Why are trains in Europe faster than here in the USA?

[Robert W]

It sure bothers you, 5W

What bothers me is the Democrats nazis.

 

[Robert W]

European countries are tiny in comparison to the USA. Many are the size of moderately sized U.S. states, some the size of a large U.S. county. With so small an area to maintain they can have tracks in tip top condition at all times and safely run the trains at high speeds. U.S. tracks cover long LONG stretches of unpopulated country and maintaining all that track is much more difficult to do. As a result it is safer to run the trains at lower speeds. Or so I've been told by family members who have ridden/driven those trains for a living.

True Foxfyre. Governor Pete Wilson when he was the Governor of CA never would have tried to build a super fast train and tracks in CA. The present Governor has created a boondoggle. How many of you realize that there is no passenger service in Boise Idaho? The capitol has a nice Train station yet it is a relic of the past.

 

[toobfreak]

Why are trains in Europe faster than here in the USA?​

Because Europeans don't have far left progressives tying everything up at every turn. Look at California: decades later and 20X over budget and they still don't have shit to show for the high speed train they tried to build there. But also keep in mind that Amtrak is old school, designed around a different time. Today, it is a pleasure trip to relax and see the country, not just getting from A to B as fast as possible.

Also realize that a trip clear across Europe is about from NYC to Indianapolis here. Having less far to go and cutting straight through hills rather than go around them really speeds things up.

I've ridden the Amtrak from the NE out to California through the south, up the west coast and back across the northern route. Three day trip each way. Recognized many of the things in the video. It was a great time. Much preferred to flying IMO, vastly better than a bus, the staff were great, and I'd do it again. A very pleasant way to see the country.

 

[Robert W]

Because Europeans don't have far left progressives tying everything up at every turn. Look at California: decades later and 20X over budget and they still don't have shit to show for the high speed train they tried to build there. But also keep in mind that Amtrak is old school, designed around a different time. Today, it is a pleasure trip to relax and see the country, not just getting from A to B as fast as possible.

Also realize that a trip clear across Europe is about from NYC to Indianapolis here. Having less far to go and cutting straight through hills rather than go around them really speeds things up.

I've ridden the Amtrak from the NE out to California through the south, up the west coast and back across the northern route. Three day trip each way. Recognized many of the things in the video. It was a great time. Much preferred to flying IMO, vastly better than a bus, the staff were great, and I'd do it again. A very pleasant way to see the country.

Magnificent report of your own experiences. That couple in the Video used the 2 for 1 Amtrak deal. It amounts to a discount of 50 percent.

 

[Robert W]

I already explained it. The railroads don't care about anything but freight here.

So that is why Amtrak runs heavy losses!!!

 

[toobfreak]

So that is why Amtrak runs heavy losses!!!

Well, getting freight by rail across this country is about like going from Portugal to Moscow. Which is Trump's point: if this country was half as invested in bettering itself as it is with 3,000 other problems all around the globe, our trains and infrastructure would be the best.

Frankly, it is a shame that our rail system for traveling isn't SOTA. I bet we could cut a day off coast to coast travel through modernization without even going maglev and it would greatly cut down on air travel and pollution.

 

[Orangecat]

Why are trains in Europe faster than here in the USA?​

Because fat people.
Okswine, for example.

 

[okfine]

Because Europeans don't have far left progressives tying everything up at every turn. Look at California: decades later and 20X over budget and they still don't have shit to show for the high speed train they tried to build there. But also keep in mind that Amtrak is old school, designed around a different time. Today, it is a pleasure trip to relax and see the country, not just getting from A to B as fast as possible.

Also realize that a trip clear across Europe is about from NYC to Indianapolis here. Having less far to go and cutting straight through hills rather than go around them really speeds things up.

I've ridden the Amtrak from the NE out to California through the south, up the west coast and back across the northern route. Three day trip each way. Recognized many of the things in the video. It was a great time. Much preferred to flying IMO, vastly better than a bus, the staff were great, and I'd do it again. A very pleasant way to see the country.

Amtrak has one daily train from Chicago to Seattle. In Europe, and especially the UK, you don't need a schedule because trains run damned near every 10 minutes.

 

[Foxfyre]

True Foxfyre. Governor Pete Wilson when he was the Governor of CA never would have tried to build a super fast train and tracks in CA. The present Governor has created a boondoggle. How many of you realize that there is no passenger service in Boise Idaho? The capitol has a nice Train station yet it is a relic of the past.

Back in the 1920s, 30s. 40s into the 1950's, passenger train service was very popular and available in far more places than it is now. Most of the demise was due to the mass production of automobiles and attention turned to good paved roads/highways/ to run them on. America fell in love with the automobile and passenger trains lost massive numbers of customers. And because trucks, planes, busses could go anywhere while trains cannot, the gasoline powered vehicles starting cutting into train freight revenues as well.

