How far can you go by train in 5h? • Hacker News Board

Re: How far can you go by train in 5h?

#241

Post by sudosysgen » Fri, Jul 29, 2022, 5:26 PM UTC

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #225

sudosysgen wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Track sensors are especially useful in they middle of nowhere. And there are plenty of latency sensitive applications for freight rail which are developed in other places. They don't make sense in the US because the capability isn't there, not because there's no market for it.

> They don't make sense in the US because the capability isn't there, not because there's no market for it. There really isn't. Freight companies are responsible for maintaining investing in the rail, and if it doesn't make them money, they aren't going to put it there. Heck, a lot of places are single rail (meaning, no two way traffic at the same time), because it doesn't really make sense to dump more money into an…

Again, you're conflating things. There is a market for low latency rail freight. The rail companies find that it's better to keep the rail as is and invest the profits somewhere else. That doesn't mean that the market doesn't exist.

The correct approach is for low latency rail freight to operate on passenger rail systems which already have the necessary speeds and flexibilities. This is structurally unfeasible in the US but it's still definitely a market that better rail systems can service at no extra cost.

Re: How far can you go by train in 5h?

#242

Post by aimor » Fri, Jul 29, 2022, 5:31 PM UTC

redtexture wrote: post #127

js2 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Italy compared to U.S.: https://www.thetruesize.com/#?borders=1~!MTY3OTMzNjA.NTkxNzE... U.S compared to Europe: https://www.thetruesize.com/#?borders=1~!MTc4NDEwOTE.MjkxMDg... My daughter, visiting home from college this weekend, took Amtrak from Richmond, VA yesterday. She's taking the train back Monday. Without delay, the train takes about 4 hours. Driving takes about 3 hours. Add an extra 15 minutes on each side f…

The IRS allows business travelers 58.5 cents a mile. That is closer to your total cost of use of your automobile. IRS 2022 Business milage rates: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-issues-standard-mileage-rat...

I thought that was so high, so I ran the numbers using some median and average values and I got pretty close.

The average vehicle costs $40k, is owned for 11 years, gets driven 13k miles per year, burns 25 mpg, gas costs $3/gal, insurance is $1500 per year, and the vehicle needs $900 per year in maintenance and repairs.

A lot of people spend far less than this (my car cost me $0.384/mile so far), and some spend far more, but it's not a bad approximation.

Re: How far can you go by train in 5h?

#243

Post by kurthr » Fri, Jul 29, 2022, 5:32 PM UTC

kurthr wrote: post #226

You can also go Beijing to Shanghai in 4.5 hours. That's over 1200km or 750mi averaging above 260km/hr. I think it's the fastest long distance passenger service available and has the benefit of being central Shanghai to south-central Beijing (rather than north-east where PEK airport is). That made it noticeably better than business air travel between the two cities. You could also ride the Pudong maglev (at 430km/hr…

Then there's Tokyo-Shinagawa to Fukuoko-Hakata which is 1100km and 4.75hr averaging 230km/hr, which is quite fast and easy to take with minimal waits.

Re: How far can you go by train in 5h?

#244

Post by ohg » Fri, Jul 29, 2022, 5:35 PM UTC

pahn wrote: post #134

I made an interactive art installation on this question once: A black box with a knob where you could adjust how much time you have, then it would offer you (Google streetview) panoramas of the locations it found within your distance, and in the end even print a paper slip with your travel itinerary to take with you. The installation used realtime data (Google directions API): I somehow figured out, that if I would r…

Awesome

Re: How far can you go by train in 5h?

#245

Post by leto_ii » Fri, Jul 29, 2022, 5:35 PM UTC

ramboldio wrote: post #30

It's sad to see how disconnected the national railway systems are in eastern europe. Basically, 5h always fills the national borders but no further in Hungary, Romania, Poland etc E.g., train connections from Czech Republic to southern Germany are missing all together.

While I agree that rail infrastructure should be improved significantly in Eastern Europe, if you look a bit closer you'll see that there are many other countries where the 5 hrs don't take you much outside of national borders, e.g. Spain, Portugal, Italy, the UK, most of Scandinavia etc.

It's also important to note that Ukraine and Moldova run on a different gauge, so the border crossing takes some time.

Re: How far can you go by train in 5h?

#246

Post by glonq » Fri, Jul 29, 2022, 5:37 PM UTC

qalmakka wrote: post #22

As a European it boggles my mind seeing how trains are basically non-existent in the USA (just look at Houston station), given how dominant the whole "Wild West" railroad rush is in everybody's immagination. Railroads are super ubiquitous here, and we've to work with a pretty hostile terrain - Italy has lots of mountains, hills, rivers, and yet has one of the best networks in the world. Most of the USA are basically…

Canada is even worse. We are proud of our cross-country rail's history, but today it is slow and expensive compared to other systems.

Re: How far can you go by train in 5h?

#247

Post by etskinner » Fri, Jul 29, 2022, 5:38 PM UTC

mwint wrote: post #170

cridenour wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I ran a home search startup in 2015 and I will always remember the moment my searching finally came up with the name "isochrone" and the explosion of research and data that came with that. Our home search went from "we'll send you an email when its done" to adding fake loading bars to make it seem like it was doing more.

By 2015 Zillow was already well entrenched, what was your differentiator?

Zillow doesn't have isochrones, for one.

I long for a map experience that's more like a SQL query than a catalog, and Zillow's filtering leaves a lot to be desired.

Re: How far can you go by train in 5h?

#248

Post by foobiekr » Fri, Jul 29, 2022, 5:41 PM UTC

solar-ice wrote: post #153

geraldwhen wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to walk past a bus station to lunch most weekdays. Nearly every single day I witnessed an assault at the bus station. Mass transit hubs do bring crime. Why minimize that?

They just… don’t, elsewhere. That’s not a normal state of affairs. Something is horribly wrong with how you’re doing something - either with the stations, or with society - if that’s the case.

At least in my personal experience in Spain, the stations in Madrid were, in direct observation, a gathering place for pickpockets and other scammers.

Re: How far can you go by train in 5h?

#249

Post by geraldwhen » Fri, Jul 29, 2022, 5:42 PM UTC

solar-ice wrote: post #153

geraldwhen wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to walk past a bus station to lunch most weekdays. Nearly every single day I witnessed an assault at the bus station. Mass transit hubs do bring crime. Why minimize that?

They just… don’t, elsewhere. That’s not a normal state of affairs. Something is horribly wrong with how you’re doing something - either with the stations, or with society - if that’s the case.

What is elsewhere? Train and subway stations are hubs for crime in the places I’ve been in America.

Re: How far can you go by train in 5h?

#250

Post by mustacheemperor » Fri, Jul 29, 2022, 5:43 PM UTC

pahn wrote: post #134

I made an interactive art installation on this question once: A black box with a knob where you could adjust how much time you have, then it would offer you (Google streetview) panoramas of the locations it found within your distance, and in the end even print a paper slip with your travel itinerary to take with you. The installation used realtime data (Google directions API): I somehow figured out, that if I would r…

I have been wishing Apple or Google maps would add this as a feature for at least five years now. When I’m in a new city for work, and I know I have 90 minutes til my next meeting, it would be massively helpful to see every lunch place in a 15-25 minute walking radius. The fact that there’s still not a “search/filter by transit time” feature in any Maps app seems like proof there’s not enough competition in that space in 2022.