POLITICS SCHMALITICS

[Motown Bombers]

The US needs high speed rail. I was just reading that an Amtrak trip from New York to Chicago is 21 hours. In China a route of that distance would be 4 hours. We continue to poor money into freeways but high speed rail connecting large urban centers would also appeal to the climate people as it would reduce car emissions and plane emissions. 

[romad1]

I think this is the general idea

Detroit to Toronto by train plan gets boost with Amtrak agreement (freep.com)

Quote

Amtrak said its plans include adding passenger rail service through the Detroit River Tunnel connecting Detroit and the cities of Windsor and Toronto in Ontario through VIA Rail Canada. Connecting Toronto via Detroit with Chicago and its many connections could go a long way toward improving service for U.S. rail passengers, who currently deal with a rail network that leaves many cities without direct connections.

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by romad1

[romad1]

2 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

The US needs high speed rail. I was just reading that an Amtrak trip from New York to Chicago is 21 hours. In China a route of that distance would be 4 hours. We continue to poor money into freeways but high speed rail connecting large urban centers would also appeal to the climate people as it would reduce car emissions and plane emissions. 

Rail offers the advantage that you go direct to a city center without having to park.  You can't bring all the crap you might bring by car.   The travel time by car from Washington to Chicago (prob similar from NYC) is gonna be at least 11 hours.   Make the time similar by train and you might get some people.  Improve it by even a couple hours and you'll have people jumping on the ability to avoid airports. 

[CMRivdogs]

The rail service from Dearborn to Chicago is supposed to be about 5 hours, it seems longer. I remember hearing about buying right of ways to prevent freight train delays. that was about 6 or 7 years ago and I don't think much has changed. You do save on parking if you're staying downtown, but taxi fares and metro fares, combined with possible rental car fares seem to make it inconvenient sometimes.

About 25 years ago my son and I took Amtrak from Chicago to Clifton Forge, Va. There was no service into Roanoke, a town that once the lifeline of Norfolk and Western. It was hell. About 14 hours on the train, not to mention the hour drive family had to make to pick us up and drop us off. 

[CMRivdogs]

9 minutes ago, romad1 said:

Rail offers the advantage that you go direct to a city center without having to park.  You can't bring all the crap you might bring by car.   The travel time by car from Washington to Chicago (prob similar from NYC) is gonna be at least 11 hours.   Make the time similar by train and you might get some people.  Improve it by even a couple hours and you'll have people jumping on the ability to avoid airports. 

We did a few days in DC recently. I absolutely hate driving I95 from about Fredericksburg north. A couple of side trips made it a bit more enjoyable. Lunch at the winery in Barbourdville, a quick stop at the battlefield in Manassas (basically had a private tour since it was late afternoon). Parking and downtown traffic was not much fun.

Coming home we opted for 301 thru Tappahannock. Makes me glad I live on the outskirts of civilization here. Told the wife next time we park in Richmond and take the train.

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by CMRivdogs

[Crazy Cat Gentleman]

I've only taken one US train trip, Amtrak from Portland to Seattle and back. apparently something was done a few years back to reduce the contention between Amtrak and Union Pacific, the freight line in these parts. so it's about a 3.5-hr trip, potentially the same as driving but without the hot mess of I-5 in Seattle. I'd do it again.

but to the point about needing high-speed rail, man, no kidding. not only does Amtrak take forever to get anywhere far away at max 75 mph, but if you want to lie down in a bed, you're forking over a ton of money.

another thing that seems like it would be annoying but which would probably straighten itself out if rail travel ever actually became popular is that rental-car businesses don't have locations near most Amtrak stations (even in larger cities), so once you get to your destination, you still need a Lyft or whatever to the rental place.

[oblong]

In order to get high speed rail you'd have to build it.  You'd have eminent domain issues to build the rail.  Then you'd need demand to justify it.   High speed cannot use existing freight train rails, not just because of right of way issues, but those were not designed for high speed, just like you couldn't go 200 mph on today's freeways if they were opened up.  The banks and curves are not built for that.

 

 

 

[Motown Bombers]

The US built one of the largest freeway networks in the world. They can build high speed rail if they wanted to. High speed doesn't need to be everywhere. You would probably want a high speed line from DC to Boston, New York to Chicago, and maybe one entirely within California from San Diego to San Francisco. 

[Crazy Cat Gentleman]

6 minutes ago, oblong said:

In order to get high speed rail you'd have to build it.

yup. apparently I edited it out, but I had written that even if work on that started now, it probably wouldn't be ready in my lifetime.

