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Japan maglev train breaks world speed record again

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Japan maglev train breaks world speed record again

#111

Post by rayiner »

dkhenry wrote: post #37
nharada wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Metro and subway systems in the US are to me basically comparable to systems abroad. I'd argue most US city rails are better than Berlin's. Where you immediately notice is longer distance commuter and cross-country lines. I often take the train from Chicago to Detroit, and every time we stop partway for ~15-30 mins because the company can't run trains in both directions on the tracks. Even when we are moving, most of…

That I can agree with. I don't often ride long distance rail because even on the Northeast line which is I think the line with the highest ridership you often have to stop for freight trains and other trains.

I've never had to stop for a freight train on the northeast (between DC and NYC anyway), because Amtrak owns those tracks. You do sometimes have to stop for local commuter trains that share the tracks, or (more commonly) an acela overtaking a regional. By far the most common reason for delay, though, is the aging equipment.

Re: Japan maglev train breaks world speed record again

#112

Post by adrianN »

Someone1234 wrote: post #64
binarymax wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The security won't get blown out of proportion for trains like air, because while trains can do significant damage to themselves and surrounding buildings - you cant take one and crash it anywhere you like. 9/11 never would have happened with a train. A hijacked plane is a missile.

Trains still have an "end of the line." So, yes, you could if you were going fast enough. Also aircraft security was too much even pre-9/11.

Trains have automatic systems that engage the emergency brake if they ignore stops or go faster than allowed. They are not completely foolproof, but it's pretty hard to crash trains.

Re: Japan maglev train breaks world speed record again

#113

Post by teraflop »

MichaelGG wrote: post #110
jasonkester wrote: post #27

I wonder if we'll ever get back to "High Speed Air" in my lifetime. Back in the 70s, you could rock up at the airport twenty minutes before your flight left, jump on with minimal hassle, and cruise along at 600mph to your destination. Now, you need to endure two hours of having your fingernail clippers confiscated so that you can fly at 500mph to save on fuel costs. That seems to be the true advantage of rail travel.…

If you don't have bags and are checked in online, you can totally show up 20 minutes before a flight (just know the geometry of the place cause it might take a lot of walking/trams). I show up usually around 65 minutes before departure at SFO (international flight with checked bags); never had a problem.

> you can totally show up 20 minutes before a flight

I'm assuming you're talking about the scheduled boarding time, not departure time? Most airlines' contracts of carriage say that if you're not at the gate 15 minutes before departure, you'll be denied boarding.

EDIT: I guess it's not clear whether you meant "show up [at the airport]" or "show up [at the gate]".

Re: Japan maglev train breaks world speed record again

#114

Post by IshKebab »

the8472 wrote: post #42
jasonkester wrote: post #27

I wonder if we'll ever get back to "High Speed Air" in my lifetime. Back in the 70s, you could rock up at the airport twenty minutes before your flight left, jump on with minimal hassle, and cruise along at 600mph to your destination. Now, you need to endure two hours of having your fingernail clippers confiscated so that you can fly at 500mph to save on fuel costs. That seems to be the true advantage of rail travel.…

That still exists outside the US. Last year I took a flight from germany to a conference in poland and strolled through the airport after checking in. I left the security zone by accident - simply walking through a pair of sliding doors which only open from one side - 10 minutes before departure. But it wasn't a big problem, I simply went through the metal detector/xrays for hand luggage and arrived at the gate with…

That's a very unusual experience in Europe. Most large European airports are really no different than the US.

Re: Japan maglev train breaks world speed record again

#115

Post by smackfu »

randomsearch wrote: post #91
dkhenry wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you look at Washington DC's metro its pretty much the same QoS as you get off the Berlin metro. So I am not quite sure how its considered "primitive" Berlin - 4 - 5 minute trains DC - 6 minute trains Berlin - 9 lines, 170 stations DC - 6 lines, 91 stations and thats not even the biggest metro system in the US. So really the problem isn't going back to the US, its going back to whatever place you're going to in the…

My experience is that the US has awful public transit, with the arguable exception of NYC, purely because of its subway. Here's the stats for Berlin vs Washington, as you wanted to make the comparison. Berlin subway (U-Bahn) has 10 lines, 94km (route length). Berlin trams have 22 lines, 190km. Washington Metro has 6 lines, 118km. No trams (under construction?). I'm excluding the S-Bahn, as Washington doesn't have any…

How do those stats turn into "awful" in your mind? Maybe "not as good".

