High Speed Rail in the US

[Ben Kenobi]

Heck, put it this way:

Chicago-Milwaukee-Minneapolis-Fargo-Winnipeg makes more sense then Calgary-Edmonton.

[Asher]

No more, Ben, no more! I got tricked once into reading your post in this thread, and never again! My head just about shot into orbit reading your post.

I'm going to guess you took a shot at Calgary and/or made a ignorant comment about the viability of the Alberta high-speed rail link again.

If so, get real. Look into the highway volume between Calgary and Edmonton and look into the commuter flight volume between those two cities. Flights between Calgary and Edmonton are second only to Toronto and Montreal in frequency, last I checked, which should be a big ****ing sign about the viability of the line.

[Kontiki]

Uh, no. Chicago-Milwaukee-Minneapolis, maybe. Extending it to Fargo and Winnipeg is a useless proposition.

[Asher]

Winnipeg? Did he seriously say Winnipeg needs high-speed rail? AND FARGO?

Mind****ed, I am.

[Asher]

For Ben's education:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_rail_in_Canada

The most advanced proposals are in the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor in Alberta. The cities are approximately 260 km apart (about 3 hours by car), and are connected by the Queen Elizabeth II Highway.

A study by the Van Horne institute concluded that "high speed rail would bring significant benefits to the Calgary–Edmonton corridor and Alberta as a whole". The report also stated that the project would "generate between CAD $ 3.7 and $ 6.1 billion in quantifiable benefits". The study considered three options:

1. Upgrade of an existing Canadian Pacific freight route to allow trains up to 240 km/h using Bombardier's JetTrain, costing approximately $ 1.8 billion.
2. A new dedicated passenger route, known as the "Green Field" route, also using the Jet Train, and costing approximately $ 2.2 billion.
3. An electrified version of the Green Field route, using TGV style trains running at 300 km/h, costing approximately $ 3.7 billion.

The report found that there was little incremental benefit in running at 300 km/h rather than 240 km/h, and so recommended the first option.

On September 22, 2006 it was announced the Provincial government was deploying video cameras along a stretch of the Queen Elizabeth Highway to determine just how many cars travel between the three cities.[7]

Some figures quoted for the cost of the project are far larger than the above. For example, Vue Weekly gives the cost as "$ 3 - $ 5 billion".[8]

The Calgary Herald announced on April 18, 2007 that the provincial government had purchased land in downtown Calgary for a possible station or terminal.[9] The provincial government also maintains ownership of the top deck of Edmonton's High Level Bridge so a potential high speed rail line can reach downtown Edmonton.

[Ben Kenobi]

There are approx 2.5 million people who live in the Lower Mainland: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_Mainland

Ok.

That's great. The corridor of Vancouver/Surrey/Langley/Abbotsford/Chilliwack is twice the population density of Calgary/Edmonton.

This is why the train running 5 stops between all of them makes sense. We do not have inter-city rail (ie, the GO Train), in any way shape or form. I know this might seem crazy to you easterners, but it takes about 2-3 hours if you try to take the city busses from one to another. The alternative is greyhound, which costs about 100 dollars a trip.

What is your problem?

My problem is that the trip from Calgary to Edmonton is too far, for too few people. It's twice the distance of the lower mainland for 20 percent fewer people.

Not that it MATTERS because raw transportation is the issue, not raw population. Far more people regularly travel between Calgary and Edmonton than ****ing Chilliwack and Vancouver!

More people travel from Abbotsford to Langley, Langley and Abbotsford to Chilliwack, from Chilliwack to Langley, Abbotsford and Vancouver, and from Langley and Abbotsford to Vancouver. That's not counting the trips to and from Surrey.

The other city listings you had were ****ing retarded. Hamilton - Toronto, REALLY? the GO train is damn fast as is. Windsor - Hamilton? REALLY? Windsor is going to cease to exist in 5 ****ing years.

Makes more sense then Calgary Edmonton. The reason for Hamilton is because it's the first link from Toronto-Buffalo and then again from Toronto-Detroit to the USA.

Pop densities make them higher priority then Calgary-Edmonton.

[Asher]

this is text to make sure my text is capitalized


MAKE IT STOP

[Asher]

The problem with Ben's analysis is that he's mixing high speed rail with commuter rail service.

Yes. BC's woefully infrastructure should be fixed with a GO-train like system.

Why the **** would you want an expensive high-speed rail system unless you are travelling medium to long distances?

My ****ing God, this kid doesn't know anything. ANYTHING.

Toronto should replace its subway with a ****ing jet-train while we're at it.

[Ben Kenobi]

The most advanced proposals are in the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor in Alberta. The cities are approximately 260 km apart (about 3 hours by car), and are connected by the Queen Elizabeth II Highway.

Great. If the province wants to fund the project, go right ahead.

Federally, the first priority has to be in the east. Toronto-Montreal-Quebec City, and Toronto-Hamilton-Buffalo, and then again from Toronto-Hamilton-Detroit.

Then Vancouver to Surrey-Langley-Abbotsford-Chilliwack.

Then we get to Calgary-Edmonton. I'm not saying that it's not viable, I'm simply arguing that priority wise, Calgary-Edmonton is about the 5th or 6th project.

Obama's projects make much more sense then Calgary Edmonton.

I'm working out American routes that make more sense then Calgary Edmonton, and you can run one from Chicago to the East coast. I haven't done the west yet.

[Ben Kenobi]

Yes. BC's woefully infrastructure should be fixed with a GO-train like system.

Great, this is a higher priority federally then high speed rail.

Why the **** would you want an expensive high-speed rail system unless you are travelling medium to long distances?

My ****ing God, this kid doesn't know anything. ANYTHING.

Because it's a higher priority then Calgary-Edmonton?

[Wezil]

For Ben's education:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_rail_in_Canada

It's good to see they are actually working toward making it happen.

The Montreal-TO route has been talked about for years but no real work has gone into doing anything. You can't build before you lay the plans.

[Jon Miller]

I think that the government should pay for everyone to have giant robot suits to take them to work/where they want to go. This would allow people to carry more, would increase the speed of transit, and would give very individual transportation which everyone loves.

Would be really sexy too.

JM

[Asher]

I think that the government should pay for everyone to have giant robot suits to take them to work/where they want to go. This would allow people to carry more, would increase the speed of transit, and would give very individual transportation which everyone loves.

Would be really sexy too.

JM

This is more sensible than Ben's ideas.

[Ben Kenobi]

Chicago-Milwaukee-Minneapolis, maybe. Extending it to Fargo and Winnipeg is a useless proposition.

Calgary to Edmonton is 150 km/million people.

Chicago-Milwaukee-Minneapolis-Fargo-Winnipeg is 100 km/million people.

This just shows how LARGE the west is compared to the east. I'm not saying I disagree with you. Most of the viable lengths in the US that Obama mentions we are looking at 25 miles/million people, and you can run one out to Washington for 35 miles/million people, via Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

This is more viable then even Montreal-Toronto up here which is about 45 miles/million people.

As far as I can see, Chicago to St. Louis, Chicago to Milwaukee and Minneapolis, Chicago to Indianapolis-Cincinnati -Nashville, Chicago to Detroit and Toronto, Chicago to Cleveland and Buffalo, Chicago to Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Washington all make sense.

The problem is that Obama isn't tackling the highest priority for the US which should be the Boston-NY-Philadelphia-Washington corridor. you have about 10 km/million people which is amazing.

[Wezil]

No more, Ben, no more! I got tricked once into reading your post in this thread, and never again! My head just about shot into orbit reading your post.

It's like a gruesome car wreck. I just know you want to look.