Posted on 02/06/2013 8:05:01 AM PST by SeekAndFind
High speed rail is moving forward in California, but progress is pretty stagnant around the rest of the country. Still, there are a lot of proposals out there, and when placed on one map, they form an impressive rail network.
This map was put together by California Rail Map, led by Alfred Twu, which combined existing proposals from high speed rail advocacy groups around the US.
The US High Speed Rail Association, a nonprofit trade association, predicts a network similar to this one could be in place by 2030.
Transporation Secretary Ray LaHood has called for a large HSR network, saying it could link 80 percent of Americans within 25 years, for $500 billion.
Based on this map, starting in Los Anglees, a high speed train could get to New York, with stops in Denver and Chicago, in well under 18 hours.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Somewhere, Willie Green is smoking a cigarette after achieving his personal shangri-la.
You're forgetting we're dealing with a group of folks who are trying to pass off windmills as the energy future of America.
Triple that $500 billion estimate and you will be about halfway there.
“the several states are HUGE compared to Japan; there are wide-open spaces (low population density) all around;”
Wonder what it’s like hitting a deer at 300mph?
By the way, I’ve hit plenty of deer with Amtrak engines going 70+mph — big bang. Even at that speed, if they get into the undercarriage, they can tear open a brake pipe or air hose and stop the train. Can’t imagine what a strike at 200+mph is going to do.
Going back to around 2001, on its very first trip with the press aboard, the Amtrak Acela train hit a deer, which stopped and temporarily disabled the train. Broke an air pipe on the head end. They got it going again, however... jes’ a little late!
And how many years have they plugged up a simple oil pipeline that actually could be considered a National Security interest?
Currently I can drive 30 minutes to Orange County airport, and fly to Seattle in two hours.
Or I can take Amtrak, whereby it takes 38 hours, not counting the trips to the terminals at each end.
If I book a week ahead, the plane is less costly than the train.
That is of course if the trains run the entire distance. Not long ago, I recall noting that Amtrak used buses to fill in certain “gaps” in their system.
I have nothing against trains. Used them a bit in Europe.
So I advised family members to use SoCal to Flagstaff, where a few had travel needs.
Guess what? Two separate families had AWFUL experiences using this route. Nobody who had done it, will do it again.
Old West Germany was about the size of Oregon. In 40 years, Germany has TRIPLED the kilometers of Autobahn.
I doubt they have tripled the kilometers of high speed rail.
If I want to ride from Santa Ana to San Francisco on the train, I CANNOT because the trip requires a BUS ride from downtown Lost Angeles to Bakersfield.
That kind of idiocy is precisely what the planners intend to subject users of this high-speed scheme to, for decades.
The TRUE goal of this high speed scheme is stealing tax money, for diversion to unions’ pensions, favored contractors, politicos’ campaign contributions, etc.
I’d like to think it different. This country once won WWII in under 4 years.
Today we couldn’t build a national train scheme in under 30 years, and it would bankrupt us, if honest math survived that long.
“RE: Why would I spend 3 days on a train when I can go coast to coast in 8 hours on a plane?
Takes me only 5 hours to fly from NY to LA.”
Don’t forget: One hour to get through the TSA molestation, one hour to get the I-Phone back from the TSA agent that stole it and one hour to find the luggage that was re-routed to another conveyor belt . . .
>> the several states are HUGE compared to Japan; there are wide-open spaces (low population density) all around;
>
> Wonder what its like hitting a deer at 300mph?
Well, I would assume that the rail/carriage would be suspended, like a monorail’s.
> By the way, Ive hit plenty of deer with Amtrak engines going 70+mph big bang. Even at that speed, if they get into the undercarriage, they can tear open a brake pipe or air hose and stop the train. Cant imagine what a strike at 200+mph is going to do. Going back to around 2001, on its very first trip with the press aboard, the Amtrak Acela train hit a deer, which stopped and temporarily disabled the train. Broke an air pipe on the head end. They got it going again, however... jes a little late!
Interesting to know you can still feel the deer on a more conventional train, it’s kinda interesting.
>>>If youre going to do it, do it like Japan were EVERY RAIL LINE IS PRIVATIZED.<<<
In US condition it won’t ever bring any profit. Fast trains and infrastructure are super expensive to built and maintain. Japan is little and has a lot of people to take a ride and still tickets are pretty expensive and I’m not sure if this line is really profitable. Europe is pretty densely populated and small but still these railways subsidized heavily.
In Russia, China these railways are owned by state-controlled monopolies. It probably cost taxpayers and customers thrillions in both government handouts and costs added to other services from these companies.
Airlines might look as more expensive per passenger under rough analysis but it is much more flexible and for that reason much less costly on practice.
Train services aren’t going well right now in US because of more flexible trucking beating it. It won’t be any better with fast trains.
However public railroads, high speed rail ,public buses , public anything is socialism and growing socialism is the problem in America and the world
Obama is doing a huge push with billion$ in printed money to push this socialist high speed rail , here is a column by Will that explains more of the piece of crap communist Obama’s plan
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/02/27/high-speed-to-insolvency.html
Public anything, is socialism?
Yes practically, public schools a total failure and students are now almost inmates
public housing a total disaster.
public transportation = socialism
government ownership = socialism
private ownership = capitalism = freeedom = individual rights = liberty = living your life as you want to
This is what democrats want to take away our individual rights and freedom and that is socialism
At least it will take hours by plane instead of days by train..
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