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Yes we should build it. It is ridiculous that Europeans can get from London to Paris faster than Floridians can fly from Orlando to Miami. Of course there is opposition, as there is to any innovative form of transportation. And no doubt it would create new suburbs, as places within 160 km of center city become an easy commute. The Erie Canal cut the cost of ground transportation by over 90%, but during development it was derided as "Clinton's folly."
The Erie Canal did cut costs - but HSR will increase costs. That's a fact.
As a proponent of electric traction rail, I don't dislike HSR, in principle.
But the costs to construct and operate HSR are far greater than moderate speed rail. Separate rights of way. Special ballasts. Special superelevation. And so on. It would be cheaper to incrementally boost current track speeds and service above 70 MPH, and see how that goes, before committing to HSR.
HSR requires electrified track, which means the USA should be electrifying its mainline tracks NOW, so to mesh the two systems, where practical. Since that is not happening, it is foolish to leap into HSR, without first transitioning to electric power.
In the interim, for passenger service, city center to city center, America might put some investment into compound gyrocopters that can do VTOL.
(Ex: Compound gyrocopter or the Fairey Rotodyne. The claimed theoretical maximum speed of a CarterCopter is around 500 mph (800 km/h).)
The Erie Canal cut the cost of ground transportation by over 90%, but during development it was derided as "Clinton's folly."
The Erie Canal did, indeed, cut transportation costs by a large factor, but the benefits were applied primarily to the transportation of freight. What passenger patronage there was rode on "packet boats", pulled by mules, and the speed was no faster than by stagecoach or horseback, Within ten years of the canal's completion, most of the trackage of what would become the New York Central Railroad was in place between Albany and Buffalo.
The real benefit of the canal was the availability of low-cost slackwater navigation via the Hudson River, Erie Canal and Great lakes from New York to points as distant as Chicago and, within another twenty years, Duluth.
The Canal's original backers quickly went whining to the Big Brother of the day when real competition developed. The parallel railroads were prevented by "law"? from competing for most freight for nearly twenty years. The Canal gradually declined and became less profitable, and in the early years of the Twentieth Century, was rebuilt as the New York State Barge Canal. The last time I visited the area, around 1993, it was serving about 20 revenue freight moves per year, but was kept operating in the summer months mostly for pleasure boats.
Naturally, the unionized lock-tenders jobs were highly prized, but the high pension and health care costs for the labor force became an embarrassment. The entire operation was folded into the New York State Thruway system about ten years ago to conceal the obvious "pork barreling".
The Canal was such a success at the time of its inception that both Pennsylvania and Virginia planned similar systems, but the much-higher mountains which had to be scaled mandated more locks, more lock tenders, and dams at even higher altitudes to supply them. Both projects went bankrupt and better rail technology rendered them obsolete within a few years.
Yes we should build it. It is ridiculous that Europeans can get from London to Paris faster than Floridians can fly from Orlando to Miami. Of course there is opposition, as there is to any innovative form of transportation. And no doubt it would create new suburbs, as places within 160 km of center city become an easy commute. The Erie Canal cut the cost of ground transportation by over 90%, but during development it was derided as "Clinton's folly."
Interesting point. I think it wouldn't be an overall bad thing - depending on how these new communities were built. If these new suburbs could be built using the very best "green" innovations and materials as well incorporating the best we know about schools, hospitals etc. they could become model cities. They could show the rest of the country how needs/desires can be met in an economically, environmentally friendly and advanced way.
Interesting point. I think it wouldn't be an overall bad thing - depending on how these new communities were built. If these new suburbs could be built using the very best "green" innovations and materialsas well incorporating the best we know about schools, hospitals etc. they could become model cities. They could show the rest of the country how needs/desires can be met in an economically, environmentally friendly and advanced way.
And then no one could afford to live there except for the very wealthy.
We have that today in the expensive enclaves located all over the US.
Yes we should build it. It is ridiculous that Europeans can get from London to Paris faster than Floridians can fly from Orlando to Miami. Of course there is opposition, as there is to any innovative form of transportation.
There is also opposition to wasting our money like we have over and over again.
and the days of unsustainable, anti community automobile culture are coming to a close.
lastly The fact that people have tried to compare this
To This
shows a lack of knowledge.
Yes, the days of 19th century 30mph tin cans are over, but the days of the 21st century 300mph bullet trains are coming soon.
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