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One can only imagine the cronyism that would take place to construct a rail system with politicians and their pals buying up parcels land in the proposed rights of way and then reselling them to taxpayers at criminally inflated prices.
If the military wanted HSR as transportation for people/materiel, the $$$ would be found in an instant.
Note that this was the driving force behind the construction of the Interstate Highway system after WWII. Western Europe and Japan built high-speed rail; we built highways. Our eggs are firmly in the highway basket, so to speak. Was it the right choice? That's a debate for another time. But to build a second network duplicating a) our existing rail freight system, and b) our existing highway infrastructure is going to be exorbitantly expensive. As one politician (from Ohio? I can't remember) wagged, it'll probably be cheaper to buy every potential passenger a new automobile of their own to use every time they want to travel.
Keep in mind that China lacks the environmental and NIMBY lobbies which can block new construction here, sometimes for decades.
Note that this was the driving force behind the construction of the Interstate Highway system after WWII. Western Europe and Japan built high-speed rail; we built highways. Our eggs are firmly in the highway basket, so to speak. Was it the right choice? That's a debate for another time. But to build a second network duplicating a) our existing rail freight system, and b) our existing highway infrastructure is going to be exorbitantly expensive. As one politician (from Ohio? I can't remember) wagged, it'll probably be cheaper to buy every potential passenger a new automobile of their own to use every time they want to travel.
Keep in mind that China lacks the environmental and NIMBY lobbies which can block new construction here, sometimes for decades.
Darn those folks and their private property, Communism for the win!
There are a lot of things the world could do if it quit spending money on killing each other.
A high speed train could be built in steps. Build a section or two between cities with the most demand, say Washington DC, New York, Boston etc. Get it up and running to start offsetting the cost with income. Then move on to Miami, Chicago, Dallas, LA, Seattle, and points in-between. Maybe it takes 20 or 25 years but it starts paying for itself in the mean time.
Does anyone really believe the same types who run the post office, Amtrak and your local DMV, could efficiently build, run and maintain a high speed rail system? When pigs fly
There are a lot of things the world could do if it quit spending money on killing each other.
A high speed train could be built in steps. Build a section or two between cities with the most demand, say Washington DC, New York, Boston etc. Get it up and running to start offsetting the cost with income. Then move on to Miami, Chicago, Dallas, LA, Seattle, and points in-between. Maybe it takes 20 or 25 years but it starts paying for itself in the mean time.
It would be a long term project. I was on the High Speed rail in Italy this past year. Great ride no need for a car. Got on at FIO and went to Florence and later went back to Rome.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank DeForrest
One can only imagine the cronyism that would take place to construct a rail system with politicians and their pals buying up parcels land in the proposed rights of way and then reselling them to taxpayers at criminally inflated prices.
Like the Interstate Highway System, I suppose?
Private companies? Hmm, the late 19th Century (a.k.a. Gilded Age) is well known for "Robber Barons" heading railroad and oil companies. Sure doesn't sound to me like private companies are the magic bullet killing all the problems with "government this" and "government that".
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