Posted on 06/26/2009 8:37:00 AM PDT by Willie Green
Debated for years, finally here
For those of us Pittsburghers with a half decent memory, the word “Maglev” can stir recollections of politically inspired empty promises and immensely fast bullet trains stoppable only by government funding quagmires fueled by a conservative citizenry understanding that mass transit, while sustainable, does not hold mass appeal.
With President Obama now in the Whitehouse, it looks as though Pittsburgh will finally receive its own high-speed rail connector. The Pittsburgh connecter represents one of two points in the Keystone Corridor, which is one of eleven transportation corridors identified by the congressional Transportation and Infrastructure committee as being of significance to commuters.
The keystone Corridor connects Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and will utilize high speed Maglev train technology conveying passengers at speeds of 300mph and more. At this rate commuters would be able to reach Philadelphia from Pittsburgh or Pittsburgh to Philadelphia in an hour or less.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 designated $8 billion to be utilized for high-speed rail development, the President has proposed an additional $5 billion in his most recent budget, and in addition, Jim Oberstar, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released the full text of the Transportation Authorization Act of 2009. The 775-page document released last week calls for an additional $50 billion over six years for high-speed intercity passenger rail development in the designated corridors.
Placing Pittsburgh back on the map
One Transportation and Infrastructure committee member, Pittsburgher and US House Representative Jason Altmire (D-McCandless), in a hearing held today by the House Subcommittee on Railroads said that he will push to have a Pittsburgh-to-Cleveland line added to a national list of high-speed rail corridors.
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
Lyle Lanley: Well, sir, there’s nothing on earth
Like a genuine,
Bona fide,
Electrified,
Six-car
Monorail!
What’d I say?
Ned Flanders: Monorail!
Lyle Lanley: What’s it called?
Patty+Selma: Monorail!
Lyle Lanley: That’s right! Monorail!
[crowd chants `Monorail’ softly and rhythmically]
Miss Hoover: I hear those things are awfully loud...
Lyle Lanley: It glides as softly as a cloud.
Apu: Is there a chance the track could bend?
Lyle Lanley: Not on your life, my Hindu friend.
Barney: What about us brain-dead slobs?
Lyle Lanley: You’ll be given cushy jobs.
Abe: Were you sent here by the devil?
Lyle Lanley: No, good sir, I’m on the level.
Wiggum: The ring came off my pudding can.
Lyle Lanley: Take my pen knife, my good man.
I swear it’s Springfield’s only choice...
Throw up your hands and raise your voice!
All: Monorail!
Lyle Lanley: What’s it called?
All: Monorail!
Lyle Lanley: Once again...
All: Monorail!
Marge: But Main Street’s still all cracked and broken...
Bart: Sorry, Mom, the mob has spoken!
All: Monorail!
Monorail!
Monorail!
[big finish]
Monorail!
Homer: Mono... D’oh!
I personally can’t wait to see what a white tailed deer looks like after it’s been hit by a train pulling 300 mph.
If it’s truly a MagLev, the tracks will be far higher than a deer could jump. No “crossings at grade” whatsoever.
Wouldn’t such a train be off the ground by a certain height? I’m not sure but that’s what I’d do if I were engineering it.
I thought Maglev was a player on the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team.
LOL...perhaps you’re both right, but having grown up in western PA, it was my observation that Pennsylvania deer tend to be more clever than Pennsylvania railroad or highway engineers...frequently to their own peril.
Yes, our PA deer find clever ways to die :)
I would love to see the route map. The original MagLev (from a long time ago) would go thru my neighborhood. Literally. I wonder if the Pgh to Philly corridor will do the same?
Oh well...progress. Just curious.
I’d rather they just bring back streetcar service from Brookline to The Point.
I bet you no one is going to ride it..
I personally can’t wait to see what a white tailed deer looks like after it’s been hit by a train pulling 300 mph.
I've seen deer jump an 8' chain link fence,
but they'll never leap high enough to reach Maglev's elevated guideway.
Normal height is 17'~22' to clear ground obstructions, but it could be built lower/higher as necessary depending on what it has to pass over.
I know there is a reason why we would want to spend in excess of half a billion dollars on a mag-lev train between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, I just can’t imagine what it is. I know it would be silly to build one between Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. But I submitted a plan for one that makes a one way trip from San Francisco to Great Sitkin Island in just under seven hours and I think it would be an ideal public work. :)
This is actually an amazing event. To think that there's still people who would willingly go to Philadelphia!?!?!
Will pretty much kill local air service. You can be in Philly in an hour, take a short trip to PHL and have better prices and not have to worry about parking your car.
I would love to see the route map. The original MagLev (from a long time ago) would go thru my neighborhood. Literally. I wonder if the Pgh to Philly corridor will do the same?I would think that the original options of the Pittsburgh~Greensburg route are still firm. Those plans were pretty well finalized before the last Administration derailed the technology.
As far as expanding eastward to Philly, I'm sure there will have to be plenty of local alternatives to evaluate.
Frankly, I'm surprised Philly was mentioned.
Once again, it makes sense in the long run, but since they've been pretty good about upgrading high-speed rail from Harrisburg to Philly, I always assumed that eastbound Maglev would only go as far as Harrisburg.
Supposedly, the Obama/dems are funding this because it was part of the deal to get Arlen Specter to change parties.
Congrats Willie.
Will pretty much kill local air service. You can be in Philly in an hour, take a short trip to PHL and have better prices and not have to worry about parking your car.
Short-hop air service on full size jetliners is pretty inefficient anyway.
Besides, with our congested air corridors, this will free up airspace and the need for airport expansions.
They have a maglev proposal, I think it's Atlanta Chattanooga, that's intended to do precisely that. Atlanta is way over congested, Chattanooga is underutilized. Connecting the two with Maglev helps balance the load between the two.
Who would ever get on public transportation except a welfare case or an illegal alien?
No public money should ever be spent on public transportation, they do nothing but cost money to support their losing operations.
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