Proposed map of new high speed train system for North America

[scotyg]

too much empty space in this country for that

[GlutesBrah]

How do you explain the part of the track that goes through the ocean up near Michigan? Lol you might wanna rethink that part otherwise it looks good.

[Apocc]

Why do politicians keep trying to "fix" a problem that doesn't exist?

Short distance, people will drive
Long distance, flying is faster

Trains are one giant choke-point. Any major failure along the route, and nothing moves. (Airplanes or cars can simply re-route).

"High speed" loses its high speed when you include stops. Or, fewer stops means less likely it goes where you want to, and you're back to a car/bus anyway.

Honestly bro, the main appeal of this plan is that it makes the huge distances separating the US cities seem smaller and so everything feels cozier and more connected which makes people feel all fuzzy inside. You gotta admit, the prospect of having national train stops gets you feeling somewhat like exploring more of the country no?

[MrBest]

LOL one route end at Monterey MX so much for the War on Drugs

[nutsy54]

You guys are $14,000,000,000,000 dollars in debt, better start begging China for more loans lol

Correction: $16,750,000,000,000

Hell, Hawaii is trying to blow $6+ Billion on an unneeded 17 mile rail that the studies admit won't help traffic... Same mentality. Build it 'cuz it's cool!

[nutsy54]

You gotta admit, the prospect of having national train stops gets you feeling somewhat like exploring more of the country no?

Wut?

Car, plane, Greyhound, AMTRAK... already plenty of options for "exploration", without blowing $Trillions more we don't have.

[solidus2k3]

would love for this to happen SRS

[ukero]

by the time this thing begins or finishes we will be teleporting. this should of started back in the 60's.

[nutsy54]

Philly to LA in a day? Sign me up

Philly to LAX in 6 hours, direct flight... $418 round trip.

http://www.kayak.com/#/flights/PHL-L...04-24-flexible

[supremebro]

i swear to god i saw this on some webpage on the deep web like 3 months ago

[|progress|]

This. Will. Be. Allsome.

[nutsy54]

Ive been on trains in Europe and its WAY better than flying. You can bring your laptop, free wifi, seats are nice, drinks, snacks, ect. Even if it takes a few hours longer it's so much less of a hassle.

"A few hours longer" on the small scale of Europe... now expand that to the US:

[NonSmoker]

"A few hours longer" on the small scale of Europe... now expand that to the US:

it'd be viable on the eastern half of the US then

[nutsy54]

BRB Don't have to get to airport 2 hours earlier for check in, brb don't have to wait because flight delayed 1 hour.

Why do you think there wouldn't be any security for such a high-profile target? Blow up one train in the middle of a run, hundreds dead, that entire track segment is unusable - and nobody gets from one side to the other until the full investigation in completed, repairs are made, the new track is tested, etc. (Not to mention the massive security costs to ensure the tracks remain safe).

Oh, and of course there will never be maintenance problems/delays with trains, right?
And storms or other problems won't just randomly halt all travel between Point A & B?

Amtrak on-time performance is roughly 75-85%... No reason to expect much more complicated and demanding high-speed trains would be any better.

http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/publicat...amtrak_on_time

[KJ6182]

Big problem is condemning property through eminent domain to cut through the area. Which is why it's so much easier to do this in a communist country where the government would just take property without quarrel.

[psai]

stops in tijuana, juarez, and monterrey

inb4 cartels start using the high-speed rail system to smuggle drugs throughout the country at high speed (semi srs)

[Maxwell1995]

Awh yeah son. Dark blue line cuts right through texas, st. louis, the middle of illinois, and up through new england. Brb high speed transit to the four places in the US that I will ever go.

The only downside is that this is probably publically funded, amirite?

[Mr.Bill]

LOL it will be like the 1860's all over again. We will ship a ton of Chinese people over here to build the new transcontinental railroad.

[AZthetics]

You guys are missing the biggest point here...

The reason this is going to happen is because fuel is going to get more and more expensive. Travel will become socialized. We will no longer be able to travel freely and our travels and interactions with the world will be tracked every step of the way.

[Jasonw1178]

No thanks Jeff.

BRB in debt
BRB overspending
BRB budget cuts
BRB Sequester
BRB lets spend more money
BRB America!

Why do politicians keep trying to "fix" a problem that doesn't exist?

Short distance, people will drive
Long distance, flying is faster

Trains are one giant choke-point. Any major failure along the route, and nothing moves. (Airplanes or cars can simply re-route).

"High speed" loses its high speed when you include stops. Or, fewer stops means less likely it goes where you want to, and you're back to a car/bus anyway.

This.

No doubt, just like an airplane, you'll have to get there 2hrs early so you can go through security, which includes x-ray, angus peppering, anal probe, take off shoes, then the stops, then getting off and you have to catch a ride from there. By the time all that is said and done, might as well just drove or gone on a plane.

BRB scared of hights
BRB would ride
BRB would probably just drive.

[Sinergy2010]

max speed 220 miles per hour?

Aint nobody got time for that

[Fist-Of-Freedom]

You guys are missing the biggest point here...

The reason this is going to happen is because fuel is going to get more and more expensive. Travel will become socialized. We will no longer be able to travel freely and our travels and interactions with the world will be tracked every step of the way.

Bingo

[Dasser]

so it takes the train like 24 hours to go from NY to LA? no thanks jeff. Too slow.

[nutsy54]

The reason this is going to happen is because fuel is going to get more and more expensive.

Are these magic trains that won't require fuel/energy?


http://www.templetons.com/brad/transit-myth.html

[AZthetics]

Are these magic trains that won't require fuel/energy?


http://www.templetons.com/brad/transit-myth.html

I have a hard time believing those economies of scale...

[nutsy54]

I have a hard time believing those economies of scale...

That's why I cited the source. Pretty much matches other sites I searched through.

Do you realize a single Amtrak car weighs around 150,000 pounds? That's a lot of mass to get moving, before you even add passengers & baggage.

[TypeZero]

Just think of how many slaves it would take to build that.

[AZthetics]

That's why I cited the source. Pretty much matches other sites I searched through.

Do you realize a single Amtrak car weighs around 150,000 pounds? That's a lot of mass to get moving, before you even add passengers & baggage.

I agree with your rationale, but I just imagine socialized transportation advancing at a faster rate than solo transportation.

[bn7]

Legalize pot, tax the fack out of it. Make the stoners pay for the high speed rail lines.

[rbforme]

So less convenient than my car for short trips and slower than a plane for long trips? SIGN ME UP!