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Why do we need high-speed rail? Why spend billions of dollars on this when we can fly or drive across the country? To be "cool" like France or Japan (which are MUCH smaller countries than the US)? It doesn't make sense.
I rather not spend what seems billions of dollars for us consumers just to fly across the country.
When the airliners started charging those unfair fee's for everything, That's when I said I will never fly unless I have to cross an Ocean.
Why charge for bags? you're traveling, which means you need to bring bags. Trains don't charge for bags and they don't have the kind of volume of people using their service nor have high ticket fee's. If trains can get away for not charging customers baggage fee's, than airliners can also.
My thoughts too. Unlike air travel, there will literally be 10s of 1000s of miles of track to protect. How would we go about doing that? Not to mention security of those boarding the trains will become an issue. I certainly wish there was some kind of magic bullet that would make it not so but I'm just looking at things realistically. Although I do have to say that Europe has a fairly decent record with trains. However, they don't have a target painted on their backs like the U.S.
Oh yes they do, if anything Europe is probably more vulnerable because it's not on the other side of the world like the U.S..
Likely, but not as much as airplanes and cars. Yes there are train robberies and hostage situations that can happen. But the trains stay on the tracks and cant be altered.
Planes carry an immense amount of gasoline, and so do cars, they are normally used more for terrorist activities because you would only need limited resources to ignite them and you can control where to target them, they aren't restricted to tracks. Given the amount of gasoline they carry for disposal they are already chemically dangerous areas and terrorists take advantage of such large carriers for gasoline when it comes to collision and ignition. Trains stick to the tracks, and cant be altered in their target. But yes security will be tight, but definitely no where near as inconvenient as the airport security will be.
I do see it changing from time to time Buzzpost, but we're the reason the airline industry became such a villain for travel. The airline industry was prosperous up till the mid 1990's when it started to go downhill, gasoline costs did its damage, and then security regulations being changed and loss of faith in airline travel in general. Its our faults because of the lack in faith in the airline industry fueled by higher costs by diminishing importance of the airline industry really took a toll on their quality of service.
I don't see that with rail travel happening immediately, not for decades actually, its more cost efficient on gasoline and will possibly be generated from different power sources. Some places in China has electric and magnetic forces for HSR. And I don't see the loss of faith in rail travel the way for air travel. That urgency and scare you get 10,000 feet above elevation is just something on another level that the next train robber on ground level.
Just my thoughts on it, Nexis normally does a better job than me though when it comes to emphasizing on Rail Transportation Advantages, so I'll leave it to him from here.
I hope that rail never turns into the nightmare that is air travel Danny. I've always loved traveling by train, especially in Europe and Japan. It's awesome. The biggest problem with trains that I can see (security wise) is the tracks. The tracks need to be protected somehow. Is there a solution that I don't know of? A (not even so well) placed bomb timed to go off while the train is going over would be disastrous. Not trying to give anyone ideas, I'm sure any knuckle headed idiot intending to do harm would have already thought about that. But what do you think about the security of the tracks themselves?
I hope that rail never turns into the nightmare that is air travel Danny. I've always loved traveling by train, especially in Europe and Japan. It's awesome. The biggest problem with trains that I can see (security wise) is the tracks. The tracks need to be protected somehow. Is there a solution that I don't know of? A (not even so well) placed bomb timed to go off while the train is going over would be disastrous. Not trying to give anyone ideas, I'm sure any knuckle headed idiot intending to do harm would have already thought about that. But what do you think about the security of the tracks themselves?
Who is to say they can't do the same for roads or anything else. In all honesty airport security is a giant sinkhole of money and hassle for little results, just have to accept some degree of risk unless you want a toltolitarion system.
Actually if trains do become the same nightmare of air travel then mass transit will happen soon after. If that occurs then few will even bother taking mass transit since it wouldn't be worth it and things like car culture and sprawl make a triumphant return and for good.
I'm pretty sure this has already been said but HSR will be electric, so it will be more "green" for the environment and cut our dependence on oil. Plus everything else Nexis and DANNY said. I hope this does happen. It will definitely make traveling the Piedmont Crescent easier. But I see that won't happen until 2020. Until then I will take advantage of shorter trips between Charlotte and Atlanta. Let's make it happen folks.
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