Cincinnati-Indianapolis-Chicago high speed rail (Columbus, Cleveland: rent, construction, taxi)

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by unusualfire

Not feasible? If it's not feasible now it will never be. 20 year from now $20 billion. 50 years from now $50 billion. 100 years from now $100 billion.

What are the projected ridership estimates for a high-speed rail line from Cincinnati, OH to Chicago, IL? The number of daily riders to support and pay for building, operating and maintaining such a line. All to satisfy the folks who want to take a very occasional ride to Chicago on a train.

Cinci should develop a real local transit system before trying to be connected to Chicago by high-speed trains pretending to be Paris, France.

Yes, Cincinnati, Ohio, high-speed trains, one a day to and from Chicago, costing of billions of dollars, with daily ridership of 100 and a round-trip ticket cost of $250-$300; at that price make it 65 daily riders. Sounds like it's worth it! Oh yeah, almost forgot, it will never be worth it. The 1940s were 70 years ago. There's a reason train travel died became the least viable mode of transportation; highways and airports.

[Briolat21]

I don't think this is very likely to ever happen, however this is one project that if it were to happen I'd actually consider using. Getting around Chi-town on public transportation is very easy (I lived there for 2 years) and parking there is incredibly expensive.

While flying in and getting dowtown from O'Hare isn't impossible, taking a train directly would be that much simpler. Along with not having to deal with the hassle of flying.

Anyway - we'd use it for the occasional long-weekend trip, but are the first to admit that such random sparse use is what would make the whole project unsupportable.

Perhaps if there were significant business connections btw Cinci/Chicago ... but realistically I think since we lack the population density of the East coast it would be impossible to get the economics to work out here.

[rrtechno]

The current airport situation in Chicago probably has a lot of people wishing there was better train service in and out of there.

[CarryOn]

We'd definitely use it, depending on the price of the ticket. We go to Chicago every other year and the one big reason we don't do it every year is getting there and back, whether flying or driving, is a huge PITA. If a high-speed train can make it more convenient, sign me up.

[Arthur_Indy]

The ignorance on this thread is jaw dropping! The cause and effect corollary that keeps getting drawn is "rail will never work because everyone stopped using it 70 years ago and got into cars" and "why build it when it will cost billions and no one will every use it." I also keep seeing the word "subsidize" dropped frequently. WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK THE INTERSTATE AND HIGHWAY SYSTEM IS!?!?!? That entire spiderweb of transportation is MASSIVELY subsidized! Airports, MASSIVELY subsidized! Amtrak ....subsidized, yes, but minor compared to the other two.

And, people didn't flee away from rail for their cars. The Automotive industry marketed against rail and encouraged the mystique of individual ownership and open road freedom. My point of origin is Indianapolis. If my choice were a 3 hour car ride with traffic and parking headaches vs a 1.5 to 2 hour train ride.... rail wins hands down. IF this were built the ridership would blow the minds of all of you naysayers.

I will now sit back and watch ALL of you rip my statements apart and defend the automotive industry.... an industry that has had sooo much innovation, that my 1996 car gets the same gas mileage a brand new car would get. (pathetic)

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by Arthur_Indy

The ignorance on this thread is jaw dropping! The cause and effect corollary that keeps getting drawn is "rail will never work because everyone stopped using it 70 years ago and got into cars" and "why build it when it will cost billions and no one will every use it." I also keep seeing the word "subsidize" dropped frequently. WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK THE INTERSTATE AND HIGHWAY SYSTEM IS!?!?!? That entire spiderweb of transportation is MASSIVELY subsidized! Airports, MASSIVELY subsidized! Amtrak ....subsidized, yes, but minor compared to the other two.

And, people didn't flee away from rail for their cars. The Automotive industry marketed against rail and encouraged the mystique of individual ownership and open road freedom. My point of origin is Indianapolis. If my choice were a 3 hour car ride with traffic and parking headaches vs a 1.5 to 2 hour train ride.... rail wins hands down. IF this were built the ridership would blow the minds of all of you naysayers.

I will now sit back and watch ALL of you rip my statements apart and defend the automotive industry.... an industry that has had sooo much innovation, that my 1996 car gets the same gas mileage a brand new car would get. (pathetic)

Every time one of these rail subjects gets posted there is an outpouring of pledges of undying support for it. Then it kind of dies down and blows away.

If your 1996 gets the same mileage as a brand new car, you must be buying the wrong kind of car. The industry has made large strides in gas mileage over the last decade and a half. As long as people insist on SUVs there is only so much they can do.

[WILWRadio]

Right now the rails are owned by freight companies. Passenger trains have to give right of way to freight trains when their courses conflict which means a trip that should take two hours by passenger train may take twice as long.

[Arthur_Indy]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

If your 1996 gets the same mileage as a brand new car, you must be buying the wrong kind of car. The industry has made large strides in gas mileage over the last decade and a half. As long as people insist on SUVs there is only so much they can do.

I have not nor will i ever own an SUV. My '96 is a Buick Regal. It currently gets 24 city and 29 hwy. Explain to me how that is great strides in 18 years? The car i had before that was a '76 Buick Electra (giant behemoth of a car, but it was what i could afford in college...) That car was getting 18 city and 24 hwy in the mid 90's and it was the equivalent weight of an SUV or large sedan. Tell me how that is an improvement in 38 years??? Have you seen the mileage on a Chrysler 300? Cadillac CTS? The truth is, i don't want those cars.... I don't even want the car I have. I'd rather have a smaller car and a hybrid on top of that.... but, I have the car i can afford. (The one I've owned forever ) Please, tell me I'm a fool for sticking with 18 yr old tech that is only slightly poorer in efficiency than its modern equivalent. Please tell me to shut up because I don't understand how great and magnificent car tech has progressed. Please, pay all of my bills so I can afford to buy a new car.... or, lets realize that there is actual merit to transportation other than automobiles and have a real discussion about bringing the US into the 21st Century. I am getting extremely tired of the new American mantra of "We Can't"

[kjbrill]

Arthur_Indy ... All you have to do is look at the sales of SUVs and you can see where the sentiments of the American public lie with respect to transportation. If the SUVs don't convince you look at the number of large pickups being bought when the owners have nothing to haul in them. There are a number of small cars on the market now which push highway mileage into the forties. They are small, they are light, but not unpleasant to drive.

As far as the American mantra of "We Can't", I think it is rather "We Don't Want To".

I personally like Cincinnati's new streetcar even though I feel it is economically unjustifiable. It is kind of racy and should bring a flair to downtown. Just recognize it for what it will really be, a subsidized tourist attraction. If those tourists bring enough money to town that will be fine.

But when it comes to extending it to what is called the uptown connector, bah humbug, most tourists do not want to go uptown. If the uptown connector ever gets guilt it should be because the hospitals collectively plus UC being enough economic pressure to bear.

[mike1003]

Originally Posted by American Luxury

?Hamilton County commissioners want Cincinnati-Chicago high-speed rail study - Cincinnati Business Courier

Really looking forward to this and hope it happens!

Not in my lifetime (probably not in my grand-kid's lifetimes)