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Yes, long distance service is probably dead. I doubt seriously a transcontinental high speed line would be built. But high speed rail can be built as I have said in the previous forums from New York City/Philadelphia to Chicago, Chicago to Dallas/Houston, Dallas/Houston to Atlanta/Jacksonville, Washington DC to Miami thru Atlanta, Chicago to Atlanta, and Los Angeles to Oakland. Total distance is less than 5,000 miles. This network connects the four major population areas of America in a parralegram, with a sla***hru the shortest points: Northeast, Midwest, Texas, and Florida/Georgia. Plus a line for the westcoast. From this base, all of which could be built along interstate highway real estate, other short lines could be built from Toledo to Detroit, Chicago to Minneapolis thru Milwaukee, Kansas City to Denver, Pittsburgh to Washington DC, New York City to Toronto, and Montreal. Total distance is close to 2,000 miles. Every state east of the Mississippi River is involved, except for three small New England states. Most of the population east of the Mississippi River would live within a few hours bus ride from a high speed line. Several states west of the Mississippi river would be included, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and California. The average leg is 900 miles or less, meaning a high speed train averaging 150 mph with stops, a train traveling at a top speed of 186 mph, which TGV and ICE do, can travel the leg in 6 hours, or two legs of the parralegram in 12 hours. In other words, one can travel from a major city in these states and go anywhere in these states of the parralegram in 12 hours or less. More than likely one would travel less than a legs length, such as Dallas to Houston in less than 2 hours, or Chicago to St. Louis in less than 2 hours, or Cleveland to Philadelphia in less than 2 hours, or Charlotte to Washington DC in less than 2 hours.... But the key would be better service. Not just one daily train with the possibility of catching the train at midnight or 5 am, but actually having a choice of catching several trains each day all during the daylight hours. For example, Dallas to Chicago would take about 6 hours on that leg of the parralegram. One trainset could do the return run in 12 hours. Add a second trainset, and there could be a train leaving Dallas and Chicago evedry three hours. Add a third trainset, instead of having service every three hours there would be service every 2 hours.... It is the same with the other legs of the parralegram.... This is actually better service than what most of the airlines provide at DFW except for American Airlines, which has service to Chicago every hour. But I have a feeling American Airllines would not be providing hourly service after Amtrak gets into the high speed rail business. Delta is the next big airline out of DFW, and they provide currently service every three hours to Chicago. United only provides service of two flights. Frankly, there would be no need to run trains at night..... No need to purchase sleepers..... Unless, after all of these former lines I mentioned were built and we decided to build the transcontinental line to Los Angles from Denver along the Santa Fe route. Then we might need a sleeper..... Yes, indeed, this plan would work like a charm. Costs would be around twelve million dollars a mile, or a total of $84 billion for 7,000 miles of double high speed electrified track. We could lower our expectations and use the Jet train instead, saving $3 million a mile, bringing the total down to $63 billion and the top speed down to 150 mph.... The costs figures are from the state of Florida's DOT, and their high speed rail plan.... Guess what, that is approximately one year's worth of the federal DOT spending. I favor the adoption of a DOT moratorium of highway and airport spending for three years, so that this high speed rail plan could be built in three years instead of 20. Do we really need or can we delay in the next three years any new highway or airport construction? I say YES!
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