...another government AMTRAK....just faster.
Must be a project set up for foreigners to increase their job base.
Was permissible Constitutionally ONLY because of the national defense rationale for rapid transport of troops, equipment and supplies inside the U.S..
Hold on to your Wallet$$:
"The initial cost estimate for the system was $25 billion over 12 years; it ended up costing $114 billion and taking 35 years to complete." (from wikipedia)
If they’d build a high speed rail system between NY and CA, maybe the liberals from those two areas would leave the rest of us alone.
I like mass transit personally; I'd just as soon drive less if I could do so economically and in a timely manner. But these systems end up being yet another wealth transfer from one group of citizens to another. And unless you live somewhere like DC or New York or Chicago, they usually don't go *exactly* where you'd like to go.
$2 billion TO BEGIN building for Atlanta to Chattanooga.
$2 billion for 120 miles of track (x 2?), maybe a couple of station upgrades and trains.
$16.7 million per mile.
Let’s say and impossible number of people commuted on this train every business day. Say 10,000.
Let’s further say that a largish number of people had reason to go from Atlanta to Chattanooga every day. Say 2,000.
That’s 3,000,000 rides per year. An impressive number, and easily a better than best case scenario.
Say you keep up those numbers for six years solid. Very impressive.
Then, not even counting the costs of FINISHING ... the cost of running the train, fuel, personnel, etc., you are STILL subsidizing EACH ride to the tune of $111...A 120 mile trip that can be performed for about $18 in gasoline, even without car-pooling.
I am willing to consider the utility of trains between points with LOTS of traffic in BOTH directions throughout the day. Frankly, Vegas to SoCal might make sense. The Northeast corridor (Boston to DC) can make sense if the infratructure can be done at a reasonable price. There is no such dynamic connection between Atlanta and Chattanooga. I’m sure Atlanta has some nasty traffic, but I am also sure that much of the business in Atlanta won’t be a short jaunt from the MagLev station.
Well, that explains the 33% property tax increase that Littlefield wants to impose on Chattanooga residents.
This rail project draws a huge negative. It's only purpose would be to turn Chattanooga and North Georgia into suburban Atlanta. We DON'T need it. What we need is a true I-75 bypass around the traffic jam known as Atlanta so that I can easily get to Florida and back without dealing with all the crazy locals and their Obambi bumper stickers.
Promise of what, wasting even more money we can't afford. What is it with these people?
Like we have money to burn..
There’s hardly enough rail traffic between those two cities to justify a low-speed train. It’s a case of the government trying to find a boondoggle to spend money on.
Are all rail projects these days funded by the federal government?
He compares the Obama administration's push for high-speed rail to the creation of the the Interstate system.And Willie Green supports this! Here on the FReeRepublic!
Waste of money. From top to bottom, a complete waste of money.