When talking of HST passenger service, we think of trains going 125 mph or 150 mph.
Watch this little video to understand what HST is about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE4A0nPjyqQ&feature=player_embedded
356 mph is some figure! (who needs airplanes?)
Sir Madog When talking of HST passenger service, we think of trains going 125 mph or 150 mph. Watch this little video to understand what HST is about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE4A0nPjyqQ&feature=player_embedded 356 mph is some figure! (who needs airplanes?)
activated
That TGV is pretty "activated" all by itself!
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Sir Madog 356 mph is some figure! (who needs airplanes?)
I realize that Madog is being lighthearted. But of course the genius of airplanes is that they don't require expensive, dedicated infrastructure for every mile they fly, including across oceans. That the crew in the instruments car acts like it was Houston landing a man on the Moon is a tipoff to the narrow niche such a service will occupy under the best of circumstances.
Again I would say, in this country let's see what we can achieve with less ambitious but more affordable projects ... such as, in dedicated corridors like LA-San Francisco and Chicago-Twin Cities, end-to-end speeds such as the Milwaukee Road and Chicago North Western achieved 80 years ago. With today's population densities, I'll bet that would pull enough people off planes and out of cars to make it worthwhile.
dakotafred ...a tipoff to the narrow niche such a service will occupy under the best of circumstances. Again I would say, in this country let's see what we can achieve with less ambitious but more affordable projects ... such as, in dedicated corridors like LA-San Francisco and Chicago-Twin Cities, end-to-end speeds such as the Milwaukee Road and Chicago North Western achieved 80 years ago. With today's population densities, I'll bet that would pull enough people off planes and out of cars to make it worthwhile.
...a tipoff to the narrow niche such a service will occupy under the best of circumstances.
What spurs me is that the Milwaukee and C&NW along with the Q were privately-owned companies pridefully providing that level of service to attract customers so they could earn a profit. Where is the incentive and leadership to offer such service today? (Decisions by their nature are politically laced the way things are currently "organized" Example - $7 billion to revamp Washington Union rather than upgrade ROW?).
jclass Example - $7 billion to revamp Washington Union rather than upgrade ROW?).
Example - $7 billion to revamp Washington Union rather than upgrade ROW?).
suggest you read the whole proposal. Amtrak is only going to upgrade the ROW (ie trackage and switches including another set of puzzle switches so a single filure will not tie up the station). Also the station will be upgraded to carry more passengers thru the station. everything above station will be responsibility of developers.
Also NYP is becoming a real choke point and will be completely choked whenever the Gateway tunnels open ( ?? date unknown )).
blue streak 1 jclass: Example - $7 billion to revamp Washington Union rather than upgrade ROW?). suggest you read the whole proposal. Amtrak is only going to upgrade the ROW (ie trackage and switches including another set of puzzle switches so a single filure will not tie up the station). Also the station will be upgraded to carry more passengers thru the station. everything above station will be responsibility of developers. Also NYP is becoming a real choke point and will be completely choked whenever the Gateway tunnels open ( ?? date unknown )).
jclass: Example - $7 billion to revamp Washington Union rather than upgrade ROW?).
Union Station, Washington, D.C. is owned by the United States under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Amtrak is just one tenant. Although it says that it plans to upgrade the station, Amtrak will need board approval for the project. See my separate thread regarding Union Station for more detail.
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