Central Japan Railway Co. wants to help Texas build a bullet train from Dallas to Houston by 2021.
39 replies, posted
I wouldn't get too excited about this. On top of all of the things TestECull mentioned, Denver decided to fund a similar project; a commuter lightrail going from downtown all the way to Boulder and the business centers inbetween, which would take hours by freeway. They turned every highway in the state into a 2-lane to make room for construction when the DOT decided, at the last second, that it was too expensive and put it on a hiatus. After a few months of empty construction sites still clogging all of the roads, some Australian company came in and bought out the project, and now they're using the construction + original funds to turn it into a 15$ toll road. We are still getting an old, tiny 30mph tram though! Iirc it should be done sometime in the 2040s.
Canada could definitely use some Bullet Trains between our major cities, the issue is with the distances they'd need to cover, they'd be way too expensive for anyone to think they'd be profitable to build. The only ones I could see possibly coming to fruition because it may be profitable enough is Detroit/Windsor-Toronto-Kingston-Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec City or NYC-Albany-Buffalo/Niagara-Toronto-Kingston-Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec City, because those are both major business corridors and provide access to the US, and one between Edmonton and Calgary, because both are major Albertan cities with enough business and personal traffic to make it worth it.
[QUOTE=TestECull;45588166]The thing which will doom this to disuse is the same thing that nearly killed Amtrak and totally fucked over passenger rail service in the US in the 1950s. A combination of the interstate system and the cheap-as-fuck commuter air travel doomed passenger rail to a life of inner-city subways and tramways 60 years ago. These two things have only gotten better since. There just isn't a market for a bullet train in this country, and they're so ridiculously expensive to build that nobody will fund them. The rail network doesn't even support them, it's built around freight so you're not getting more than 70 or 80 MPH out of a train without building entirely new lines to run them on. It's simply not viable in the US, people will either drive(Cheaper, more convenient) or fly (Faster).
A few people do but there just isn't enough of a market for them in this country. Maybe, just maybe, people will use it to make a statement against the TSA and get them disbanded, but even then there's just not enough of a market for a bullet train in the US to make it financially viable. If it does get built it's going to be a huge black hole for cash.[/QUOTE]
A few people...? Here in San Diego, thousands upon thousands of people hop on the "Sprinter" which connects 5 cities together. It can take you from inland all the way to the beach and connects with all the bus lines at various locations. I know several people personally who commute to school and work on it every single day. People would take advantage of this resource, AND it's privately funded.
If there's something America could benefit greatly from it's a decent rail service, but you're fucked over by companies like GM, Ford and Chrysler. Which is a shame because holy shit America is literally begging for a decent train service.
Also fuck Amtrak.
[QUOTE=DaCommie1;45589850]Canada could definitely use some Bullet Trains between our major cities, the issue is with the distances they'd need to cover, they'd be way too expensive for anyone to think they'd be profitable to build. The only ones I could see possibly coming to fruition because it may be profitable enough is Detroit/Windsor-Toronto-Kingston-Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec City or NYC-Albany-Buffalo/Niagara-Toronto-Kingston-Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec City, because those are both major business corridors and provide access to the US, and one between Edmonton and Calgary, because both are major Albertan cities with enough business and personal traffic to make it worth it.[/QUOTE]
One from Winnipeg to anywhere else would be used by everyone, once
Isn't it cool to think that you could live in either city and with this high speed train, commute to the other city for work?
It would be a long commute, but it's not unheard of Americans have long commutes in some of nations largest cities. Plus, some people are so desperate for employment, they'll travel that fare and long.
[QUOTE=TestECull;45587754]Good luck and have fun. Nobody's going to use it.[/QUOTE]
"I don't like this new thing therefore I think it'll fail"
I wish we had decent rail service in the US. I like riding the MAX into Portland, even if it's slower than the buses. Something about rail travel just feels good.
[QUOTE=ZombieDawgs;45591295]If there's something America could benefit greatly from it's a decent rail service, but you're fucked over by companies like GM, Ford and Chrysler. Which is a shame because holy shit America is literally begging for a decent train service.
Also fuck Amtrak.[/QUOTE]
What? I don't know anybody who feels this way.
Out of curiousity what happened to the Hyperloop? Any proposals at all to build one?
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