Where is the actual demand for "high speed rail"

[Soggy in NOLA]

What's stopping California and Nevada from building their High Speed Rail? Have they given specific reasons? If they want to build it,they should just go ahead and do it. If their Residents support it,than go for it. But those two States have to pay for it. It's not a Federal issue. All Tax Paying Americans shouldn't be forced to pay for California and Nevada's High Speed Rail. They will have to raise their own funds to build it. This really is a State issue. The Feds shouldn't be involved at all.

Thank God that wasn't the attitude when trains first went across this country, or when Eisenhower built the highway system. Both projects created jobs and improved our economy.

That was then,this is now. Times change. No one's stopping California and Nevada from building their High Speed Rail. If their Residents support it,then just Tax them and build it. All of America has nothing to do with it. They want it,let their Residents pay for it.

Oh no, can't have that... can't have the people that actually want it pay for it.

 

[Conservative]

For proponents of federal funding of high speed rail, my question is where is the demand?

With the exception of the Northeast Corridor, what cities would benefit from having a bullet train running between them?

If the purpose of the rail line is to replace road and shuttle flights, what cities have the demand required to justify the expense of one of these systems?

The only place I see would be the Washington-New York- Boston Route, currently served by acela (not exactly high speed, but faster than normal trains). With the exception of upgrading this route to seperate track bullet trains where else would this work?

Toooooooooooooooooooooo easy.......

TRANSCONTINENTAL!!!

(....Providing jobs, COAST-TO-COAST!!!)

. . . . ​

If we can turn the space program over to the private sector then high speed rail sounds like it belongs in the private sector also.. saves us lots of money we don't have to spend.

How DARE you throw logic into the mix! You cad!!!

 

[Conservative]

Every large city could use high speed rail, HS rail can be a solution of urban sprawl and the massive traffic jams all large cities have almost daily. But there are unintended consequences and the places to start would be NY, PA, Wash, and LA. Hopefully sprawl does spread!

http://www.usmessageboard.com/energy/56561-plowing-not-drilling.html

http://www.usmessageboard.com/congress/54977-is-drilling-equivalent-to-welfare.html

High speed rail is better suited to long distance traveling, not local commuting to and from work.

 

[flacaltenn]

Using Easy Access and High Speed in the same sentence is an oxymoron...

There is no sense to being able to travel at 200mph and schedule stops every 1/2 hour.. It would turn a transcontinental ticket into a 2 day affair. If you have more than 1 or 2 stops on the run between 2 metros --- you'd probably get the same ridership result with Amtrak..

It's freaking logic and reason..

So it benefits the super-large cities which vote for which party? Everyone in a Medium sized city just gets to wave.. Questions answered..

 

[kwc57]

I'm thinking we should be working on teleporters anyway.

 

[sitarro]

Whats the benefit of a rail system in the U.S over air travel?

Hmmmmmmmm.....packed....shoulder-to-shoulder....in a long aluminum-tube....breathing the same (possibly diseased) air....over-and-over-and-over....being told to sit-down & stay buckled-up.....

vs.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOfhETPbza0&feature=related]‪E5[/ame]​

That's in Japan ace, where they are civilized. Here the train's leather would be ripped up and the outside would be covered with tags. The unions would make it much costlier to take a 2 day trip across the country than a 5 hour ride in an aircraft. If you are traveling transcontinental the aircraft are larger and you can walk around, why would anyone want to waste days when they can get there by noon. The other advantage of airline travel is the nonstop flights, you wouldn't get that on the slow train. You are obviously still living in the era where people road asinine crap like that ugly assed skooter in your avatar.

 

[KissMy]

I wonder if any of those who oppose high speed rail have ever traveled. Getting to and from most major airports is a hassle, a five hour flight in most aircraft is uncomfortable and one is stuck when a crying child or ill passenger spreads germs in a closed system.

Train travel is fun, and isn't getting to and from a major part of the process for both business and vacation travelers? On a train you can chose your seat neighbors, play cards, stand and stretch, use facilities not desgined for midgets only, use a cell phone anytime, and see the countryside.

High speed rail will create towns and villages along it's lines, allowing commuters to live several hundred miles from large urban centers and enjoy and easy commute, sometime shorter than those who live 20 to 30 miles experience everyday on our gridlocked highways.

Why have nations in Europe and Asia created extensive high speed rail systems? Why are those in our country who oppose high speed rail also opposed to green and renewable energy? Why do they oppose efforts to control pollution? Why do they oppose universal preventative healthcare?

Obviously they haven't travelled, certainly not by high speed train.

I am not stupid enough or drunk enough to get onto a shitty Chinese train. Obviously you are stupid enough.

I traveled by Amtrak once & will never do that again. The power cable shorted out & started a fire. We got the fire out with extinguishers but toxic smoke filled the train & all utilities were lost. It was a bitterly old pitch dark windy night & we were 100's of miles out in the middle of nowhere. We had no heat, lights, power, food, water or toilet. We were totally frozen by the time we got to the station. There are many reasons trains went by the wayside. They are relics of the past. Flying is the future. Bring on more smaller Airports, Hovercraft & Sky-Cars.

