Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I do think that for cross country there should be aviation, but in the dense northeast, and California, I believe that we should build a high speed rail network.
Build away. California never would have started it without federal funds - we are broke. If the voters here had to vote to approve 100% of the cost it would have never passed.
HIGH speed rail is for LONG distances...but who is really going to ride a maine to miami with no stops...even with a few stops (ie portland to boston to NYC to DC to richmand to savannah to miami) the wear and tear on the high speed train is very costly
Depends on what you mean by long: 3-500 miles is generally accepted as optimal length for HSR lines, which as it happens it just about the distance between Boston and Washington (c. 450 mi.), Vancouver to Portland (c. 320 mi), or SF-Oakland-Sacramento to Los Angeles (c. 380 mi.).
Quote:
sorry but the current flavor of the week 'high speed rail' is not what we need as much as QUALITY and EFFICEINT rail, and lite-rail systens with in the short distance
Again, I would argue that HSR is only one component of a rational transportation policy for the U.S., and improvement to our existing lines should and can be an integral part of that. Light rail is another matter entirely, suitable for intra-metro travel rather than inter-city, but I would agree that where conditions allow it should be considered, and to the extent that our transportation infrastructure categorically will require federal financing, light rail should have its share of federal support.
Greats Lakes : 54.1 - 64.7 - 71.6 Million
Northeastern Megapolis : 49.5 - 58.1 - 80.4 Million
Southern California : 24.9 - 34.8 - 39.3 Million
Texas Triangle : 16.5 - 26.8 - 38.1 Million
Florida : 14.7 - 21.4 - 31.5 Million
Piedmont Atlantic : 14.9 - 20.5 - 31.9 Million
Northern California : 12.7 - 17.3 - 21.1 Million
Gulf Coast : 11.7 - 15.8 - 23.6 Million
Cascadia : 10.2 - 12.5 - 24.6 Million
Arizona Sun Corridor : 5.7 - 7.4 - 12.3 Million
Front Range : 4.7 - 6.8 - 10.5 Million
United States Population in 2000 : 281.4 Million
Urbanized Suburban and Urban Population in 2000 : 219 Million
Public Transit Usage in 2000 : 15 Million
United States Population in 2010 : 308.7 Million
Urbanized Suburban and Urban Population in 2010 : 250 Million
Public Transit Usage in 2010 : 34 Million
United States Population by 2025 : 340 Million
Urbanized Suburban and Urban Population by 2025 : 286.5 Million
Public Transit Usage by 2025 : 70 Million
United States Population by 2050 : 440 Million
Urbanized Suburban and Urban Population by 2050 : 380 Million
Public Transit Usage by 2050 : 290 Million
very little. wish people would understand that before they start wanting to talk about their favorite projects.
The worst thing ever was the creation of the income tax. With that "income stream," the greedy government saw no end to what it could fund from the plunder.
All good points but this one in particular is a non-negligible consideration for me:
Quote:
5. There's no dehumanizing security process: first, there's no reason not to feel safe, and there are security measures in place to protect Amtrak's customers. That said, you don't have to squander your youth waiting to get wanded by someone from the TSA. You just carry your bags on board and take your seat.
And lest anyone reply that it's only a matter of time before trains are targeted by terrorism, it's useful to recall that European rail networks have been no less vulnerable to attacks by IRA, ETA, Brigate Rossi, Bader-Meinhof, etc, etc., and yet they have managed to keep their trains safe by ordinary methods of policing.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
