NE corridor carved out from Amtrak

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Az
Maglev POS technology for now.

That's precisely why it's way cool. The maglev is POS because the only honoured contract it ever had is this train in Shanghai. With money down the road, maybe they can do something to actually improve their technology now

[Az]

We'll see. As long as Siemens, or whatever other German Toaster company that does this crap, demans such exorbitant sums of money for track, no way, Jose.

[DanS]

In any event, maglev and bullet trains aren't close to reality now in the US. We have to be able to walk before we run, by having a passenger rail system that works and is a positive addition to the transportation mix. Right now, the system is a negative, except for the commuter rail and select intercity lines. And it's managed in a screwy way.

[Az]

It has a lot to do with that other thread we're having - zoning and pop density.

[Jaguar]

I frequently use Washington DC to New York trains, and while my sister was at Yale she used trains to get to New Haven as well. They're quite useful, and possibly a little faster than flying, all things considered. At least for the NYC route.

There is an Acela train, which has a high top speed, but it almost never reaches it. It's only about half an hour faster than the regular trains on a Washington to NY run.

[Drake Tungsten]

There has never been a passenger rail privatization which has worked. Ask the UK what they think about their broken up rail network.

Japan's rail network seems to have weathered privatization just fine. Using the UK as an example of anything having to do with trains is unfair.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by DanS
In any event, maglev and bullet trains aren't close to reality now in the US.

Oh, really?

http://igs.berkeley.edu/library/htHighSpeedRail.htm

As kribbler said the state and several large cities have already passed bonds so most of the financing is already in place. Clinton got throw a bill which assured Federal matching funds if state and local governments work together to find regional mass transit solutions however Bush has been monkeying with the funds and trying to take away the federal money. This waving Federal support after the state and local governments already coughed up most of their share is pretty underhanded.

The ultamit system for CHSRI has two lines running into Nevada and that state hasn't come up with the money for its share yet either. So problems remain but Calfironia has raised a good deal of money for this project and it isn't just some pie in the sky dream.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten

There has never been a passenger rail privatization which has worked. Ask the UK what they think about their broken up rail network.

Japan's rail network seems to have weathered privatization just fine. Using the UK as an example of anything having to do with trains is unfair.

Japan railway is heavily subsidized by the state even though it was technically privatized in 1987. Look at all the new lines which the Japanese government paid for between 1987 and today. Those were paid for by the Japanese government.

[DanS]

Oh, really?

Yes, really. Everybody's been talking about these things for nigh on 2 decades. None have broken ground.

[Dinner]

I think bond sales are a pretty big step as was Arnie ording the routes to be surveyed and plans finalized.

[DanS]

I'll believe it when they open for service.

[Drake Tungsten]

Japan railway is heavily subsidized by the state even though it was technically privatized in 1987. Look at all the new lines which the Japanese government paid for between 1987 and today. Those were paid for by the Japanese government.

What are you talking about? The number of JR lines in Japan has been pretty steadily decreasing since JR privatized in '87, as unprofitable lines are closed. I don't know where you got this idea that new lines are going up all over Japan. The only prominent ones I can think of are the shinkansen extensions, but 1) the shinkansen is a source of national pride and therefore gets extended to cities it probably shouldn't go to (ie. Niigata) and 2) shinkansen extensions aren't really "new lines" anyway, but merely previously existing lines that have been retrofitted to allow the shinkansen to use them.

The other new line I can think of off the top of my head is the new Kintetsu line to Kansai Science City here in Nara, but given that Kintetsu is the oldest private railway in Japan (operating since 1914), its construction of a new line doesn't really do much to support your point. Neither does the existence of the numerous other private train companies that have flourished all over Japan.

[Dinner]

I was mainly thinking of the bullet train lines, Shinkansen, which the Japanese continually built and hyped over the last 20 years. They took great pride in each new bullet train line and and bragged about it being faster then any other train.

That sort of progress doesn't happen without a lot of state help.

[Drake Tungsten]

Shinkansen lines are a small amount of the total track that exists in Japan and aren't an accurate indicator of the state of the Japanese rail industry as a whole.

[:) Smiley]

There were definite new lines built out over the bridges crossing the Sea of Japan.

I can't think of any comparable infrastructure project in the USA since the interstate highway system.