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HSR coast to coast will never happen. Too long! Airplanes ftw!
For some corridors, it makes sense ... I've seen numerous maps with various routes. MOstly in the MW centering in Chicago, the NE centering in NYC and D.C., Texas centered in Houston, California and Washington / Vancouver.
If you guys think about how much pollution aircrafts put in to our environment I would definitely take HSR over flying, I work in the aviation industry and I have seen aircrafts with 10 passengers on a 50 seat aircraft doing routes Think about how much fuel is wasted and pollution created for 10 passengers, ridiculous.
If the private market decided it, it would never happen because it does not seem even remotely feasible. If it's necessary AND infeasible, then the public sector needs to make that decision.
You're gonna have to explain how it is infeasible. And explain why people should pay for something they are not going to use and that is going to run a deficit.
Moderator cut: see comment
Last edited by Bo; 01-14-2011 at 07:35 AM..
Reason: This edit was explained in the Direct Message I sent you.
Its being restored back....and most New Englanders live in Urban areas.....which makes restoring a service like this worth the $$$. By the end of the decade all those cities you listed should have 2 more lines and a connecting service....
Yes, I am aware of this. The current tracks are being upgraded/restored to allow for higher speed rail. However, in CT there simply aren't enough current rail lines. The only ones are the Metro North / Amtrak line that runs along the coast line, and the Amtrak that runs along I-91. This is hardly enough to make rail commuting a reasonable option for 90% of residents in central CT. Why on earth would I want to drive to a train station, leave my car there, then sit on a public train with other people in it, then get off the train and walk in the freezing cold to work? It woul take longer than driving, anyway. Most work locations make it impossible for people to walk from a train station to work, unless they work smack dab in downtown Hartford. In central CT, most big corporations and employers are located in the suburbs, where train service is absolutely nonexistent. A car is needed, even if the current rail lines are capable of 500 mph trains.
They would literally have to build new tracks all over the place, around Hartford and New haven counties. Until this is done, driving a car will remain the most efficient option for commuters. Just telling you the truth.
You're gonna have to explain how it is infeasible. And explain why people should pay for something they are not going to use and that is going to run a deficit.
HSR rail isn't built to travel cross country and it wouldn't be economically worth it to build, but if there ever had to be one built the road would definitely be more marketable on a southern route.
Southern California is heavily populated. Phoenix is fairly large and rapidly growing. Then there Albuquerque. In the central part of the U.S. you have a heavily populated eastern Texas. Then you can connect in Mississippi to a mainline HSR that travels NE->SW between the Gulf coast/Florida and the New England/DC. You can expect people to use service regionally in many places. LA->Phoenix, Phoenix -> Albuquerque, Texas -> Birmingham/Atlanta and/or Gulf Coast/N. Florida.
And I'm sure you could attract some cross-country tourist who make the trek out of pure fascination, but this isn't really worth it. There wouldn't be enough and it doesn't do much to boost the overall economy, like promoting business travel between cities/regions does.
Yes, I am aware of this. The current tracks are being upgraded/restored to allow for higher speed rail. However, in CT there simply aren't enough current rail lines. The only ones are the Metro North / Amtrak line that runs along the coast line, and the Amtrak that runs along I-91. This is hardly enough to make rail commuting a reasonable option for 90% of residents in central CT. Why on earth would I want to drive to a train station, leave my car there, then sit on a public train with other people in it, then get off the train and walk in the freezing cold to work? It woul take longer than driving, anyway. Most work locations make it impossible for people to walk from a train station to work, unless they work smack dab in downtown Hartford. In central CT, most big corporations and employers are located in the suburbs, where train service is absolutely nonexistent. A car is needed, even if the current rail lines are capable of 500 mph trains.
They would literally have to build new tracks all over the place, around Hartford and New haven counties. Until this is done, driving a car will remain the most efficient option for commuters. Just telling you the truth.
Ive seen the state wide plans they address this , with a statewide bus system connecting with the Railways.... I was talking about current lines , i was talking about the future....470,000 ppl use PT daily in CT and its growing....its excepted to be 1 million in the near future... Companies will probably relocate to along Railways , that happened down here.... Only 2 lines will be fast , the rest will be 90mph...... Most CT Downtown's are dense and walkable so thats a huge +.....same goes for 80% of the Northeast except Maryland and Delaware....
I really don't think we need national high speed rail, even though it would be kinda cool. There's only a few areas in the country where it actually makes sense, the Northeast could definitely use a total overhaul with true hsr but beyond that there really isn't any other place in the country that really "needs it" that bad right now.
We could do it in various places around the country, the ones that could make the most use of it, but the country is too unevenly developed and large for a national system. In the future if the country gets alot denser and developed across the board then it would become a much better option.
If we did have a national one now I do think it would have some benefits, it would take some people off the road and give an alternative and competitor to airlines but like I said, I don't think the country as it is now is dense enough to support that system, I mean that even if it had respectable ridership it still probably couldn't cover all it's own costs.
I really don't think we need national high speed rail, even though it would be kinda cool. There's only a few areas in the country where it actually makes sense, the Northeast could definitely use a total overhaul with true hsr but beyond that there really isn't any other place in the country that really "needs it" that bad right now.
We could do it in various places around the country, the ones that could make the most use of it, but the country is too unevenly developed and large for a national system. In the future if the country gets alot denser and developed across the board then it would become a much better option.
If we did have a national one now I do think it would have some benefits, it would take some people off the road and give an alternative and competitor to airlines but like I said, I don't think the country as it is now is dense enough to support that system, I mean that even if it had respectable ridership it still probably couldn't cover all it's own costs.
I agree 100%, the northeast should definitely get one before any other region in the US
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Think about how much fuel is wasted and pollution created for 10 passengers, ridiculous.
