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President Biden Announces Billions to Deliver World-Class High-Speed Rail

whitehouse.gov

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Re: President Biden Announces Billions to Deliver World-Class High-Speed Rail

#51

Post by grecy »

mariojv wrote: post #2

I wish the map were higher definition. I see a line from San Antonio (or Austin?) to El Paso, my most traveled route, but nothing in the text description about it. There are also some other lines linking the Texas Triangle which would be great! Regardless, I hope this plan sees fruition in a reasonable timeframe. Further investments in transit within cities themselves would be welcome too, given a lot of folks may be…

Here's a decent res of that map

https://www.railwayage.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image_...

Re: President Biden Announces Billions to Deliver World-Class High-Speed Rail

#52

Post by ElijahLynn »

mulderc wrote: post #43
ElijahLynn wrote: post #32

I took an Amtrak from Portland to Seattle recently and was amazed at how slow it was, it had to slow down and speed up a lot. I think it had to do with turns too.

They are working to improve it and service quite a few station between pdx and Seattle. Still it is around a ~3.5 hour trip which is only slightly longer than the ~3 hours it takes to drive.

Ahh, yes, I remember thinking that it was roughly the same time. Still much better without the traffic, but significantly more expensive if one has access to a vehicle already. I found myself thinking I would like to take it more, but it wasn't that fast, plus with having to get to the train station ahead of time and then get transportation when I arrived, it was actually more time consuming.

It was very scenic though and I very much enjoyed being able to walk around and also walk to the food car to get a beverage and sit at one of the tables there.

Re: President Biden Announces Billions to Deliver World-Class High-Speed Rail

#53

Post by throwaway-blaze »

ElijahLynn wrote: post #32

I took an Amtrak from Portland to Seattle recently and was amazed at how slow it was, it had to slow down and speed up a lot. I think it had to do with turns too.

Sadly, a high speed rail between the two wouldn't make financial sense. We just don't have enough people making the journey regularly. Not to mention, you'd end up with stops in (at least) Vancouver, Centralia, Olympia, and Tacoma in between, which would negate the point of high speed rail.

I know it's hard to accept, but the US geography (and population density really) makes high speed rail pretty much a no-go here.

Re: President Biden Announces Billions to Deliver World-Class High-Speed Rail

#54

Post by throwaway-blaze »

impulser_ wrote: post #38
nathanaldensr wrote: post #21

Ah yes, billions more in spending that we can't afford. Keep emitting debt, US government, and keep generating more inflation while you're at it. Insanity.

We are talking about 8.2 billion dollars from a 6.5 trillion dollar budget. The US brings in 5 trillion dollars in revenue yearly. This is like someone making 100k a year complaining about spending 16 cents on something because they have a loan to pay off.

This is like someone making 100k a year but spending 115k a year saying "ehh, 16 more cents doesn't matter".

Re: President Biden Announces Billions to Deliver World-Class High-Speed Rail

#56

Post by throwaway-blaze »

ElijahLynn wrote: post #52
mulderc wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are working to improve it and service quite a few station between pdx and Seattle. Still it is around a ~3.5 hour trip which is only slightly longer than the ~3 hours it takes to drive.

Ahh, yes, I remember thinking that it was roughly the same time. Still much better without the traffic, but significantly more expensive if one has access to a vehicle already. I found myself thinking I would like to take it more, but it wasn't that fast, plus with having to get to the train station ahead of time and then get transportation when I arrived, it was actually more time consuming. It was very scenic thoug…

You must also add on the time to get to the station from home and the time to get to where you're going in the destination area from the station there.

For instance, if I live in Bellevue or Redmond and want to go to Portland, I can drive in the same 3hrs as it would take someone who lives in Downtown Seattle to take the train. But if I were to take the train, I'm looking at a 20-30min taxi or uber ride first, plus the cost.

Re: President Biden Announces Billions to Deliver World-Class High-Speed Rail

#57

Post by aaomidi »

ElijahLynn wrote: post #31
AcerbicZero wrote: post #5

With the amount of semi-trucks I see on the highway crisscrossing this country constantly it seems it might be better to just focus on getting our existing freight traffic off the roads before we worry about passenger traffic. *I'm not talking about last mile deliveries, or suggesting the entire trucking industry can be magically turned into railroad freight.

This is what Tesla Semi is focusing on. The demo from Elon many years ago showed the Tesla Semi trucks autonomously driving and following each other within a couple of feet so they could take advantage of lower drag. He specifically talked about how the Tesla Semi in trailer mode or whatever it is called will be able to be cheaper than rail.

> will be able to be cheaper than rail.

Elon has a history of making fake, bold claims just as the state tried to take on more responsibility.

Starlink instead of municipal Internet

Hyper loop instead of cal train

Now “train mode trucks” which is literally just insane if you’ve driven cross country.

Re: President Biden Announces Billions to Deliver World-Class High-Speed Rail

#58

Post by aaomidi »

jsutton wrote: post #44
potatochup wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The LA to Las Vegas high speed line seems like an obvious mistake, though I'm curious as to why you think this? LA Vegas on I15 gets supremely busy during the weekends. I dunno how much regular commuter traffic there would be during weekdays, but it seems like it would see high demand, especially if its a) faster than driving and b) you can drink on the train. My main issue with it is that it doesn't actually get v…

Key point: on weekends. Northeast corridor is high demand all week long. And much more of the national economy flows through that region. LA Vegas is mostly leisure.

Covering leisure use cases helps reduce need for cars.

It’s very smart, and allows the west coast to grow its population.

Re: President Biden Announces Billions to Deliver World-Class High-Speed Rail

#59

Post by Shawnj2 »

bko wrote: post #10

If California rail cost currently at $200 million per mile, is any indication, the $8.2 billion in new funding should be able to help build 42 miles of high speed rail. Something like NYC to Westchester Country New York https://www.hoover.org/research/little-engine-couldnt-califo...

It increasingly seems like Brightline West is actually going to happen which is great

Re: President Biden Announces Billions to Deliver World-Class High-Speed Rail

#60

Post by mulderc »

ElijahLynn wrote: post #52
mulderc wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are working to improve it and service quite a few station between pdx and Seattle. Still it is around a ~3.5 hour trip which is only slightly longer than the ~3 hours it takes to drive.

Ahh, yes, I remember thinking that it was roughly the same time. Still much better without the traffic, but significantly more expensive if one has access to a vehicle already. I found myself thinking I would like to take it more, but it wasn't that fast, plus with having to get to the train station ahead of time and then get transportation when I arrived, it was actually more time consuming. It was very scenic thoug…

I've noticed that people often underestimate the actual expenses associated with driving.

For instance, the Amtrak Cascades ticket from pdx to Seattle is only $26. On the other hand, when you calculate the IRS mileage rate of 66 cents per mile for the 161-mile distance between Portland and Seattle, driving adds up to $106. This calculation doesn't consider the opportunity cost of driving, as it limits your ability to do other things while operating a car. Additionally, it doesn't factor in externalities like pollution. Considering the challenging driving conditions in Seattle, avoiding the hassle of driving and parking there is a definite positive in my opinion.

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