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Why would TSA style checks "inevitably" be required? If we want to ride the slippery slope, why aren't TSA checks required for everyone getting on the freeway? How do I know your car isn't packed with explosives, after all?
It's not like you can fly a train into a building.
You can still blow up the train en route or in the station.
I don't think anyone suggests using high speed rail for that situation.
Pittsburgh to NYC would be slightly over 3 hours, ditto for NYC to Buffalo.
Actually, I might consider it at 12 hours portal to portal. It takes the better part of a day anyway, to fly, and it's two hours later in Pittsburgh, so it's always late when you get there from here. However, it occurred to me that the train would make several stops en route and that would drag out the time span.
What do people think about Boltbus and other "high-amenity" bus lines?
I ride bolt bus quite often to new York. It, and megabus, are by far the cheapest options to new York. Tix prices are Rarely over $20, which is About equal to the toll cost to drive. No stops, comfy enough seats, and wifi. I routinely pay $32 or so for a round trip. Not having a station is sort of annoying, and it can be pretty chaotic lining up to board in NYC for the return trip. A trip with no traffic is about 3.75 hours. Drivers Are courteous and less reckless than the Chinatown routes.
Amtrak is the Fastest and most comfortable to ny, under 3 hours. But also the mos expensive. Advance purchase is $49, but last minute travel can be as much as $160 for a regional train and $240ish for Acela service.
It's ready not even worth it to fly. Spend more time in security queue and walking around the terminal than on the train!
You can't exactly smuggle enough explosives to blow up a train in your carry-on.
And the freeway (especially a bridge, interchange or other choke point) of a major city during rush hour isn't?
Nothing prevents individuals working in a team from taking multiple pieces of luggage onboard. Note that you don't have to destroy a target to achieve the desired affect.
There have been terrorists attacks on trains already though none in the US; the London Underground and a Spanish commuter train. And probably some others. But it would completely impractical to do a security check for a subway or commuter train; the volume of people is too high and it would completely slow the system down if they tried. NYC's subway and commuter trains have "random bag searches" together with plastering signs across the system saying "If see something say something" or "2000 [paranoid] New Yorkers saw something and reported." The random bag searches are futile. They only search a tiny fraction of people and legally you can refuse a search and leave the train.
Considering how easy it is for terrorists to attack local transit, why should terrorists bother with high speed rail? An attack on high speed rail isn't any more terrorizing or destructive than local rail.
The London Underground removed all its trash cans to prevent the IRA from placing bombs in them.
Between the airsickness, bad food (if it is even offered), cramped seats, poor customer service, endless delays and cancellations, having to remove your shoes at the security gate and who knows what other items of clothing, being felt up and degraded by a bunch of power-mad TSA agents, flying in the US has become a form of sadomasochism and torture.
But people are still largely opposed to high-speed rail? Go figure.
In Chicago, north suburbs, there is 1/2 day road. It's called that because it was a 1/2 days travel from there to Chicago back in the day.
Anyone crying about air travel and *gasp* having to take your shoes off needs a serious reality check. I recommend a 3 day train ride across India....3rd class.
There have been terrorists attacks on trains already though none in the US; the London Underground and a Spanish commuter train. And probably some others. But it would completely impractical to do a security check for a subway or commuter train; the volume of people is too high and it would completely slow the system down if they tried. NYC's subway and commuter trains have "random bag searches" together with plastering signs across the system saying "If see something say something" or "2000 [paranoid] New Yorkers saw something and reported." The random bag searches are futile. They only search a tiny fraction of people and legally you can refuse a search and leave the train.
Considering how easy it is for terrorists to attack local transit, why should terrorists bother with high speed rail? An attack on high speed rail isn't any more terrorizing or destructive than local rail.
The London Underground removed all its trash cans to prevent the IRA from placing bombs in them.
Maybe the terrorists have been unable to organize anything to do so. Or maybe they haven't really considered it, yet. And you're right. The destruction of rail (HSR or otherwise) probably wouldn't be high. But it doesn't have to be to achieve the desired effect of terrorism which is to terrorize people - the actual destruction of a target is secondary.
Considering how effective, or so it seems, that airport security has become, I would be shocked if there was no TSA presence at such a high-profile site as a HSR station.
[then again, government is generally reactive so maybe I won't be surprised]
Flying is great, it's the TSA and the airlines which are the problem. Let high speed rail become popular and the TSA will be all over it (and yes, they're trying already!) and we'll have steerage-class cars with as little room as airplanes do now.
Amtrak currently serves 30 million passengers a year. Why isn't the TSA all over Amtrak?
Have you ever heard of a train-jacking? I haven't. But as we all know, there have been dozens of airplane hijackings in modern history. Hijackers like to target airplanes because they are easier targets.
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