we might just be able to put that glamor back in rail travel, and then we can worry about building an entirely new and more efficient system, when we have the actual support for it.
I think we should do the same for sea travel. Nowadays, sea travel consists of going on round-trip cruises. But it used to be that sea travel consisted of actual, point A-to-point b traveling for people who had the luxuries of time and money, and wanted to enjoy a luxurious, pampered experience. We need to do that again. There's nothing that says it absolutely has to be competitive in price with transatlantic flights. It just has to be infinitely more pleasant and desirable in order to justify the price.
If we can get it to the point that kids want things like that to play with again, we might stand a chance. But getting there is the hard part. #rants
11/13/09
11/14/09
Yes, it has a great new composite body and some other differentiators but so what? There is nothing really exciting about it. It definitely is no Concord for sure. Not even a Super-Caravelle.
p.s: I love planes. #rants
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11/16/09
@FrankGrimes: The japanese already one-upped us on that. Not only is it rocket engines instead of jets, but it also turns into a gian robot! #rants
11/13/09
First case should be So-Cal to Lost Wages. The I-15 corridor is barren, yet heavily traveled. Good experimental area, 'cause the worst that can happen is people are late to the tables.... #rants
11/13/09
An Amtrak Acela averages around 125-150mph depending on how straight and well-maintained the track, which gets me to Mom and Dad in about four hours, and drops me off a helluva lot closer than Dulles. And at no point is there a risk of falling out of the sky which I know is highly irrational but a concern of mine nonetheless.
I've flown several times, rarely enough that each flight is an event. I completely understand the physics behind flight and that the systems involved are highly reliable.
I don't care. Wheels continue to hold you up even if the engine stops. The power of one 757 engine is sufficient to drive a gigantic train at Ludicrous Speed, while moving the same number of people as the 757. That's a pretty good improvement in fuel economy, there.
The one downside: the fare structure is insane. Every time I've flown, I checked rail fares first. It's always cheaper to fly. Fix that, and I'll never fly again. #rants
11/13/09
Mind you, I think high speed trains are awesome; I had the opportunity to ride the Shinkansen once and it was amazing. Nevertheless, these high speed rail lines are an extravagant waste of money so that politicians can pretend they're doing something constructive. The way American contractors, with the help of union labor, gets things done, expect these projects to take twice and long and cost 5 times as much by the time all is said and done. If Amtrak has any say in this the trains will always run late.
And the best part will be that it's will likely still be cheaper to fly. Japan's high speed rail lines have seen declines in ridership because flying has been so relatively inexpensive and quicker. So there's a lot to think about, but as usual, politicians don't give anything much thought. #rants
11/13/09
(As for me, the post's intro text was more hyperbole than anything else.) #rants
11/13/09
You have to drive to an airport. Any airport. In fact, usually you have to drive far. So driving to a train station probably isn't any different. High speed rail could be a solution to both our lack of transcontinental rail transit, and our shitty urban rail system.
Just think. Right now, as far as the economy and the transportation industry goes, the only way to go is up. All it takes is an influential political leader, a modern version of Raymond Loewy, and a rich ass rail tycoon with a dream. We could have a beautiful, efficient high speed/transcontinental rail system. It would at least draw attention to the rail industry. It could do for trains what the Union Pacific M-10000 did for passenger rail service in the mid-30s. All it takes is one. #rants
11/13/09
Oh, and train trips are much more relaxing than flying or driving. #rants
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