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re: Would high speed rail ever work in the US?
Posted on 10/14/23 at 11:22 am to Tarps99
Posted on 10/14/23 at 11:22 am to Tarps99
quote:
I read or heard somewhere that Passenger Trains have priority over any one else using the lines despite who owns the lines.
It’s the opposite in most areas in this part of the country
1
Posted on 10/14/23 at 11:25 am to Napoleon
No. Because just getting from one city to the next isn’t the whole problem. Euro cities are setup for walking and other options. US cities are not.
You’ve arrived in Atlanta with family. Now what?
You’ve arrived in Atlanta with family. Now what?
Posted on 10/14/23 at 11:33 am to notiger1997
quote:
It’s the opposite in most areas in this part of the country
Nope. He’s correct. Amtrak passenger trains have priority over freight and it’s been that way since 1973 (Amtrak was formed in 1971). Most freight ignores it though.
Posted on 10/14/23 at 11:34 am to Cosmo
quote:
Would only work in the DC to Boston corridor
Might also be workable for a route like LA to Vegas - major cities with nothing in between them.
Posted on 10/14/23 at 11:45 am to Napoleon
It would need to be built off the ground.
If people can’t understand to not sit in the crossing for normal trains, a train that fast is gonna end up in worst situations
If people can’t understand to not sit in the crossing for normal trains, a train that fast is gonna end up in worst situations
Posted on 10/14/23 at 11:47 am to Napoleon
quote:
Would high speed rail ever work in the US?
If the government controlled it, then no.
Posted on 10/14/23 at 11:48 am to Napoleon
How much money did Obama throw at it? It was his pet project. And what do we have to show for it?
Posted on 10/14/23 at 11:58 am to concrete_tiger
No. High speed rail in the US is a non-realistic dream for some. If it were a doable, profitable means of transportation, then some capitalist, entrepreneur would have it under construction.
Governments would have to provide a right-of-way for the rail, since freight and road crossings are too much of an impediment. Some of the foreign high speeds have limited interference and smaller scale geography making it doable. As noted, the USA is a large scale geography with coastal high-density populations. Meaning high speed may only be profitable along dense high populations, but highly impractical for elsewhere.
Governments would have to provide a right-of-way for the rail, since freight and road crossings are too much of an impediment. Some of the foreign high speeds have limited interference and smaller scale geography making it doable. As noted, the USA is a large scale geography with coastal high-density populations. Meaning high speed may only be profitable along dense high populations, but highly impractical for elsewhere.
Posted on 10/14/23 at 12:06 pm to BigBinBR
quote:
Nope. He’s correct. Amtrak passenger trains have priority over freight
Ok, I stand corrected, but for some reason I still hear stories of Amtrak trains getting stopped and face delays due to freight trains blocking the tracks.
Maybe it's just some bad logistics stuff that just happens sometimes.
I do know that the freight lines are a pain in the arse in that they don't give in very much to industry and local governments when issues and such come up.
Posted on 10/14/23 at 12:36 pm to Napoleon
No, it’s not affordable to build here.
Posted on 10/14/23 at 12:38 pm to Napoleon
The Bawcomville to West Funroe corridor is a prime candidate.
Short answer to the general question is “Negative” with that exception.
Short answer to the general question is “Negative” with that exception.
Posted on 10/14/23 at 12:39 pm to notiger1997
quote:
I do know that the freight lines are a pain in the arse in that they don't give in very much to industry and local governments when issues and such come up.
If they own and maintain the lines in question, they DGAF what the government has to say about using them.
Posted on 10/14/23 at 12:40 pm to Napoleon
Would it work? Sure.
Would benefit people? Sure.
The real problem is societal, where most people have no desire to use public transportation.
Would benefit people? Sure.
The real problem is societal, where most people have no desire to use public transportation.
Posted on 10/14/23 at 12:43 pm to notiger1997
quote:
I still hear stories of Amtrak trains getting stopped and face delays due to freight trains blocking the tracks.
100% the freight trains block Amtrak. Sometimes it causes causes hours longs delays. The freight lines just don’t care, and the only one who can enforce the law is the DOJ (who also doesn’t care). Amtrak put out a flyer a couple of years ago that answers some of the questions. Amtrak.con
Posted on 10/14/23 at 12:43 pm to Napoleon
quote:
Seems like every other week you read about a Brightline crash. Now the majority are because of idiot drivers. I
Brightline is really awesome. Haven’t taken it up to Orlando yet but have a voucher and we are waiting on a good weekend. Brightline also has a sweet train conductor service which was apparently invented by Charles Darwin.
Posted on 10/14/23 at 12:45 pm to concrete_tiger
quote:
No. Because just getting from one city to the next isn’t the whole problem. Euro cities are setup for walking and other options. US cities are not.
This right here.
Only NYC and Chicago are somewhat set up well for this with all the public transportation.
And those are the only two US cities with extensive commuter trains bringing people from the burbs to the city.
People always point to the interstate highway system as what killed the passenger train. What really killed it was suburban sprawl. When you can't easily get to your destination after being dropped off at the downtown railroad station why take the train?
This post was edited on 10/14/23 at 12:49 pm
Posted on 10/14/23 at 12:51 pm to BigBinBR
quote:
Nope. He’s correct. Amtrak passenger trains have priority over freight and it’s been that way since 1973 (Amtrak was formed in 1971). Most freight ignores it though.
Freight railroads for the most part don't give a damn because the bonuses Amtrak pays for on time performance do not offset the losses incurred by stuffing freight trains in sidings to let them pass.
Posted on 10/14/23 at 12:57 pm to Napoleon
The only way I could see it working is bringing people from smaller cities to large hub airports (ie. Birmingham to Atlanta) where you could then transfer as if it were a connecting flight. Other than that, it's hard to justify going from one shitty downtown to the other without a car. Even the fastest trains are not fast enough to connect the cities people actually go to
Posted on 10/14/23 at 1:00 pm to Odysseus32
Yeah, in addition to the size and infrastructure challenges, it'll never align with peoples' experience in Europe because of...Americans.
Our trains will be less efficiently managed, more trashed out, with more disruptions/safety issues.
Our trains will be less efficiently managed, more trashed out, with more disruptions/safety issues.
Posted on 10/14/23 at 1:04 pm to Napoleon
Most all of the obstacles have been mentioned. I will add the most pressing over all others is in trying to compare it to a European type system. The two continents could not be more different when it comes to transportation. Europeans look in wonder at our interstate system the way we look at their rail system. If you have ever tried to drive anywhere over there you would know why.
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