 

[Political Junky]

I wonder if any of those who oppose high speed rail have ever traveled. Getting to and from most major airports is a hassle, a five hour flight in most aircraft is uncomfortable and one is stuck when a crying child or ill passenger spreads germs in a closed system.

Train travel is fun, and isn't getting to and from a major part of the process for both business and vacation travelers? On a train you can chose your seat neighbors, play cards, stand and stretch, use facilities not desgined for midgets only, use a cell phone anytime, and see the countryside.

High speed rail will create towns and villages along it's lines, allowing commuters to live several hundred miles from large urban centers and enjoy and easy commute, sometime shorter than those who live 20 to 30 miles experience everyday on our gridlocked highways.

Why have nations in Europe and Asia created extensive high speed rail systems? Why are those in our country who oppose high speed rail also opposed to green and renewable energy? Why do they oppose efforts to control pollution? Why do they oppose universal preventative healthcare?

Obviously they haven't travelled, certainly not by high speed train.

I am not stupid enough or drunk enough to get onto a shitty Chinese train. Obviously you are stupid enough.

I traveled by Amtrak once & will never do that again. The power cable shorted out & started a fire. We got the fire out with extinguishers but toxic smoke filled the train & all utilities were lost. It was a bitterly old pitch dark windy night & we were 100's of miles out in the middle of nowhere. We had no heat, lights, power, food, water or toilet. We were totally frozen by the time we got to the station. There are many reasons trains went by the wayside. They are relics of the past. Flying is the future. Bring on more smaller Airports, Hovercraft & Sky-Cars.

What about all that Chinese shit you bought at Walmart?

 

[westwall]

Buid it and they will come.

They havn't anywhere else. Japan has ONE line that doesn't run in the negative. Same for France. That's it. All other high speed rail lines run at a deficit.

 

[Patrick2]

If we had a pair (running parallel) of high-speed tracks, running from the East Coast...to the West Coast....with North/South spurs, along the way....the businesses, such a configuration would generate/encourage, would have people wondering why we hadn't done so, much earlier!!!

No, in 1850 people would wonder that. But this is 2011. There're are jets and stuff?

"....jets and stuff....", huh?

Yeah.....you sound like a frequent-flier.

​

The government has screwed up flying with the homeland security crap - not the fault of the airlines. If people really started using trains, the bombers would blow those up, and then you'd have the long waits there.​

 

[Political Junky]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33nR1Ztttyw]‪The futur of high-speed rail in France (TGV) and all over the world:‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Conservative]

‪The futur of high-speed rail in France (TGV) and all over the world:‬‏ - YouTube

I love all the shots of local, slow speed train systems they put in there to prove how important high speed trains will become

 

[Patrick2]

REPEAT: Trains are an obsolete route-inflexible schedule-inflexible nineteenth century transportation mode, that almost always ends up being highly subsidized by people who don't use them - the last thing this country needs.

 

[Spoonman]

REPEAT: Trains are an obsolete route-inflexible schedule-inflexible nineteenth century transportation mode, that almost always ends up being highly subsidized by people who don't use them - the last thing this country needs.

not at all true. trains are the most efficient method of moving freight. the best commuter option. and they are making a comback

 

[sitarro]

No, in 1850 people would wonder that. But this is 2011. There're are jets and stuff?

"....jets and stuff....", huh?

Yeah.....you sound like a frequent-flier.

​

The government has screwed up flying with the homeland security crap - not the fault of the airlines. If people really started using trains, the bombers would blow those up, and then you'd have the long waits there.​

They wouldn't need to bomb them, just derail them.​

 

[KissMy]

REPEAT: Trains are an obsolete route-inflexible schedule-inflexible nineteenth century transportation mode, that almost always ends up being highly subsidized by people who don't use them - the last thing this country needs.

not at all true. trains are the most efficient method of moving freight. the best commuter option. and they are making a comback

Freight efficiency is not the same for passengers. Trains are not the best door to door transportation method for passengers who vary time, place & frequency.

 

[Political Junky]

REPEAT: Trains are an obsolete route-inflexible schedule-inflexible nineteenth century transportation mode, that almost always ends up being highly subsidized by people who don't use them - the last thing this country needs.

not at all true. trains are the most efficient method of moving freight. the best commuter option. and they are making a comback

Freight efficiency is not the same for passengers. Trains are not the best door to door transportation method for passengers who vary time, place & frequency.

Explain that to Europeans, Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans for starters.

 

[KissMy]

not at all true. trains are the most efficient method of moving freight. the best commuter option. and they are making a comback

Freight efficiency is not the same for passengers. Trains are not the best door to door transportation method for passengers who vary time, place & frequency.

Explain that to Europeans, Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans for starters.

They already know trains suck. And they continuously suck up a lot of money

 

[Political Junky]

Freight efficiency is not the same for passengers. Trains are not the best door to door transportation method for passengers who vary time, place & frequency.

Explain that to Europeans, Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans for starters.

They already know trains suck. And they continuously suck up a lot of money

Of course, that's why they expand high speed train coverage.

 

[Zander]

I think we need a high speed rail line to go right besides the Bridge to nowhere in Alaska. Build it and they will come!!!