I love the train network in Europe. Its fast, easy, economical, and reliable. I would love it if we had something similar. I just don’t want my taxes to pay for it.
Spain spent $1 Trillion for their fancy train system. How big is that country?
Interesting article - thanks for posting. I, too, love travelling by train in Europe. Both the French and Spanish high-speed rail systems are a pleasure to use.
European trains are highly subsidized by taxes. They are very expensive modes of transportation compared to air and car.
Maybe it comes included with the failed socialist utopia we’re importing for only a minimum extra charge.
...I won’t ride on a train doing 186 mph....I’ve seen too many cars and trucks try to race a train to the crossing...or ignore RR crossing signals because they don’t want to wait a few minutes.
How much will it cost, Willie? Even this article says it takes tax dollars to deploy, and even then only SOME of the lines cover their costs (meaning that NONE of them EVER recoup the initial spending).
So how much, Willie? Two trillion? Three trillion? Four trillion? How much?
Trains are fixed route transportation, just not very flexible in adopting to changing circumstances.
Adding new stations and routes, and eliminating outdated ones just sends the ongoing costs through the roof in a growing nation.
Now if America could get committed to a zero-growth policy,perhaps a resurrection of rail could be considered.
Wisconsin has scammed some $$$ from the feds to run a 'high speed' (if you call 79 mph high speed) rail from Milwaukee to the Madison airport. Now that's normally an hour and fifteen minute drive to downtown Madison from downtown Milwaukee, but here's the kicker. The cost will be $70 round trip. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!!! I can take Amtrak from Milwaukee to Chicago round trip for $42. Who the hell is gonna ride this disgusting waste of money?
In the meantime, we have combined sewer and rainwater systems in Milwaukee that force the city during heavy rains to divert poop water sewage into Lake Michigan because the system can't handle the volume. We have enough money for wasted rail ideas, but not enough for basic infrastructure. Blech.
If it involves stealing more money from the taxpayers and spending huge amounts on useless projects, I am sure it will find its way here.
And that in a nutshell is what is wrong with the toot toot choo choo train pipe-dream for this country.
You aren't going to ‘put’ me anywhere near a liberal puke rat city, and millions of other Americans feel exactly the same.
Countries in Europe that herd everyone into trains are about the size of a small American state with a population crammed in cities like rats in a corn crib.
Given the fact that it would cost on the level of $1 Trillion or more to get this kind of rail service. How will it be paid for???????????????
I remember a couple of decades ago when tilt-rotor aircraft (civilian versions of the V-22) was going to revolutionize air travel by making use of smaller regional airports, removing choke points at major airport hubs. I'd love to hop on a VSTOL at San Jose and shoot over to Palmdale airport, which now sits unused.
I like the idea of creating parabolic static evacuated maglev tunnels between cities that employed maglev shuttles to transport people and cargo between them for very little energy input. Drop a shuttle from one terminus, which would gravitationally pick up speed through the perigee, and then slow as it rose to the terminal apogee. Add sufficient energy to account for friction losses, or provide initial boost acceleration, and terminal breaking (perhaps energy scavenging) for better time performance, and you have a very energy efficient, rapid transport system between earth nodes.
The stage coach made the horse obsolete, the train made the stage coach obsolete, and the car made the train obsolete!!
Don’t go backwards and especially don’t spend one cent of taxpayers money on your historic folly!