Re: Japan maglev train breaks world speed record again

#116

Post by tdaltonc »

Someone1234 wrote: post #63

Just to reframe this a little: Commercial aircraft travel in ground-speed terms, around 350-500 MpH on average [0] (sometimes faster with wind behind them). This travels on a "normal" day up to 313 MpH which is nothing to sniff at. You should also take into account how long you'll spend at the airport (e.g. security, checking/unchecking bags, etc) and taxiing/queuing on/off of the runway, and how long it takes it get…

> . . . in particular as fuel costs continue to rise.

The long term trend is for a megaWatt (in any form) to get cheaper (in real terms) and less carbon intensive. There is every reason to believe that energy will be cheaper 5, 10, 50, 100 years from now.

http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/steo/realprices/

(check out residential electricity)

Re: Japan maglev train breaks world speed record again

#117

Post by dba7dba »

jasonkester wrote: post #27

I wonder if we'll ever get back to "High Speed Air" in my lifetime. Back in the 70s, you could rock up at the airport twenty minutes before your flight left, jump on with minimal hassle, and cruise along at 600mph to your destination. Now, you need to endure two hours of having your fingernail clippers confiscated so that you can fly at 500mph to save on fuel costs. That seems to be the true advantage of rail travel.…

I would like to see High Speed Rail replace most air traffic. I just read an article explaining how incredibly expensive air travel is for the climate, not to mention the cost to the passengers.

Air traffic increases greenhouse effect. Scientists measured noticeable temp drop over sky of US during the days after 9/11 attack with all jets grounded.

Re: Japan maglev train breaks world speed record again

#118

Post by stcredzero »

jasonkester wrote: post #27

I wonder if we'll ever get back to "High Speed Air" in my lifetime. Back in the 70s, you could rock up at the airport twenty minutes before your flight left, jump on with minimal hassle, and cruise along at 600mph to your destination. Now, you need to endure two hours of having your fingernail clippers confiscated so that you can fly at 500mph to save on fuel costs. That seems to be the true advantage of rail travel.…

> Sadly, I bet the way we'll end up equalizing this will be that somebody will eventually bomb a TGV and we'll have to start doing the two hour confiscate-your-kids'-apple-juice routine at the train station too.

It would be easier to economically restructure passenger rail cars so that you had independent bomb resistant compartments. Trains have the disadvantage, in contrast with planes, that you can bomb the rails to wreck a train. However, they have the advantage of adding mass more economically. I suspect that we can eventually come up with good (though imperfect) countermeasures to rail sabotage as well. In any case, safeguarding the rails wouldn't impact boarding passengers as much.

Re: Japan maglev train breaks world speed record again

#119

Post by soperj »

jasonkester wrote: post #27

I wonder if we'll ever get back to "High Speed Air" in my lifetime. Back in the 70s, you could rock up at the airport twenty minutes before your flight left, jump on with minimal hassle, and cruise along at 600mph to your destination. Now, you need to endure two hours of having your fingernail clippers confiscated so that you can fly at 500mph to save on fuel costs. That seems to be the true advantage of rail travel.…

If you ever fly within New Zealand, you'll know how air travel should be. No security at all. (Self)Check in and go have a seat in the lounge area with nice couches that anyone has access to.

Re: Japan maglev train breaks world speed record again

#120

Post by rayiner »

stcredzero wrote: post #118
jasonkester wrote: post #27

I wonder if we'll ever get back to "High Speed Air" in my lifetime. Back in the 70s, you could rock up at the airport twenty minutes before your flight left, jump on with minimal hassle, and cruise along at 600mph to your destination. Now, you need to endure two hours of having your fingernail clippers confiscated so that you can fly at 500mph to save on fuel costs. That seems to be the true advantage of rail travel.…

> Sadly, I bet the way we'll end up equalizing this will be that somebody will eventually bomb a TGV and we'll have to start doing the two hour confiscate-your-kids'-apple-juice routine at the train station too. It would be easier to economically restructure passenger rail cars so that you had independent bomb resistant compartments. Trains have the disadvantage, in contrast with planes, that you can bomb the rails t…

Another thing to note is that it's just a lot harder to cause as much damage to a train. The deadliest Amtrak accidents involved collapsed bridges over water. Derailments or even head-on collisions almost always involve a dozen or less, often zero, fatalities.
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