Could the US crack high-speed rail?

Luis G

Luis G

<i><b>Problemator</b></i>
Staff member
A conference in New York is looking at plans to spend $600bn (£380bn) on a national network of high-speed railways, to rival continental Europe's. But how likely is it to happen?

...

The Acela is the flagship line of Amtrak, the government-owned company that runs the US railways, a vast network which is reporting a post-war record for numbers of passengers.

Making enough money to cover its operating costs, but little more, it runs along the densely-populated, north-east corridor between Boston and Washington, using trains that briefly reach speeds of 241km/h (150mph) but average about 127km/h (79mph).

...

The US High Speed Rail Association (USHSR), which is hosting the event, has set out a highly ambitious, $600bn (£383bn) plan to build a high-speed rail network in four phases by 2030, which it illustrates on its website with an animated map.
Map of the US showing proposed lines A network of high-speed lines across the US by 2030 is the USHSR vision

"This really is the transport system for the 21st Century and there's no reason why we shouldn't build it," says Andy Kunz, president and chief executive officer of USHSR. "In fact we will have to build it. There are no other options.

"The oil supply and price is not sustainable and we will not be able to continue to run America with oil at $200 a barrel. If we are going to maintain our prosperity and mobility we have to build this rail system."

...

Full story [BBC]
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I always found it odd that the US had no high speed trains. What are your thoughts on such a system?
 
ultimately americans are simply not ready to give up their cars, even fractionally.

the mere idea of public transport is despicable to many reactionaries because, you know, the government is doing something... anything... and, to them public transportation is essentially a metaphor for communism. you give up your individualism (a car) and join THE COLLECTIVE on the stinking bus.

seriously, people here are that dumb and that bound up in their own bullshit. but you knew that.

i would love to use high speed trains, however, there would also have to be a major scaling-up of ancillary services e.g. most cities here SUCK for getting cabs...
 
high speed rails are just a money pit in this country.
There's too much corruption to make them efficient, so we can't afford them.
 
The U.S. should get on the hi-speed crack pipe

Are you kidding me?

What's next
What's next
What's next
 
I think high speed trains would compete mainly against airplanes for long trips (over 1000km) and against cars on short trips (in the 300km to 1000km).

I can see a point of not wanting to give up your car, but when taking your car is not practical, high speed trains are a better, cheaper and faster (maybe) option than airplanes. :shrug:
 
nice puss-out cato. at least you're consistent. shit you don't even get to the point of ideological grandstanding, you just give up right away because of "bad people."

:thumbdn:

and what is this corruption you speak of? is it everywhere? all-pervasive? are people just bad, inherently? how about some evidence? or is it just how you feel? again.

yeah winky. what next? golly, after a high speed rail system, maybe they'd do something crazy like rebuild the ancient electrical grid. try getting a private business to do that. oh right you can't. so really we should simply regress into a society of dirt farmers.

seems like my first answer to this question was wrong.

the answer is "no, we will not have high speed rail, because we lack motivation and foresight."

i for one am proud of my epimethean jellyfish comrades.
 
2minkey said:
nice puss-out cato. at least you're consistent. shit you don't even get to the point of ideological grandstanding, you just give up right away because of "bad people."

:thumbdn:

and what is this corruption you speak of? is it everywhere? all-pervasive? are people just bad, inherently? how about some evidence? or is it just how you feel? again.
Click to expand...

I have no idea what you are talking about in that first paragraph.

The corruption I speak of is with the politicians (DC, and possibly some locals)
The rails up north on the east coast here for instance has never turned a profit. (yet it gets subsidized year after year)
 
"There's too much corruption to make them efficient, so we can't afford them."

that's a before-the-fact puss out. if you don't recognize that, well, maybe time for a new therapist?

"turn a profit" huh? gee, cato, i doubt the US highway system has ever turned a profit but it certainly enabled economic competitiveness in this country for decades.

maybe we should suggest that your program be terminated, as you are total drain on the system ha ha.
 
Stalin had the right idea

You need not try to convince us that you hate life
Us good old tea party conservatives know all about you
self hating mentally disordered fudge packin' Liberals.

Sure as hell No one wants electrical power
I'm sure without the government the lights
would go out in a second.

Thing is you and them smelly 99 percenters
really believe that tommyrot just like the climate change horse puckey

Kumbya
 
stay thirsty, my friends.

uv.jpg
 
Want trains? Go to Europe.

Just as soon as they are economically feasible, someone
will come along & make them profitable. I can fly to the coast
for three hundred bucks. It's 3times that to train it.

Gimme my 4-wheeler & get out of the way.

Maybe we shoul dbring back busses too.
 
I knew you'd have a similar response.
I figured I should have qualified that a little better to explain that
I was mostly considering the ongoing maintenance cost, not the initial building.

You really kinda make yourself look shallow in your thinking of context there.

with that said.....I do have to consider the latest (recovery, and reinvestment) Scam.
The current admin did about the same amount with those moneys....not much.
 
catocom said:
I knew you'd have a similar response.
I figured I should have qualified that a little better to explain that
I was mostly considering the ongoing maintenance cost, not the initial building.

You really kinda make yourself look shallow in your thinking of context there.

with that said.....I do have to consider the latest (recovery, and reinvestment) Scam.
The current admin did about the same amount with those moneys....not much.
Click to expand...

i am sure you had already accounted for the amortization on the pooper scoopers to remove refuse from the tracks. i mean, if you can get a better rate on your catheters, what is not to love?

you have clearly thought every contingency through.

instead of facing mecca, now i will face you. please send precise coordinates.

drone_attack_obama_090123_mn2.jpg
 
They want to put a rail through here. We're fighting it hard, it's nothing but throwing money at unions across the board.

If the private sector can pull it off, fine.
 
2minkey said:
i am sure you had already accounted for the amortization on the pooper scoopers to remove refuse from the tracks. i mean, if you can get a better rate on your catheters, what is not to love?

you have clearly thought every contingency through.

instead of facing mecca, now i will face you. please send precise coordinates.
Click to expand...

psst, it's not really the upkeep, It's corruption in the political system.

geez, it's like you can't see the trees for the leaves, much less the forest.
 
put in an express train straight to hell

they have managed the funds we've had extorted
from us so well I agree there should be more money
taken from us in the future
 
catocom said:
psst, it's not really the upkeep, It's corruption in the political system.

geez, it's like you can't see the trees for the leaves, much less the forest.
Click to expand...

there you go again bitching about this vague corruption for which you can provide no substance. this is the usual pattern. it's a reason for you to throw your arms up, as always.

all this forest and trees shit is the most-est funny coming from you, skittish flatlander.
 
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