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Autotrains make less sense when cars become a rentable commodity. Why transport thousands of pounds of car on a train when there is a rental waiting at your destination?
The Florida auto train is used by snowbirds who have their car in Florida for 3 to 6 months. It’s ~ 850 miles. It’s $224 off peak for one person if you’re willing to sleep in a reclining train seat which is similar to a domestic first class airline seat. Counting depreciation, that’s way cheaper than driving yourself. Two people in a room is $1,400.
Autotrains make less sense when cars become a rentable commodity. Why transport thousands of pounds of car on a train when there is a rental waiting at your destination?
Short answer? Lack of friction, ease with luggage, pets, etc...renting a car is fine on a business trip, less so on a family vacation.
As rising energy costs eliminate most air traffic and then most car traffic, conventional rail will get more attention. A nation commuting on foot, bike, horse, and streetcar will have less expectation of rapid travel, and won't have the resources to build and operate high speed rail.
As rising energy costs eliminate most air traffic and then most car traffic, conventional rail will get more attention. A nation commuting on foot, bike, horse, and streetcar will have less expectation of rapid travel, and won't have the resources to build and operate high speed rail.
Aircraft are beginning to convert to electric engines. United just ordered 100, DHL just ordered 12 freighters.
The migration is happening there also. I think as more and more sectors migrate from fossil to clean/renewable, fossil costs will fall rather than rise.
Planners pushing more rail lines of any kind, whether HSR or conventional, need to bear in mind global climate change. A couple of years ago, the heat wave in Europe was so beyond the ordinary, that in Germany, train tracks buckled and were unusable. Buses had to be arranged to transport stranded travelers to their destinations. This does not bode well for HSR in the US, especially in CA, where summer temps along the inland parts of the proposed route already reach triple digits or close to that. Coastal routes anywhere in the US will have to plan for sea-level rise.
But the point here is that this picture of a local, or "accomodation" train, making its way from small station to small station (or occasionally picking up "flag stop" passengers by the side of the track) isn't far removed from conditions on North American railroads of a century ago, before automobile ownership became affordable and commonplace among the middle and working classes. The present-day service in Europe is supported and sustained in part by higher taxes on the "luxuries" of individual vehicle ownership.
Americans are often presented with a glamorized picture of foreign rail travel, like France's Tren a Gran Vitesse (TGV), or Japan's Shinkansen; But for every mile of service like that, there are many more like the one above.
And as an aside, take note of the dilapidated condition of the freight cars -- usually stored idle on sidings. Much of this inactivty can be traced to the fact that most of Europe lies within a short distance of tidewater, justifying a short haul by truck to the pier.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 08-06-2021 at 03:27 PM..
Aircraft are beginning to convert to electric engines. United just ordered 100, DHL just ordered 12 freighters.
The migration is happening there also. I think as more and more sectors migrate from fossil to clean/renewable, fossil costs will fall rather than rise.
hold on a sec, read the article CLOSER. these are for short jumps in very small aircraft. 100 mile range. with the FAA required safety margin most of the aircraft mass is gonna be battery and you cannot overload the wings. battery is heavier than jet fuel and you dont wanna mess with roll characteristics - jets get LIGHTER as they fly. EAs (electric airplanes) will land at MTOW...meaning the definition will have to change.
and, note that the 'contract' has more exit language in it that it does completion....lots of contingencies. this one dont hold your breath on...
hold on a sec, read the article CLOSER. these are for short jumps in very small aircraft. 100 mile range. with the FAA required safety margin most of the aircraft mass is gonna be battery and you cannot overload the wings. battery is heavier than jet fuel and you dont wanna mess with roll characteristics - jets get LIGHTER as they fly. EAs (electric airplanes) will land at MTOW...meaning the definition will have to change.
and, note that the 'contract' has more exit language in it that it does completion....lots of contingencies. this one dont hold your breath on...
Read which article closer?
In any event, the Wright bros never flew across the Pacific.....lazy them.
The irony here is that 1/2 a mile away at Union Station, the Federal Railway Administration is accused by the private sector of including too many parking spaces in a proposed redevelopment.
Quote:
DC to maglev: drop the parking garage
In comments on a federal review process, DC officials say they want to see changes to the high-speed Baltimore-Washington maglev proposal that take into account concerns about impacts on Mount Vernon Square, including a 1,000-car parking garage. Baltimore officials oppose the project. (Luz Lazo / Post)
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