Hearings planned on potential Atlanta-Charlotte rail line (Alpharetta, Duluth: price, bus)

[tikigod311]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Point is, even if you are not going to personally use it often, it is something we should be considering in the coming decades (Even if LA county has more people than 42 of the 50 states). And that means planning now, and starting a gauge exactly how much demand there is for it today and in the future.

I compltely agree with this. I keep bringing up points against HSR, but in reality, I see the value in planning for the future. This is a technology that can be converted to use electricity which could take advantage of (fingers crossed) serious advances in power generation.

I think the arguments for a current need for HSR are kind of weak. However, planning for it is a good idea.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Looks like some country-bumpkin town's train station.

Well, so does Atlanta's present one.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=amtra...,+Georgia&z=20

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Remember the current airport at ATL didn't even exist until 33 years ago, and planning started in 1967. The HSR lines will need that sort of time scale to be built out.

Our plane touched down in Atlanta in 1971 and the airport was slammed even then with about 10 planes lining up to take their turn taking off (took forever for us to get back in the air). The airline industry was growing back then but I don't see Amtrak today begging for larger stations and more capacity...or even other passenger rail players planning to join in. In other words, planning for what?

[arjay57]

Build it and they will come, Mathman. If people in Europe and Asia go tearing around on comfortable, speedy trains, then why wouldn't Americans do the same?

[MattCW]

Charlotte is currently building a new Intermodal station much closer to downtown, to accommodate both existing, and all expected future services.

HSR to Charlotte probably wouldn't even start out as true 220mph bullet trains. That would come later. I very highly doubt that anything other than the existing Norfolk Southern Alignment will be chosen to begin with. Throw in some track upgrades to make NS happy, upgrade a few stations, and you can begin running trains. 4-5 hours Atlanta to Charlotte with 3-4 frequencies per day would be highly competitive. There's just no way around that. Farther flung routes, to rural vs urban termini, are doing very well in this country, like the Illinois Services to Carbondale and Quincy, and the Pere Marquette to Grand Rapids. Services between Chicago and St. Louis, and Chicago and Detroit are doing even better. Atlanta and Charlotte aren't Chicago or Detroit or St. Louis, but they aren't far off. Charlotte will eventually serve as one end of a true HSR corridor down from the Northeast. At 220mph, Atlanta to Charlotte would be just over flight time, but go directly to the downtowns, Atlanta to DC and New York, would be about two and three hours respectively, longer than scheduled flight time, but again offer downtown-downtown access.

You can't always start out building 220mph bullet trains. Using more conventional equipment to grow the demand is the best way of doing things for this corridor. The interstate highway system didn't become a 16-lane clogged up mess overnight, and the trains won't be packed to the gills on 30 minute headways overnight either.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Well, so does Atlanta's present one.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=amtra...,+Georgia&z=20

Uh, no.

[StAubin]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Our plane touched down in Atlanta in 1971 and the airport was slammed even then with about 10 planes lining up to take their turn taking off (took forever for us to get back in the air). The airline industry was growing back then but I don't see Amtrak today begging for larger stations and more capacity...or even other passenger rail players planning to join in. In other words, planning for what?

I used amtrak from Atlanta last Friday, the station was very very very crowded, standing room only, for our one train towards New York. So it's safe to assume improved service would produce good results.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by StAubin

I used amtrak from Atlanta last Friday, the station was very very very crowded, standing room only, for our one train towards New York. So it's safe to assume improved service would produce good results.

I suppose 287 people would seem crowded in a station that's about the size of a McMansion.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Build it and they will come, Mathman. If people in Europe and Asia go tearing around on comfortable, speedy trains, then why wouldn't Americans do the same?

We had an extensive passenger rail system and it went away. Remember?

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Uh, no.

Maybe you need a close up of Atlanta's Grand Central Station.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=amtra...79.82,,0,-0.57

But take off those rose-colored glasses first.