Even Ukbekistan sees the adnatages of electrification. 160 kmh (100mph) is hardly high speed rail, but better than most of our system. If a line of similar length (511 km line, 3+ hrs on a Talgo train) were fixed up to those standards here, say Chicago to Cincy - 300 miles// 483 km, you could make the jorney in 3-4 hours instead of 10:23 on the Cardinal. But why rush?
http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/track/uzbekistan-completes-electrification-project.html?channel=531&utm_source=WhatCounts+Publicaster+Edition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=IRJ+Rail+Brief+Sep+3+2015&utm_content=Full+Article+
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
You can fly in less than an hour and a half.
An "expensive model collector"
Or drive in about 4 1/2 hours, without the two hours of airport hassle - and you'll have your own wheels when you get there.
How many private vehicles are owned by people in Uzbekistan? (Answer - less than 50 per 1,000 population, including busses and trucks.) I'd gladly ride a train if walking or riding a bus were the only alternatives. (People who can't afford cars can't afford air fare, either.) Given the availability of my personal wheels...
Chuck
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.