Result we have far less track and far fewer trains running cross country now. Amtrak tried to fill the void for passenger trains but has steadily lost money since its creation and requires heavy government subsidies to operate at all. And it covers a small fraction of the territory the original passenger trains covered.

Freight is still moved by train but we mostly see the spectacle of long trains pulling cars stacked with wheelless truck trailers moving cargo cross country unless they can be off loaded at large truck terminals and moved by eighteen wheelers from there. Much the same is noted in many merchant ships these days as well.

Will trains ever return to their former glory here? Who knows? It doesn't seem likely but there is always the possibility of some genius figuring out how to make train travel popular, affordable, profitable again.

 

[Meathead]

In the USA it does have wide open virtually level places. But to cross the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada, mountains are the daily encounters. So even if the trains move fast on the east coast, not true for the west coast states.

You know that's why we bought Gasden from the Mexicans. At the end of the day if was practically useless.

 

[Anathema]

Because the European (and Far East) countries invest in their infrastructure...not just talk a good game about about it.

They also had the opportunity to rebuild the system and correct mistakes made previously after 1945 courtesy of the US and British air forces.

 

[luiza]

I rode trains in Germany and Holland. Back then the trains were not really fast yet punctual. Being on time counts

Due to the extra weight of American passengers pressing down on the rails .

 

[JackOfNoTrades]

They also had the opportunity to rebuild the system and correct mistakes made previously after 1945 courtesy of the US and British air forces.

We have had ample opportunity to do the same in this country. But choose deliberately not to.

 

[Meathead]

Due to the extra weight of American passengers pressing down on the rails .

You are a Brit, right? You've got more than your fair share of porky women too.

 

[Anathema]

We have had ample opportunity to do the same in this country. But choose deliberately not to.

Not at all.

Post WWII, Europe had the opportunity to rebuild its entire infrastructure due to the level of destruction across the entire continent.

The US didn’t suffer that damage. We started seriously installing underground utilities in the last two decades of the 19th century. By 1945 most major cities had moved most, if not all the utilities underground. Without the “reset” that Europe got we’ve been forced to maintain the systems we already had rather than truly starting again, like they did.

I work for a significant sized electric utility company. Even if we had the money to replace all the underground utilities in the major cities, it would request concerted effort with all the utility companies and the municipal government. Thsts not going to happen.

 

[JackOfNoTrades]

Not at all.

Post WWII, Europe had the opportunity to rebuild its entire infrastructure due to the level of destruction across the entire continent.

The US didn’t suffer that damage. We started seriously installing underground utilities in the last two decades of the 19th century. By 1945 most major cities had moved most, if not all the utilities underground. Without the “reset” that Europe got we’ve been forced to maintain the systems we already had rather than truly starting again, like they did.

I work for a significant sized electric utility company. Even if we had the money to replace all the underground utilities in the major cities, it would request concerted effort with all the utility companies and the municipal government. Thsts not going to happen.

This is a load of hooey. We built an entire interstate system. Built electrical grids. Built dams and other engineering marvels. But all that pretty much stopped in the late 1950's...why? Because we didn't make it a priority. We have the ability to do these things, our politicians choose not to make it a priority.

Why the U.S. can't build critical infrastructure

The political economy of power grids, mass transit and affordable housing, and the implications for higher education.

www.insidehighered.com

 

[luiza]

You are a Brit, right? You've got more than your fair share of porky women too.

No .
You are confusing matters with our many Pig farmers , some of whom are delightful ladies .

 

[Meathead]

No .
You are confusing matters with our many Pig farmers , some of whom are delightful ladies .

I expect you're getting the farmer confused with the beast. I've lived in Europe and have spent about 23 years in Greece.

You can't unsee things.

 

[Anathema]

This is a load of hooey. We built an entire interstate system. Built electrical grids. Built dams and other engineering marvels. But all that pretty much stopped in the late 1950's...why? Because we didn't make it a priority. We have the ability to do these things, our politicians choose not to make it a priority.

It’s not a matter of the priority. The article is closer but still not quite spot on…

We don’t have the centralized authority and power/money base to make many of these things happen.

I’ll focus on the utility issue since it’s where my knowledge and experience base is. In the major city I work with the most there is: 1 electric company, 2 gas companies, at least 3 communications companies, plus the water, sewer, and municipal fiber optics lines buried underground. That’s minimally 9 different groups that need to be involved in any road project. Which is why the city has a five year repaving schedule rather than 3 years like most municipalities. The schedule for any major road relocation project is a minimum of ten years for the same reason. It takes at least that long to get everyone to agree on how to build the project.

 

[toobfreak]

We have had ample opportunity to do the same in this country. But choose deliberately not to.

We [DEMOCRATS] have had ample opportunity to do the same in this country. But [DEMOCRATS] choose deliberately not to.
Joe Biden would rather give away hundreds of billions in free rubber condoms to Africans than rebuild our infrastructure here.
Democrats flew right over victims of their illegal aliens to go drink margaritas with an illegal foreign human trafficker.
Alegro Garcia is a paid operative of the democrat party.