New report evaluates HSR routes, including PGH's (Pittsburgh, Lincoln: airport, train station)

[UKyank]

Originally Posted by SammyKhalifa

It seems like the airport has all of those things.

That's not a bad idea so long as you also have a regular & fast connector into downtown from there.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by UKyank

That's not a bad idea so long as you also have a regular & fast connector into downtown from there.

They do have the 28X bus and its only 18 minutes from PIT to town.

If the purpose of HSR is to replace commuter flights, the airport location seems ideal as central Pennsylvanians would be able to transfer to long distance planes at that location.

[SammyKhalifa]

Originally Posted by UKyank

That's not a bad idea so long as you also have a regular & fast connector into downtown from there.

Which isn't a bad idea anyhow (fast to DT). Besides catching connecting flights, they also have tons of space and parking already.

[WestLibertyAve]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

They do have the 28X bus and its only 18 minutes from PIT to town.

If the purpose of HSR is to replace commuter flights, the airport location seems ideal as central Pennsylvanians would be able to transfer to long distance planes at that location.

The schedule may say 18 minutes, but it's definitely a longer trip than that. Even with completely empty roads, I can't imagine the bus getting from the airport, through Robinson Town Center, and into town in under a half hour.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

I don't it would be that beneficial. Its only a 3 hour drive to Penn State from here, and less than 4 to Harrisburg.

That's without traffic, and keep in mind we are talking about getting past Downtown and to the airport, which can be no trivial task.

In fact I clerked for a year in the Altoona area, and one of my co-clerks was often trying to catch flights out of Pittsburgh. Traffic was frequently a problem, so she would have to leave very early. If there had been a reasonably quick train that stopped at the airport, she would have loved that.

Sure, high speed rail would take less time than driving, but not that much less considering the transport time to and from the stations

If the train actually stopped at PIT, you would only have to worry about getting to the station on the Central PA end, which is the uncongested part.

and the inconvenience of having to travel on the train's schedule instead of your own.

PIT already tends to cluster a lot of departures, and generally if you were smart you could align the train schedule to make it handy for most people connecting to flights.

Automobile, as well as bus travel, also offers a lot more flexibility in choice of locations, stations don't have to be built and the highways and streets are already there.

Again, though, if the scenario is having to fight congestion to get to the airport, flexibility isn't a plus, and using the existing roads is a huge minus.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by pman

it seemed kind of out of left field to me. not that I'm against one in theory.

I've mentioned it before, in part because of the aforementioned experience of my co-clerk with trying to fly out of Central PA (and it is only going to get worse).

Incidentally, and not surprisingly, an awful lot of people living in Central PA are near the train line between Philly and Pittsburgh--and even if you rerouted the train a bit to achieve true HSR, that would still be true.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by UKyank

That's not a bad idea so long as you also have a regular & fast connector into downtown from there.

I'd hope the train would stop both in Downtown and at the airport, thereby providing its own connection.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by WestLibertyAve

I can't imagine the bus getting from the airport, through Robinson Town Center, and into town in under a half hour.

Hopefully we get our state funding back and can once again cut out the Robinson loop.

[UKyank]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I'd hope the train would stop both in Downtown and at the airport, thereby providing its own connection.

Even better.....i do think though that you would need the parking that a place like the airport could provide because I have to believe that true high speed rail to either DC or Philly would be a game changer & would attract travelers from all over the area & not just ones with available alternate transportation into downtown. Even if parking could be handled, the added congestion into downtown wouldnt be welcome, so I think an airport stop for the parking & ease of getting to & a downtown stop for the convenience of being downtown are great ideas.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Hopefully we get our state funding back and can once again cut out the Robinson loop.

Robinson service is pretty important, Brian.

If you are in town during the morning, you could see a fair number of people are using Robinson busses to commute to jobs at the big retail and office complex in the Robinson/N. Fayette areas.

And I think a fair number of folks in Robinson already need rides to Pittsbugh International.

I suppose that the route could be divided and have just some of the trips be express and others stop in Robinson, but cutting out the service completely wouldn't be that great an idea.