Article on why the US still has no high speed trains

[charlie hebdo]

daveklepper

Charlie please do so, and I did discuss workmen on commuter and subway trains.

 

Yes you did.  I'd just like to understand why almost every industialized nation can have at least semi-HSR trains, with frequency and convenient times linking cities up to 400 miles apart.  There are plenty of areas in the US that meet that criterion. Even Russia has good, fast services in the western parts with large metro areas, such as between St. Petersburg and Moscow but links them to Vladivostock across the vast expanses of the steppes mostly by air or with slow trains like the Trans Siberian Express.  Maybe we should use that as a model?

Some say the American public likes the freedom of driving and will reject trains that are competitive with or make better time than their own vehicle.  It will be interesting to see how the TEXpress  or TXpress (a better name, IMO) works out in a few years.

[daveklepper]

Note that neither Canada nor Mexico have high-speed rail.  Mexico does not even have anuything analgous to Amtrak and VIA.  Essentially no intercity psssenger service except some isolated tourist operations.

[charlie hebdo]

Not to knock Mexico,  but it still is not a very modern nation.  Canada has made some failed efforts in their corridors.

[CMStPnP]

charlie hebdo

Not to knock Mexico,  but it still is not a very modern nation.  Canada has made some failed efforts in their corridors.

Rode some of the mass transit in Mexico City.   Interesting mix of private and public operators of the city bus system.    The rubber tired subway / elevated system I think could be called a failure.    You can be walking along a Mexico City street in a new office park district and stumble across an old freight railroad line that was never removed as well.    You could see the same in the United States but usually not in a remade over area.    Usually in the United States you see that in industrial areas.    I think it is an issue with Mexico's private property laws and railway line abandonment........gaps somewhere in there.