On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 10:09:07 +0100, "Keith W"
wrote:
>
>"B Vaughan" wrote in message
>news:jb9cd1dnga55f2m7htj80id1fhkeiha142@4ax.com...
>> On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 08:06:35 +0100, "Keith W"
>> wrote:
>>
>>>We have cars and freeways in Europe too but passenger trains
>>>are busier than ever.
>>
>> As I noted in my other post, the cost per capita of operating a high
>> quality rail system in the US would be many times greater than in
>> Europe due to the much lower population density in the US. Long
>> distance trains in the US have to traverse vast zones where hardly
>> anyone lives, therefore where there are almost no potential
>> passengers, but where the operating costs are the same as in heavily
>> populated areas.
>>
>
>And as I pointed out that isnt universally true. Parts of the US ,
>particularly
>the eastern seaboard, the great lakes region and Central/southern California
>are quite
>densely populated. Indeed the US HAS a high speed rail system operating
>between Boston-New York and Washington.
Not exactly high speed by European or Japanese standards. But the
Northeast Corridor is certainly a candidate for high speed rail.
As would be, I would guess, a New York-Chicago route.
>While high speed rail is clearly impractical between NYC and LA it
>could be practical over the 300-500 mile range which would cover
>much of California or link the major cities of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois
>
>It'll never happen of course due to vested interests and the US
>infatuation with the automobile but the fact remains that experience
>outside the USA has indicated that with the right investment high
>speed rail IS a practical alternative to short haul air travel.
As long as Americans insist that high speed rail pay for itself,
both operating costs and infrastructure amortization, it will be
too expensive compared to auotmobile and air travel
I don't believe any high speed rail system anywhere meets a
requirement that it be totally self-supporting. Not that that's
bad, if that's what the people want, but the people of the USA
are unlikely to want it.
************* DAVE HATUNEN (hatunen@cox.net) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps * |