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There were other rails which ran between NYC and Boston which have since been shuttered, but were far more efficient. Problem is that there isn't a populated, s

by illvm 8y ago

There were other rails which ran between NYC and Boston which have since been shuttered, but were far more efficient. Problem is that there isn't a populated, straight line between NYC and Boston. So the curved rail road won out due to where people live. But that's not even the real problem. The real problem is that passenger trains do not have right of way on these lines. That belongs to the freight companies. So, on average, even Acela ends up averaging 65-70mph.

hprotagonist 8y ago
To your first point: yes, that's part of why worcester and springfield have been dead since before the Civil War. And it's part of the context for "Ethan Frome". For better or worse, CT port cities proved better than rail to the hudson, especially once farming moved west. Right of way is another big issue, but even if it wasn't, Acela can't hit full speed north of NYC. It'd derail if it tried.