Amazon HQ? (Philadelphia, Washington, Republic: train, design, automobile)

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Redddog

I've heard that Amazon has lobbyists in every big metro.

Yep, I did read that later on.

This airport disaster won't help Atlanta.....

[southbound_295]

The backup & main power meet in a conduit. That's where the problem was. Poor planning at best.

ATL is only the busiest because it's a Delta hub & Delta makes it the busiest. There's also not a viable option close by. ATL-bound flights were landing 250 miles away at CLT. They probably had extra landings at GSP. Asheville has a small airport, but I don't know if they could handle the big planes. It was a giant mess & a big black eye.

This should make Philadelphia look even better. In case of a catastrophic failure at PHL, look at all of the options that would get people in & out of Philadelphia via Amtrak.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

The backup & main power meet in a conduit. That's where the problem was. Poor planning at best.

ATL is only the busiest because it's a Delta hub & Delta makes it the busiest. There's also not a viable option close by. ATL-bound flights were landing 250 miles away at CLT. They probably had extra landings at GSP. Asheville has a small airport, but I don't know if they could handle the big planes. It was a giant mess & a big black eye.

This should make Philadelphia look even better. In case of a catastrophic failure at PHL, look at all of the options that would get people in & out of Philadelphia via Amtrak.

Well between the Amtrak disaster in Philly two years ago and the one today in Washington state...

It's clear that these infrastructure issues are an overall American problem.

[AJNEOA]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

Well between the Amtrak disaster in Philly two years ago and the one today in Washington state...

It's clear that these infrastructure issues are an overall American problem.

The American public still hasn't caught on that our transportation infrastructure is a real dump as a result of spending more money on bullets than buckets.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by AJNEOA

The American public still hasn't caught on that our transportation infrastructure is a real dump as a result of spending more money on bullets than buckets.

Precisely. What will it take for us to make the investments that should have been made decades ago?

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

Well between the Amtrak disaster in Philly two years ago and the one today in Washington state...

It's clear that these infrastructure issues are an overall American problem.

That's very true. However, at the worst, renting a car to get to Philadelphia is more palatable from BWI, Newark, or even JFK. There are nearer options.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by AJNEOA

The American public still hasn't caught on that our transportation infrastructure is a real dump as a result of spending more money on bullets than buckets.

What's worse is that the public is good with electing people who want to spend money on bombs & stuffing money in the pockets of people who don't need it instead of putting the money in the pockets of those who need it & would put it into circulation immediately & work on infrastructure. Trickle down hasn't worked yet & has decimated the middle class & has our infrastructure crumbling.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

That's very true. However, at the worst, renting a car to get to Philadelphia is more palatable from BWI, Newark, or even JFK. There are nearer options.

This is true. It's not like Atlanta doesn't have any nearby airports to act as relievers (Birmingham, Greenville-Spartanburg) but it certainly doesn't have the nearby major options that Philly has. Philly is really in a geographic sweet spot.

[Leps12]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

Well between the Amtrak disaster in Philly two years ago and the one today in Washington state...

It's clear that these infrastructure issues are an overall American problem.

I think there is a difference here. Amtrak accidents throughout various parts of the country fall on Amtrak. They are to blame. Not the city of Philadelphia, not wherever in Washington that was, etc. it's a private company that is responsible for managing their own tracks and safety. However, ATL Airport is owned and operated by the city of Atlanta. The accountability is with them.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

This is true. It's not like Atlanta doesn't have any nearby airports to act as relievers (Birmingham, Greenville-Spartanburg) but it certainly doesn't have the nearby major options that Philly has. Philly is really in a geographic sweet spot.

The big news this morning was the quantity of people marooned at CLT who might get out tonight or tomorrow. That's 250 miles off mark. Obviously, Birmingham & GSP aren't enough. In case of catastrophic failure, PHL is in a much better position.

If someone ended up at CLT instead of ATL, the only train option is the Crescent, which comes through in the dark of night. Northbound would have more options, but they probably wouldn't have been headed for ATL if they were headed northbound from CLT.

It's not just the catastrophic failure that Amazon needs to note. It's the whole situation. There are not enough airports to take up the slack. Not when large numbers of passengers are being dumped 250 miles away.