The US Will NEVER Have Cross-Country Hi-Speed Rail

[martybegan]

It's true the US is not as technologically advanced or capable as other developed nations, fair enough.

it's the countries size, not the technology that is the issue. Also add in the paperwork required to permit whole new rail lines in urban areas, and then rural areas, as well as the obscene amount we seem to need to spend per mile of track compared to other countries.

Look how long a short distance project like East Side Access in NYC took, and they used an existing tunnel level to cross the East River. All their boring and tunnelling was just to REACH that existing tunnel and it took almost two decades.

 

[Lesh]

People advocating airplanes (1900's technology) for US inter-city travel vs. trains (1800's technology) are Luddites?

High speed rail is hardly 1800s technology

 

[martybegan]

High speed rail is hardly 1800s technology

It's still rail, and still older than air travel.

So you still used Luddite wrong.

 

[rightwinger]

it's the countries size, not the technology that is the issue. Also add in the paperwork required to permit whole new rail lines in urban areas, and then rural areas, as well as the obscene amount we seem to need to spend per mile of track compared to other countries.

Look how long a short distance project like East Side Access in NYC took, and they used an existing tunnel level to cross the East River. All their boring and tunnelling was just to REACH that existing tunnel and it took almost two decades.

And in the meantime, we will declare that cars do a better job.
They don’t.
Our cities and major corridors are gridlocked and more roads is not an answer.

Our air network is no longer the solution to all of our long distance needs. Security lines are long, thousands of flights get cancelled with no notice. Fights are breaking out as passengers get frustrated.

We need more light rail into cities and high speed between cities.

 

[Lesh]

It's still rail, and still older than air travel.

So you still used Luddite wrong.

That’s like saying jet planes are the “same technology “ as the Wright Flyer

 

[struth]

How is it all these countries are capable of doing it yet the US is not? Are they all just that much better/smarter than the US?

China
Spain
Japan
France
Germany
Sweden
United Kingdom
South Korea
Italy
Turkey
Russia
Finland
Uzbekistan
Austria
Belgium
Poland
Netherlands
Switzerland
Luxembourg
Norway

those are tiny countries compared to going across the entire US. We have planes to fly across rhe US that are much faster

we do have rail systems going shorter distances like DC to NY, but we have no need to have one go from DC to LA

 

[rightwinger]

those are tiny countries compared to going across the entire US. We have planes to fly across rhe US that are much faster

we do have rail systems going shorter distances like DC to NY, but we have no need to have one go from DC to LA

China and India are hardly tiny and you can get High Speed Rail through Europe

 

[SassyIrishLass]

According to Forbes high speed rail costs 154 million per mile

It's a fool's errand

Biden’s High-Speed Rail To Nowhere

Americans have planes for long trips, cars for short trips, and some combination of the two for everything in between. High-speed rail is an expensive, outdated solution looking for a problem.

www.forbes.com

 

[Harpy Eagle]

People advocating airplanes (1900's technology) for US inter-city travel vs. trains (1800's technology) are Luddites?

Come on, you are not this stupid. High Speed rails are not 1800s technology.

 

[struth]

China and India are hardly tiny and you can get High Speed Rail through Europe

completely unnecessary here since we have planes.

and while china is large, the vast majority of rhe population and where the railways are are in a small area on the coast

 

[martybegan]

And in the meantime, we will declare that cars do a better job.
They don’t.
Our cities and major corridors are gridlocked and more roads is not an answer.

Our air network is no longer the solution to all of our long distance needs. Security lines are long, thousands of flights get cancelled with no notice. Fights are breaking out as passengers get frustrated.

We need more light rail into cities and high speed between cities.

More roads for corridors could be an answer, but the left doesn't want that one. And in city issues are a mass transit thing, not an inter-city thing.

Just wait until someone bombs a train if it becomes the go to travel method and you will get the same security issues there.

What is the difference between a bomb taking down an airliner vs derailing a train going at 200 MPH?

 

[martybegan]

That’s like saying jet planes are the “same technology “ as the Wright Flyer

They pretty much are. Lift created by thrust, just more lift, bigger plane, and enclosed.

High speed rail isn't an improvement on air travel, it is going backwards, something the left loves for some reason.

 

[jotathought]

I doubt the United States will have cross-country high-speed rail as they simply can't afford it. California already tried this and failed miserably.

 

[ReinyDays]

The US currently pumps millions of dollars into Amtrack every year because it can not break even, let alone make a profit.

Forget 'hi-speed rail' - the last 2 times I rode Amtrack from Ga to NY it took me almost 16 hours each time because both the times the train stalled on the track for HOURS!

Yup ... Americans don't use passenger trains ... we can afford airline travel ... it's them dirt poor Europeans who need passenger trains ... not us ...

Denver's not going to dig a tunnel to Salt Lake, not with the "world's largest airport" right there ...

$50 ... an hour and a half ... between San Francisco and Los Angeles on Southwest Airlines ... with no war zones like flying in Europe has ... folks will happily boil off the oceans for that price ...

 

[martybegan]

Come on, you are not this stupid. High Speed rails are not 1800s technology.

Lesh calling people who prefer air travel over trains "Luddites" is the stupidity, I was just responding to it.

 

[rightwinger]

That’s like saying jet planes are the “same technology “ as the Wright Flyer

I flew extensively in the 80’s and 90‘s and have to say we have taken a step backwards.

Those 727 and 737 along with DC 10s and 747s got you there as fast as todays planes but were not as efficient. There was even the Concorde back then, we have nothing close today.

But the overall flying experience has gotten much worse. Security is a nightmare, planes are cramped, food service sucks, schedules are not dependable, luggage is a burden

 

[rightwinger]

More roads for corridors could be an answer, but the left doesn't want that one. And in city issues are a mass transit thing, not an inter-city thing.

Just wait until someone bombs a train if it becomes the go to travel method and you will get the same security issues there.

What is the difference between a bomb taking down an airliner vs derailing a train going at 200 MPH?

We need to invest in both light rail and high speed

More cars is not working

 

[JohnDB]

The USA is too wealthy of a nation to utilize rail travel. We prioritize efficiency over economy....meaning rail is too inconvenient to be ever used by the masses.

The way to tell is the budget constraints....if half of your paycheck goes towards groceries and it mostly consists of rice and beans....then rail, bus and other mass transit is your "go to" method of transportation....otherwise....you have a car or bicycle.

 

[martybegan]

We need to invest in both light rail and high speed

More cars is not working

Because the powers that be don't want people to have cars. Mass transit is easier to shut down to control people's movements than roads are.

 

[rightwinger]

Because the powers that be don't want people to have cars. Mass transit is easier to shut down to control people's movements than roads are.

No, because our urban areas can’t handle the traffic they have now