Rail Transportation in the US (compared, Chicago, Seattle, elect)

[irwin]

How can we improve transportation options in the US, specifically rail transportation?

Compared to other developed countries, the US is far behind in terms of rail transportation. Our air transportation system is jammed and delays are now just accepted. The congested system also leads to a much higher chance of accidents; there are numerous reports of close calls on airports. Air travel is noisy and a big contributor in greenhouse emissions.

The US currently doesn't have any high speed rail lines in this country. Japan, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Spain, South Korea...even Turkey has high speed rail! Acela, the US's sad attempt at high speed rail is much, much slower than comparable systems around the world. The US has planned a series of high speed corridor routes around the country but of course that hasn't gone anywhere. A planned high speed rail connecting the major cities in Texas was killed by the legislature in the mid-1990s after pressure was exerted by Southwest Airlines (American democracy at its best).

For supposedly being the richest and most developed country in the world, we are a third-world country in terms of transportation infrastructure. How do we change this? Is it simply a matter of paying higher taxes to update and upgrade our failing system? Are Americans simply too cheap?

[jufrbo]

Two words. Oil subsidies. Because of the artificially low price of gas it is still cheaper to fly and drive. You take away the subsidies, gas gets very expensive, we'll be building electric trains all over. In turn driving down the price of gas due to lack of demand, and it won't murder to fill up, but the trains will be in place, people will be used to them, and the demand for gas will stay low. Those who want to drive can, those want to stay on the train can.

An alternate reason is the US is much larger than all those countries. The biggest of all those mentioned is Germany, it is the size of Texas. Would you rather ride a train from Seattle to New York or fly?

[jfre81]

Maybe not taking a coast-to-coast train ride, but maybe rail is the way to go for regional trips. Taking a high-speed train from Seattle to San Jose might not be so bad....limit air travel to long-haul flights where ground travel is less practical.

[jufrbo]

Originally Posted by jfre81

Maybe not taking a coast-to-coast train ride, but maybe rail is the way to go for regional trips. Taking a high-speed train from Seattle to San Jose might not be so bad....limit air travel to long-haul flights where ground travel is less practical.

It is absolutley not a bad idea to go from Seattle to San Jose by train. It is just cheaper to fly due to subsidies.

[irwin]

I agree with you on the oil subsidies. I also think that given the environmental damage automobiles cause and our traffic problems gas is not taxed enough in the US. Such a change in policy would improve a lot of other problems with US life as well (would reduce sprawl for example) but even mentioning such a thing is next to blasphemy in the land of giant trucks and SUV's.

As far as distance, none of the plans I have seen call for high speed lines connecting the coast. In fact, that is a big problem with Amtrak right now; they spend a lot on long routes that are rarely used. Within corridors, you would have high speed trains (ex. between San Diego, LA and San Francisco, Seattle and Portland, DC to NY to Boston, etc) but travel outside those corridors you would still be through plane.

[Greatday]

Originally Posted by irwin

How can we improve transportation options in the US, specifically rail transportation?

Compared to other developed countries, the US is far behind in terms of rail transportation.

None of the countries you cited compare in geographic size to the United States.

Our sheer size makes useful national rail service next to impossible

[irwin]

Originally Posted by Greatday

None of the countries you cited compare in geographic size to the United States.

Our sheer size makes useful national rail service next to impossible

Again, we are not talking about a system that connects the coasts or travels long distances. That is the basis for the corridor system.

Below is a map developed by the DOT.

[Greatday]

Wow - the whole southwest (with high population centers) are left out

[j33]

Build up the regional networks and make them strong and reliable. I agree that a train ride from LA to New York would probably not be used that much, but a good high speed regional network in the most populated regions of the US would make a lot of sense.

On an purely personal level, I would love a great high speed straight shot train ride to New York from Chicago, but that is a bit beyond the scope of a good regional network.

[jufrbo]

^^That would be great. But again, subsudies. When will the gov't figure out that when they stay out of things, such as transportation, it improves?