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How far can you go by train in 5h?

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

#381

Post by dheera »

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…

Before I had a car, or at times when I don't feel like driving, one of the problems I have is friends who always want to find a place to meet that is "between" us or "near me" where they use an Euclidian metric rather than a public transit time metric.

Very often "within a 10 minute walk of ANY train station" is preferable to "halfway between us", even if the train ride is 1 hour, because I can actually work (or catch up on sleep) on a train. Especially if that "halfway between us" is somewhere without transit which means I need to drive the whole way there.

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

#383

Post by DiogenesKynikos »

woodruffw wrote: post #43

For the Europeans on HN: on the East coast of the US, the furthest you can get by train in ~5h is roughly Boston to NYC, or NYC to Washington, DC. Both are roughly equidistant (~220 miles, ~354 kilometers). One of the perverse things with our passenger rail network is that you can actually take take trains that "only" take 2.5 hours, but: they run nonstop point-to-point, and any subsequent connection you make (e.g. t…

With a modern high-speed rail line, you'd theoretically be able to get from NYC to Chicago in around 4:15, even when accounting for stops along the way.

That's an average of 300 km/h. There are already lines in service elsewhere the world that are that fast.

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

#384

Post by thaumasiotes »

corrral wrote: post #311
samatman wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because Metropolitan France (note the capitalization) is how the European portion of France is referred to: compare with Overseas France, which includes territories in South America and Oceania, to be non-exhaustive.

This is a difference in attitude between Americans and French when describing their countries: the French tend to regard overseas territories as more vitally part of their country than Americans do. Not sure why, possibly it was a deliberately-cultivated attitude by the government at some point, or maybe the difference arose organically. Meanwhile I think a lot of Americans kinda-unconsiously barely even consider Haw…

> This is a difference in attitude between Americans and French when describing their countries

I'm not sure that's true - it appears to involve a legal distinction. I see many references to Algeria having been an "integral part of France" where other French territory wasn't. But I don't actually know what the terminology means. Anyway, I'd begin by looking to the legal status France tended to give to overseas territories, rather than the attitudes of the French, to explain this.

> Meanwhile I think a lot of Americans kinda-unconsiously barely even consider Hawaii and Alaska really parts of America, let alone the numerous non-state territories.

And this is a perfect case in point; Americans do consider Hawaii and Alaska to be really parts of America, because they have the legal status.

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

#385

Post by thaumasiotes »

hunterb123 wrote: post #363
mrgriscom wrote: post #355

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Residents of the US territories are US citizens with the exception of American Samoa

Technically yes by the Jones Act, in a very limited sense... there are restrictions as well as tax exemptions. So I wouldn't really consider citizens of US territories full US citizens. So maybe it's more appropriate to say they aren't Americans, but they are US citizens. But that is all semantics. My main point was the reason they don't have US representation is they don't have US taxation.

> My main point was the reason they don't have US representation is they don't have US taxation.

The District of Columbia has to pay US taxes without being allowed any US representation.

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

#386

Post by AdamGibbins »

xenocratus wrote: post #152
OJFord wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Infamously similar in the UK, even despite being smaller. Particularly East-West travel anywhere much North of London. Many inter-city routes are via London. (I'm not complaining, j'habite à Londres ;))

> anywhere much North of London You don't need to go that much North - I used to live in Oxfordshire, trying to get to Cambridge for work was a joke (I don't drive). It would take 3.5h+ for a 140km journey from Oxford to Cambridge because train journeys were only through London (+ a railway station change), and there was only one coach that stopped in every town along the way (and which has been axed into two separat…

That's being fixed in theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_West_Rail

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

#387

Post by twobitshifter »

WaitWaitWha wrote: post #14

I delight in isochrone maps[0]! There used to be some open source, web interfaces but they all became commercial. An isochrone map is one of the best tools for weekend get-aways, job hunting, and finding a home location. OpenStreetMap[1]! Add it to your site, it will be great hit, in my opinion. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isochrone_map [1] https://www.openstreetmap.org

The atlas obscura article on old isochrone maps and how travel has changed is great. I really like the Melbourne Tram map style. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/isochrone-maps-color-t...

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

#388

Post by ThunderSizzle »

dragonwriter wrote: post #356
ThunderSizzle wrote: post #352

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, yes. New Yorkers and Californians see the rest of the country as useless, and most don't bother to learn that entire cities exist outside of their coastal regions. It's also part of the current hyperpoliticalization we're seeing.

> New Yorkers and Californians see the rest of the country as useless, I've known lots of both (more of the latter), none of whom believe anything like that.

I've knows lots of New Yorkers who think the middle of the country is just backwards uncivilized rednecks, since I'm from New York.

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

#389

Post by [deleted] »

jgust wrote: post #282
mustacheemperor wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 spac…

I think what Maps really needs is more widgets that reduce the screen real estate of the map until we can finally drop that feature entirely.

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