[romad1]

Pneumatic Tube technology 

[CMRivdogs]

I'll never be around to see it but I'd love something like what they have from London to Paris...best train ride I ever had. 

[oblong]

45 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

The US built one of the largest freeway networks in the world. They can build high speed rail if they wanted to. High speed doesn't need to be everywhere. You would probably want a high speed line from DC to Boston, New York to Chicago, and maybe one entirely within California from San Diego to San Francisco. 

They also forcibly removed black communities to get out of the way in Baltimore, Detroit, San Francisco, along with other cities.  Just look at what the new Gordie Howe Bridge went through in just one neighborhood.   That was in the 50's and 60's when the country was less developed.   It was an obvious need as air travel wasn't common and you had a growing nation getting used to having automobiles and they wanted to go places.  Commerce needed it's space too.  The need was there. 

 

[CMRivdogs]

Back when GPS and things like Mapquest was in their infancy I was working as a CSR for a company that did "trip routing" for several motor clubs. We had one woman who gave us hell for routing her around Kansas City on the interstate. It took her through what she termed "rough neighborhoods". The guy who took the call handled it the best he could.

I wanted to ask her, "Do you really expect them to build highways thru rich white neighborhoods?"

[Motown Bombers]

4 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

Back when GPS and things like Mapquest was in their infancy I was working as a CSR for a company that did "trip routing" for several motor clubs. We had one woman who gave us hell for routing her around Kansas City on the interstate. It took her through what she termed "rough neighborhoods". The guy who took the call handled it the best he could.

I wanted to ask her, "Do you really expect them to build highways thru rich white neighborhoods?"

[CMRivdogs]

That almost looks like Lower Wacker Dr in Chicago. I used to park may car there early mornings.

[CMRivdogs]

 

[gehringer_2]

4 hours ago, CMRivdogs said:

The rail service from Dearborn to Chicago is supposed to be about 5 hours, it seems longer. I remember hearing about buying right of ways to prevent freight train delays. that was about 6 or 7 years ago and I don't think much has changed. You do save on parking if you're staying downtown, but taxi fares and metro fares, combined with possible rental car fares seem to make it inconvenient sometimes.

About 25 years ago my son and I took Amtrak from Chicago to Clifton Forge, Va. There was no service into Roanoke, a town that once the lifeline of Norfolk and Western. It was hell. About 14 hours on the train, not to mention the hour drive family had to make to pick us up and drop us off. 

It really hurt that starting maybe 20 yrs ago or more they started removing all the double track between here and Chicago. That has made scheduling passenger trains around the freights is way more difficult than it was in the post WWII era when trains were still the major inter-city connector. But then probably all the train routes between NYC and Chi had double track.

Edited August 18, 2022 by gehringer_2

[gehringer_2]

4 hours ago, oblong said:

not just because of right of way issues, but those were not designed for high speed, just like you couldn't go 200 mph on today's freeways if they were opened up.  The banks and curves are not built for that.

RIght, it's certainly true that the current rail network doesn't support *high* speed, but on clear ordinary welded rail current Amtraks can safely sustain 100mph in most places if they had track clearance around other traffic. So even within the limits of the current system Amtrak could be much faster, but the system isn't even uniformly up to it's current potential standard in enough places and of course the faster a train goes the more clear track it needs with no other trains on it.

[gehringer_2]

4 hours ago, romad1 said:

Pneumatic Tube technology 

Don't get me started!

[CMRivdogs]

I guess there are portions of track capable of 110 MPH speeds. This MLive story from about a year ago says track improvements have been made between Porter, IN and Albion, MI. There is funding available for improvements into Dearborn.

https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2021/05/amtrak-will-speed-up-trains-on-trips-between-detroit-chicago.html
 

I think I also remember discussions about a station near Romulus, probably Wayne or wherever those tracks are south of Michigan Ave. There is a Smart Bus terminal near Middlebelt and Google Maps shows vacant land. The thinking at the time was to run a shuttle bus between DTW and the terminal for passengers heading to Ann Arbor and points west. There is already a bus running from DTW to Ann Arbor on a regular basis.

[Motown Bombers]

 

[smr-nj]

What a slug…. 
(but he’s a D, so, gotta keep him)

[gehringer_2]

23 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

 

LOLOL - if ever there was a pot calling a kettle.....

[oblong]

Blame the girl 

[1984Echoes]

4 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

 

Frickin' Hypocrite of the Year Award goes to Manchin.

PS: Find a few more Dem Senators and make him irrelevant. That's the answer...