Midwest High Speed rail proposal (Pittsburgh, Harrisburg: military, authority, manufactured)
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"Pittsburgh has Virtually NO RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MIDWEST...."
Isn't that a bit of a stretch? There are a few people on this very thread who have family ties to the midwest. By the time you get to Beaver County, a lot of people have relationships in Ohio, and consider eastern Ohio to be part of their own little stomping grounds.
Not when you take the entire 2.4 Million metro region into account....
So why did Megabus have to Cancel virtually all Midwest Routes out of Pittsburgh save for one Cleveland, Detroit, Ann Arbor run and even its on life support...And increase service to NYC, Philadelphia, and Washington DC...Which none offer 1$ fares anymore hell I haven't seen anything less that 15-20$ on any of those eastern line.
Everywhere Megabus has created hubs has seen record growth...Except for Pittsburgh-Midwest routes which keep getting axed every time they try it...Now why is that you think.
.from a Pittsburgh focal point it only make pure common sense that priority be focused on linking Pittsburgh with its main hinterland cities and they all happen to be to the East.
...but no one from the east coast is proposing any such link, here is a discussion linking Pittsburgh to a HSR. It would be silly if this plan were to make any headway to do nothing but embrace it with as open arms as possible as HSR would be a boon to the city. Maybe we're not as culturally connected to the Midwest as other areas, but that's no reason to shun a rail connection unless you're afraid that said connection would result in an increased cultural imprint from the Midwest?
I know for me personally, I rarely go to chicago now if im taking a quick trip in favor of DC, Philly or to a lesser extent NYC, but that would most definitely change to some extent if I could easily get to Chicago via HSR.
In my mind it goes back to Pittsburgh's importance to the auto industry.
Pittsburgh was never a big player in the automotive industry. This is exactly what I talk about when I say that the types of manufacturing in Pittsburgh are different from the types of manufacturing in most Midwestern cities. The Midwestern cities specialized in finished products like automobiles, construction and agricultural equipment, and all the parts therein. Pittsburgh specialized in advanced materials like steel, aluminum, glass and chemicals.
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Originally Posted by Evergrey
What Pittsburgh needs first... is HSR across the mountains to Harrisburg... which will plug into the existing infrastructure between HBG and Philly and the rest of the East Coast. A PGH-DC line would also be fantastic for the the region... and would be the critical link for future DC-Midwest connectivity.
As much as I love rail travel, it's overly ambitious dreams like thi one that kill the prospects fora common-sense revival of rail service in the areas where it's a good fit. In the case of Pennsylvania, that means:
(1) restoring the "extended" Philadelphia suburban service formerly operated by the Reading lines and SEPTA, to Bethlehem, Reading and possibly Pottsville.
(2) co-operating with New Jersey to get the New York-based suburban network extended to Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. A feeder could also be extended from Hackettstown to Harrisburg via the Lehigh Valley and Reading.
(3) developing a "true" Pittsburgh commuter network. The Pennsylvania Railroad once had service to about a half-dozen outlying communities, including Greensburg, Washington, Kitanning and Beaver Falls, but due to the heavy-industry dominance of the Pittsburgh of the day, the service was thin -- geared to shopping day-trips rather than going to work.
I wouldn't hold out much hope for substantial expansion of the Harrisburg-Pittsburgh service. The nature of the terrain, with many curves, makes major improvements in speed impossible; tunneling is extremely expensive and sure to raise a scream from the NIMBY (Not in MY Back Yard) crowd, and the obvious major target market -- Happy Valley -- would require a feeder bus service.
For anyone seriously interested in an advocacy for passenger rail service, I've posted a link below to a site where the issue is regularly, and respectfully, explored by a wide range of people with various ties to the rail industry.
Honestly, I think having Pittsburgh as an end point coming from either the west or east is a waste. Geographically and economically, it makes sense for Pittsbugh to be more of a stop / hub than as a end destination. We should accept any proposal, then see about getting the other side to connect into the system, providing more overall utility for everyone.
By the way, has any of the eastern cities expressed interest in HSR connections to Pittsburgh? We could politically be at an advantage if we bring the two sides together and get them to see Pittsburgh as a mini east / west hub.
...but no one from the east coast is proposing any such link, here is a discussion linking Pittsburgh to a HSR. It would be silly if this plan were to make any headway to do nothing but embrace it with as open arms as possible as HSR would be a boon to the city. Maybe we're not as culturally connected to the Midwest as other areas, but that's no reason to shun a rail connection unless you're afraid that said connection would result in an increased cultural imprint from the Midwest?
I know for me personally, I rarely go to chicago now if im taking a quick trip in favor of DC, Philly or to a lesser extent NYC, but that would most definitely change to some extent if I could easily get to Chicago via HSR.
Notice I said from a Pittsburgh perspective....Not east Coast....Fine Chicago want to spend the money why should Pittsburgh stop them...No Skin of Pittsburgh or PA nose for that matter.
But when it comes to where Pittsburgh focus should lie obviously its to the East First.
Honestly, I think having Pittsburgh as an end point coming from either the west or east is a waste. Geographically and economically, it makes sense for Pittsbugh to be more of a stop / hub than as a end destination. We should accept any proposal, then see about getting the other side to connect into the system, providing more overall utility for everyone.
By the way, has any of the eastern cities expressed interest in HSR connections to Pittsburgh? We could politically be at an advantage if we bring the two sides together and get them to see Pittsburgh as a mini east / west hub.
but the thing is, its not really an "end point". You can still catch trains to other areas in decent amounts of time from Pittsburgh via train going eastward...it just wouldn't be the Bullet train..YET. That is the advantage, the main advantage to this... it connects Pittsburgh to an important region and also spurs PLETHORAS of growth and expansion opportunity
Honestly, I think having Pittsburgh as an end point coming from either the west or east is a waste. Geographically and economically, it makes sense for Pittsbugh to be more of a stop / hub than as a end destination. We should accept any proposal, then see about getting the other side to connect into the system, providing more overall utility for everyone.
By the way, has any of the eastern cities expressed interest in HSR connections to Pittsburgh? We could politically be at an advantage if we bring the two sides together and get them to see Pittsburgh as a mini east / west hub.
It's pretty much a PA issue, and HSR or Semi-HSR if you will are already in place from Harrisburg East....So no reason for anyone but PA to propose finishing Keystone west, and a case can be made that Pittsburgh not Harrisburg is a true End Point for the Keystone line..And its already being studied by the state......
Pittsburgh was never a big player in the automotive industry. This is exactly what I talk about when I say that the types of manufacturing in Pittsburgh are different from the types of manufacturing in most Midwestern cities. The Midwestern cities specialized in finished products like automobiles, construction and agricultural equipment, and all the parts therein. Pittsburgh specialized in advanced materials like steel, aluminum, glass and chemicals.
I thought that's what the steel produced in Pittsburgh was used for.
There was also lots of steelmaking in the midwest, particularly around Chicago, and even in as far-off a midwestern city as Duluth, MN.
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) crowd, and the obvious major target market -- Happy Valley -- would require a feeder bus service.
