Posted on 02/01/2018 11:13:19 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
New York to Chicago by train in under five hours.
It’s not science fiction, but old-school tunneling—a critical, yet oddly ignored, part of President Donald Trump’s forthcoming infrastructure plan that supporters say will cost the federal government virtually nothing, but experts say the proposal's deregulation approach amounts to a handout to Big Business.
The plan calls for creating new high-speed rail lines deep underground—the basic idea behind the English Channel tunnel, or Chunnel, that whisks travelers at 186 miles per hour from London to Paris in just two hours and 20 minutes. That’s less time than the Amtrak from New York City to Washington, D.C.—even though the two U.S. cities are 40 miles closer.
Tunneling “is so superior and quick that you can do this relatively cost-efficiently and most importantly you can do it without a dollar of government funding,” Trump’s chief economic adviser Gary Cohn said at a forum sponsored by Axios in December. “The funding to do this in the private sector is there. We just need to deliver them the access and rights-of-way underground.”
When asked to clarify, Cohn compared the process to selling mining rights. “People own mineral rights down, and they own property rights. We think those are very solvable issues.”
But Cohn’s casual talk of “access and rights-of-way” and “solvable issues” masks a far-more-complicated strategy that involves more than just digging.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
Trump Infrastructure Plan Includes Elon Musk-Style High-Speed Rail Tunnels And Eminent Domain
I remain unconvinced these things will ever pay for themselves.
I’m sorry.
In 99% of cases a virtual trip is warranted by efficiency.
To go to have a face-2-face is fine a few times but not a necessary thing these days.
Travel needs to be to places unavailable locally, like going to a Western Ski Area. Hiking in the Mountains. Pheasant hunting in the Dakotas.
Generally from high density areas to low density areas.
Definitely not a case for public transportation.
I always think of The rail system in Logan’s Run when they mention Elon Musk’s idea.
Understatement of the century. Heavily subsidized, by taxpayers. Nothing is free, even though they say private enterprise will pay for it. We will all pay for it.
Ask yourself....just how many New Yorkers are begging to go spend a weekend in Chicago? Or how many Chicago folks are begging to go and spend a weekend in New York? It’s a joke. Go and imagine the cost of this round-trip ticket? It’ll have to run at least $300 (my humble opinion).
Now, the positive of this? If you did want to make this trip....you could avoid TSA and the whole airport rountine. You could probably even go and dissolve every single flight between the two cities.
The only corridor where I think there is enough traffic to pay for something like this is NY to Washington. Beyond that....any high-speed rail effort with economic pay-off....is bogus.
I was expecting flying cars by year 2000 and in 2017, I instead I see revamped vintage cars and harleys everywhere. Wonder what these hyperloopy thingies will be like.
There’s alwayse horsedrawn carriages!
If it weren’t for sicko Leftists and our imported terrorists, you could do away with TSA and the whole airport routine.
Instead we’ll have to screen out these two groups no matter what the venue.
I’m not sure what the prevailing fee would have to be, but right now the fees are pretty decent for aircraft. This will have to compete with aircraft.
Can it, and turn a profit? I don’t see many metropolitan transit systems making money. They get massive infusions of tax dollars to build and maintain them.
Perhaps someone else sees it differently.
the way airlines have become so difficult to travel in, yes, if the train was modern I would take a train to Chicago.
You want efficient passenger trains?
Find ways to encourage the railroads to build them.
The “railroads”?
I note that this is an “economic advisor” talking - NOT an engineer nor train design team. However, it is also an economic advisor talking - NOT a democrat Senator whose husband is getting paid 3 billion for California's high speed rail to knowhere! And this economic advisor is talking about doing any tunneling with private money.
Obola’s team paid car makers with taxpayer money to make electric cars that compete with private car makers! Then gave both buyers and makers even more tax breaks!
Presidents Lincoln and Grant had a plan that worked.
Do I want to travel at 900 miles in an underground train? No way in hell.
Trump tying himself with Elon Musk - the great miner of the public treasuries - will be sealing his political doom.
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