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Old 03-31-2021, 08:31 PM
 
Location: Earth
7,643 posts, read 6,476,108 times
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https://www.azfamily.com/news/featur...119af0c97.html


union station is being wasted not being used
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Old 03-31-2021, 08:55 PM
 
Location: PHX -> ATL
6,311 posts, read 6,811,816 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dangerous-Boy View Post
https://www.azfamily.com/news/featur...119af0c97.html


union station is being wasted not being used
They should have done this years ago!! I'm so excited for Phoenix to get Amtrak service
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Old 03-31-2021, 09:15 PM
 
Location: East Central Phoenix
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If we're going to bring back passenger train service between Phoenix and anywhere else, high speed bullet trains should be the way to go. I hate to use California as an example, but they've had high speed rail in the planning stages long before this news broke about Amtrak service being restored (despite cutbacks in their plans). If we're going to plan for the future, we need to quit focusing so much on the past. Amtrak is outdated and slow!
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Old 03-31-2021, 09:25 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Valley Native View Post
I hate to use California as an example, but they've had high speed rail in the planning stages long before this news broke about Amtrak service being restored (despite cutbacks in their plans).
The current "plan" for California's high speed rail is to run between Bakersfield and Fresno, two cities which are too small to warrant an interstate highway to either. The only reason they haven't canceled their high speed rail is they would have to give the $5Billion they took from the Federal government back if they do so. Though with Biden in office I wouldn't be surprised if that repayment requirement is waived, and they officially kill the high speed rail project.

To put this in perspective, the original plan was a total of $30 billion to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles, The current "plan" is $100 billion to connect Bakersfield to Fresno. Connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles has no estimate, but based on the $100 billion for Bakersfield to Fresno, it would be several hundred billion dollars.

Maybe it's just California and other states can do it much better, but that is how high speed rail turned out in California.
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Old 03-31-2021, 09:41 PM
 
Location: East Central Phoenix
8,042 posts, read 12,261,295 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jdhpa View Post
The current "plan" for California's high speed rail is to run between Bakersfield and Fresno, two cities which are too small to warrant an interstate highway to either.

To put this in perspective, the original plan was a total of $30 billion to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles, The current "plan" is $100 billion to connect Bakersfield to Fresno. Connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles has no estimate, but based on the $100 billion for Bakersfield to Fresno, it would be several hundred billion dollars.
How idiotic on their part. Bakersfield & Fresno aren't big enough to support such a system, especially considering other metros like L.A., San Diego, and the Bay Area would benefit much more from bullet trains. Besides, I didn't mention previously that such a system could be built with private investment instead of being fully funded by the government. Hell, if SpaceX can accomplish just as much as (if not more than) NASA, then there certainly should be entrepreneurial interest in high speed transportation!

Quote:
Originally Posted by jdhpa View Post
Maybe it's just California and other states can do it much better, but that is how high speed rail turned out in California.
California was probably a poor example given what you posted ... however, at least they deserve some credit for the attempt. My whole point was restoring Amtrak service to Phoenix is equivalent to bringing back horse drawn stagecoaches. Amtrak is very slow and obsolete in comparison to what could be accomplished. And yes, I think Arizona could do high speed rail better with more initiative! Of course, ADOT would have to be out of the picture. They can't even get moving on the planning stages of Interstate 11 between Phoenix & Nevada!
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Old 03-31-2021, 09:54 PM
 
94 posts, read 148,254 times
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This will be great, especially if it can improve on my commute to SFO. It currently takes me almost 2 hours to get there.

While the article didn't say how fast the train would be I imagine it would be similar. The additional leg room would be worth it. I know that trains are in general much cheaper than flying as well, an added bonus in my opinion.
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Old 04-01-2021, 01:43 AM
 
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
27,606 posts, read 14,596,838 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skydude24 View Post
This will be great, especially if it can improve on my commute to SFO. It currently takes me almost 2 hours to get there.

While the article didn't say how fast the train would be I imagine it would be similar. The additional leg room would be worth it. I know that trains are in general much cheaper than flying as well, an added bonus in my opinion.
Planes can go 600 mph, current bullet trains can only do half that
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Old 04-01-2021, 10:27 AM
 
4,624 posts, read 9,276,167 times
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I think the plan is to only connect Phoenix to Las Vegas via Southern California, not directly from Phoenix to Vegas. This was a big no from me even if it was direct, I'll stick to the cheap 50 minute flights.
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Old 04-01-2021, 02:16 PM
 
Location: Chandler, AZ
3,285 posts, read 2,661,913 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Valley Native View Post
California was probably a poor example given what you posted ... however, at least they deserve some credit for the attempt.
No, they don't. It was always a pie-in-the-sky idea created to benefit public employee unions, politicians' family members, and connected insiders (Dianne Feinstein's husband raked in a billion+ over this) The original proposition laid out several specific requirements on speed, cost, etc. Every single one was completely blown out of the water within a very few years.

California taxpayers will be paying for absolutely nothing for decades to come, while politicians from one particular political party (guess which) will walk away with millions or more, and their family members will have lifetime sinecures.
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Old 04-01-2021, 02:20 PM
 
9,196 posts, read 16,641,113 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jnojr View Post
No, they don't. It was always a pie-in-the-sky idea created to benefit public employee unions, politicians' family members, and connected insiders (Dianne Feinstein's husband raked in a billion+ over this) The original proposition laid out several specific requirements on speed, cost, etc. Every single one was completely blown out of the water within a very few years.

California taxpayers will be paying for absolutely nothing for decades to come, while politicians from one particular political party (guess which) will walk away with millions or more, and their family members will have lifetime sinecures.
That's a debunked alt-right conspiracy theory and total nonsense.
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