Crunching the numbers (high-speed rail)

The (Dalton) Daily Citizen ^ | Jan. 19, 2011 | Tim Rogers

[GrootheWanderer]

I would never want to suggest that someone in government is playing fast and loose with the figures.

But when it comes to the Georgia Department of Transportation’s estimate that between 2.6 and 4 million people per year will ride some part of the proposed high-speed rail line between Chattanooga and Dalton, that is exactly what I am suggesting.

And, unfortunately, it is the state’s release of figures like these that prevent us from having a real debate on whether this rail line is even needed.

But first, let’s look at the numbers.

According to Amtrak, about 28.7 million riders used its rail service during its 2010 fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30. That is its total ridership for the entire nation, including the busy Northeast corridor, where about 10.4 million people rode the rails between Washington, D.C., and Boston.

[GrootheWanderer]

Actually, I think that 10.4 million number is for the entire Northeast Corridor, which starts at Lynchburg, Virginia, and goes to Boston and includes all the side routes along that path as well

[mazda77]

High speed rail between Dalton and Chattanooga? Now there is a real appeal for mass transportation between two normally obscure towns in the country. Are they kidding me? I don’t even think Greyhound makes regular stops at Dalton. Sounds like some carpet magnate’s wife wants quick trips to go shopping in Choo Choo? Yea, right! When I lived in Chattanooga, Dalton was just another bump in the road on the trip to do some serious shopping in Atlanta.

[pointsal]

you could probably build and upgrade an internet service for telecommuters and buy a boatload of buses for less money.... by the way, where are the cars and locomotives for this venture going to be built? Probably not the USA....

Go buy a cart and a donkey...plenty of grass along the highway.

[bluedressman]

amtrak is a total waste. we need more airports, more light rail direct to airports instead like they have in Reagan and Hartsfield. It is a total joke that you can’t take a direct train to any of the airports in and around NYC. amtrak and the limo racket will never let it happen.

[org.whodat]

Where does the GA, department of transportation grow its weed, in a Marta warehouse. Strong sh**.

[Paladin2]

Willie Green should be here to proclaim the glories of this fishwrap of a study.

[Frantzie]

Didn’t the cheap owners of carpet mills in Dalton fire Americans and hire illegals?

[goldstategop]

I’ll be darned if ONE person in GA wants to ride this white elephant express train to nowhere.

Not even Willie Green could save it!

[Incorrigible]

Willie Green is deeply saddend.

[org.whodat]

I don't know but the bathrooms have Mexican names on the doors.

[Leisler]

I miss him. He was a good foil.

[50mm]

Somebody’s gotta ping Willie Green over at TBF so he can see this thread.

[mountn man]

Dalton, Georgia has an estimated population of 33,000 (as of 2006)

Chattanoogas metro area is 518,000

Thats 551,000 people combined, not to mention the outlying areas.

I bet the entire NE corridor has more than 1.5 million people, because according to their math, the area around these 2 cities, with a population of 551,000 is going to provide 4 million riders or 500k x 8= 4m, meanwhile 10.4m people ride the NE corridor, 10.4m ÷ 8 =1.3m. Something somewhere doesn't seem right with the math.

[TXnMA]

Wha’ hoppen to ol’ Willie, anyway?

[Semper Mark]

"Somebody’s gotta ping Willie Green over at TBF..."

Gee, if we only knew someone who posts over there.

Paging Willie Green!

[Paladin2]

One day Willie took on JimRob with regard to publicly funded (heavily subsidized) rail and was told to stifle on the subject, but wouldn’t.

[sport]

This thread is dedicated to the newly departed Willie green.

[Paladin2]

Willie can be found at:

http://www.libertypost.org

[Paladin2]

"To: B4Ranch; palmer; nkycincinnatikid; Graybeard58; sport; editor-surveyor; Paladin2; cripplecreek; ...

http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=299903&Disp=16#C16

Check the link above and see our Box Car Willie in all of his glory!

106 posted on Sunday, December 19, 2010 12:46:37 AM by Grizzled Bear ("Does not play well with others.") [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 104 | View Replies]"

[TXnMA]

Willie seemed to have had two "incarnations" here on FR. Several years ago, when anything negative, defeatist or catastrophic re conservatism was posted, there you'd find Willie (who was often the OP). During that time, I often called him "Joe Bftlspk" -- and posted this character sketch from Al Capp's Lil' Abner" comic strip:

"Willie Green" -- the Eternal Pessimist...

~~~~~~~~~

Then he reappeared in his "Government Subsidized High Speed Rail Shill" guise...

I'll miss him -- if only because he was such a clearly-defined target for sarcasm and ridicule. So I'll "fly" this new tagline for a while in honor of Willie ("under a cloud") Green: