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re: Can high speed rail work in the United States?
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:10 pm to bad93ex
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:10 pm to bad93ex
quote:
Can high speed rail work in the United States?
In some regions, there are enough passengers and regional traffic to justify at least quasi-high speed rail:
- California (Bay area, Los Angeles, San Diego)
- Florida (Miami-Ft Lauderdale, Tampa, Orlando, etc).
- Northeast corridor (DC-Baltimore-Philly-Newark-New York-Hartford-Boston)
- Midwest (St Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Indy, Toronto, etc.)
- Texas Triangle (Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, College Station/Bryan, Waco, Austin, San Antonio, etc.)
- Gulf Coast (Houston, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Mobile, etc.)
The problem is the costs associated with setting this up. It's massive, and that's why anything we get here will be half baked at best. If it's executed at all, it will be flawed and will struggle to justify itself. And in many cases you are going to be linking cities that also don't have a well developed local transportation network, which also hurts.
This post was edited on 4/15/24 at 1:35 pm
1
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:13 pm to Hateradedrink
quote:
The 1000lb gorilla in the room.
Rail works very well in yurop because many cities were not designed with cars in mind and you don’t *need* a car.
You pretty much have to have a car in most U.S. cities because they were designed to defer convenience to drivers rather than pedestrians.
Neither Atlanta nor Birmingham are any more sprawling than, say, Berlin or Munich. The difference is they have adequate public transportation AND they do not think anything at all about walking 20 blocks or so and toting groceries. Atlanta has horrible public transportation and Birmingham has a bus. Even with Atlanta's somewhat better public transportation you still gotta be willing and able to walk more than most people are willing to. Or ride a bike, something that is seen as a homosexual activity to many Americans....
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:15 pm to bad93ex
I’m not against it, but if it’s done by the government then I’m sure it will have all of the problems that other forms of transportation that are government owned or subsidized have.
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:17 pm to AwgustaDawg
quote:
Neither Atlanta nor Birmingham are any more sprawling than, say, Berlin or Munich.
Atlanta: 499,000 (2022)
Birmingham: 197,000
Berlin: 3.645 million (2019)
Munich: 1.576 million (2023)
American cities have VASTLY more sprawl than Europe because there is just so much more space.
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:21 pm to kingbob
For cultural, political, societal, and financial reasons, it'll never work.
I wish it did because I would much rather get on a fast train than deal with airports, but fact of the matter is society isn't ready for it, similar to how it works elsewhere in the world.
Even if it got built it would go bankrupt because of lack of traffic. Most people aren't used to being in that level of proximity with large sections of the public.
The engineering and practicality is there, the people are money are not.
I wish it did because I would much rather get on a fast train than deal with airports, but fact of the matter is society isn't ready for it, similar to how it works elsewhere in the world.
Even if it got built it would go bankrupt because of lack of traffic. Most people aren't used to being in that level of proximity with large sections of the public.
The engineering and practicality is there, the people are money are not.
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:26 pm to bad93ex
I mean I guess it would make the mugging victims think the attacks don't last as long.... 
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:26 pm to bad93ex
How many could we have built with the Ukraine money?
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:27 pm to NYNolaguy1
The reality is that 90% of the problems most people have with air travel are entirely due to unnecessary security theater and regulations by the federal government. With a better regulatory approach to air travel, it would be a vastly superior option to rail travel.
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:28 pm to bad93ex
Just what I want, traveling 300mph on gov-maintained wheel bearings. You fkn retards and your high-speed rail. 
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:28 pm to Oilfieldbiology
The metropolitan region of Munich is 10,700 square miles. Atlanta is a little over 8000. There are 6.3 million people in Atlanta, there are 6 million in metro munich. Berlin is 11,973 square miles and 6.2 million people. Metro Birmingham is 4600 square miles and the population is 1.11 million. Atlanta is the most densely populated metro area of the 4, thus the least sprawling. Atlanta, Munich and Berlin are almost identical copies of one another...they have a relatively small city center and sprawling suburbs stretching for MILES. Birmingham isn't really a city, it is a big town. The difference between Atlanta, Munich and Berlin ain't population density or sprawl, it is quality and extensive public transportation in Germany and shitty public transportation in Atlanta and Germans are willing and able to walk more than a few hundred feet with needing a break....
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:38 pm to AwgustaDawg
quote:]I was going to debate you but there it is…. Americans are fat and lazy is the reason.
Americans can't walk further than the handicapped parking spot to the walmart...they sure as hell ain't walking 10 blocks and toting groceries....
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:42 pm to dewster
quote:
In some regions, there are enough passengers and regional traffic to justify at least quasi-high speed rail:
- California (Bay area, Los Angeles, San Diego)
- Florida (Miami-Ft Lauderdale, Tampa, Orlando, etc).
- Northeast corridor (DC-Baltimore-Philly-Newark-New York-Hartford-Boston)
- Midwest (St Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Indy, Toronto, etc.)
- Texas Triangle (Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, College Station/Bryan, Waco, Austin, San Antonio, etc.)
- Gulf Coast (Houston, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Mobile, etc.)
Theoretically, yes perhaps there would be enough passenger demand for these routes.
But there is still the problem of local transportation. It's not simply a matter of intercity travel, but intracity. Of all those cities, maybe a handful have the local public transportation infrastructure to justify taking a train there.
Put it this way...if you were a foreigner vacationing in Florida, do you really think it would be feasible to fly into Miami and then train to Orlando and Tampa without eventually needing your own car?
Sure, you could take Uber...and rack up hundreds of dollars in fares. In which case, you might as well just rent a car when you land in Miami.
This post was edited on 4/15/24 at 1:48 pm
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:45 pm to bad93ex
Culcha would loiter on those things
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:55 pm to UGATiger26
We also haven’t even touched on the fact that when Americans travel (by car specifically since we’re comparing that to rail), we bring a lot of shite with us. It’s just just our bodies and a carry on.
Where you putting all that?
Where you putting all that?
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:55 pm to AwgustaDawg
quote:
it is quality and extensive public transportation in Germany
They have a far more individually responsible population than we do. Public Transporation is shite everywhere in this country.
Posted on 4/15/24 at 1:59 pm to RogerTheShrubber
quote:
Public Transporation is shite everywhere in this country.
Because only the poors use it. Tell me one institution the American middle class uses that is as disgusting as public transportation?
Posted on 4/15/24 at 2:08 pm to poochie
quote:
Tell me one institution the American middle class uses that is as disgusting as public transportation?
Wal-Mart? They have poors there too though but are you looking for an institution that only the only the Middle Class+ uses?
Posted on 4/15/24 at 2:13 pm to bad93ex
The poors at wal mart are disgusting but wal mart is a well oiled machine.
Posted on 4/15/24 at 2:13 pm to bad93ex
Only if it done 100% in the private sector.
Government is too fricked up.
In the 1930's we used our government to get out of the depression.
Since then the value we get decreases with every generation.
frick da gubment!
Government is too fricked up.
In the 1930's we used our government to get out of the depression.
Since then the value we get decreases with every generation.
frick da gubment!
Posted on 4/15/24 at 2:19 pm to AwgustaDawg
It’s less about sprawl and more about design. I never mentioned sprawl.
Birmingham and Atlanta are not pedestrian friendly because they were not designed to be pedestrian friendly. It could take a pedestrian 1 hour to walk a distance that is 200 yards “as the crow flies” because of the highways and obstacles to walk around in order to get to a pedestrian crossing.
Birmingham and Atlanta are not pedestrian friendly because they were not designed to be pedestrian friendly. It could take a pedestrian 1 hour to walk a distance that is 200 yards “as the crow flies” because of the highways and obstacles to walk around in order to get to a pedestrian crossing.
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