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Who cares if passenger rail disappears ?

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Why is Cunard building the new Queen Mary 2, twice the displacement of the Queen Elizabeth 2? Why did Norwegian Cruise Lines buy and save the S.S. United States, yes the Big U, the pride of the American merchant marine and holder of the Blue Ribband? No one I know likes to fly, no one I know likes to drive more than 3 hours. However, everyone I know don't mind riding fast trains as they have in Europe for several hours.... Vision is the word. Insight into the future. While our population is not as dense as Europe's, the United States is still growing, whereas Europe isn't. In twenty to thirty years, most of America east of the Mississippi River will be as dense as Europe is today, plus the eastern half of Texas. In the 2000 census, Texas has a population of over 22 million, ten of it in two large metropolitan areas of Houston and Dallas. In the next twenty years, that number is expected to double.... Practically all of the states east of the Mississippi River is dense enough for high speed rail, as is California. There is no need to wait twenty years, we need to get started NOW! High speed rail lines can be built alongside interstate highways, and alongside current railroad right of ways. When the lines close upon a large city, small distances can be purchased to connect the stations in existence already to the new main lines (probably less than a mile). High speed rail lines can also be built under the huge transmission power lines too. Available CHEAP real estate exists. THE BEST OF WHAT HIGH SPEED RAIL LINES BRING TO THE TABLE IS MORE FREQUENCY! For example, a train averaging 150 mph can travel the 900 miles distances of most of the legs I proposed in 6 hours, not 24 hours. Therefore two trains operating on any leg can provide service every 3 hours, three trains can provide service every 2 hours. THIS IS AIRLINE SERVICE FREQUENCY! No need to run trains at night. If one is late, wait 2 hours for the next train. All of this during daylight hours. Unfortunately, Amtrak can't provide that service today except on the northeast corridor. After high speed rail is built, that service frequency would be everywhere.... And like the Europeans, once Americans get their door blown off by a high speed train, they might consider riding the train the next time.....
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