4 ms·

I don't even care what it looks like. When I see a nation investing in high speed rail, it makes me frustrated that we are lagging so far behind with transporta

I don't even care what it looks like. When I see a nation investing in high speed rail, it makes me frustrated that we are lagging so far behind with transportation.

tomohawk 7y ago
For distances in US, what we have is already superior. Unfortunately, TSA security theater adds major delays, as does antiquated FAA air traffic control procedures. Major improvements could be had if we could get government out of the way and allow innovation. Moving to high speed rail would also raise the profile of rail, and likely make it a stronger target of TSA, so you'd likely have the TSA induced delays for it just like for flying. High speed rail might make sense on east coast (NY to DC is about 230 miles), but you'd never get the rights of way to lay the kind of track you'd need to approach 200 mph. They gave up on expanding the interstate system in this area many years ago for this reason.
- wbl 7y ago
  Trains can't crash into buildings: the TSA does not make delays for the hell of it.
  - mikeash 7y ago
    I wouldn’t be so sure about that. https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2011/02/26/screening-passengers-savannah-amtrak-station https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2011/02/26/screening-passengers-sav...
  - sneak 7y ago
    Considering that the TSA misses more than two thirds of weapons passing through their checkpoints (they have improved - it used to be 95%), we can safely say that TSA does indeed make delays for the hell of it. They are not increasing air safety in any meaningful capacity. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2017/11/09/tsa-misses-70-of-fake-weapons-but-thats-an-improvement/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2017/11/09/tsa...
    - cheerlessbog 7y ago
      To be fair they don't need to find them all just enough to deter.
      - sneak 7y ago
        That’s not accurate. If two people carry weapons onto planes and one gets caught and the other hijacks the plane and flies it into a building, well - the TSA has failed in their task. The sole reason this hasn’t happened in a while is that nobody is really making any efforts to mass murder with airplanes, TSA or no TSA. We should probably just shut it down and save the money at this point.
- geezerjay 7y ago
  > For distances in US, what we have is already superior. Unfortunately, TSA security theater adds major delays, as does antiquated FAA air traffic control procedures. That's quite the contradiction. Additionally, it seems you're failing to take into account that high-speed railways also enable suburban and even urban services, which are not possible with airways.
- djsumdog 7y ago
  > For distances in US, what we have is already superior. Um .. Russia? Lower population density, larger land mass and vastly larger and superior high speed rail infrastructure. No sorry, for US distances we're still super behind.
  - tomohawk 7y ago
    I doubt I'd get on board a Russian jet. Here in the US where jet travel is safe, it makes no sense to get on board a train when you can fly there so much more quickly. Adding in high speed trains doesn't change that. They're just too slow to make a difference.
djsumdog 7y ago
Virgin Trains Florida (formerly Brightline) now has a three line high speed system and it should complete to Orlando by 2023. California kinda fucked theirs up royally, sadly. I really wish they hadn't, because then at least the US would be on track to having two major new high speed rail systems. If Florida's system is successful, I can see Virgin Trains pushing to get lines extended to Atlanta and Nashville. I think once people really saw it in wide use, demand would go up and we'd see the East Cost AmTrak corridor upgraded as well.
- reaperducer 7y ago
  Virgin recently bought the Las Vegas ↔ Los Angeles high speed rail company. We'll see what happens there.
- ourlordcaffeine 7y ago
  In my mind what California needs more than a high speed intercity network is a medium speed high capacity train system between cities and surrounding commuter settlements.

I don't even care what it looks like. When I see a nation investing in high speed rail, it makes me frustrated that we are lagging so far behind with transportation.

tomohawk 7y ago

For distances in US, what we have is already superior. Unfortunately, TSA security theater adds major delays, as does antiquated FAA air traffic control procedures. Major improvements could be had if we could get government out of the way and allow innovation. Moving to high speed rail would also raise the profile of rail, and likely make it a stronger target of TSA, so you'd likely have the TSA induced delays for it just like for flying. High speed rail might make sense on east coast (NY to DC is about 230 miles), but you'd never get the rights of way to lay the kind of track you'd need to approach 200 mph. They gave up on expanding the interstate system in this area many years ago for this reason.

wbl 7y ago
Trains can't crash into buildings: the TSA does not make delays for the hell of it.
- mikeash 7y ago
  I wouldn’t be so sure about that. https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2011/02/26/screening-passengers-savannah-amtrak-station https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2011/02/26/screening-passengers-sav...
- sneak 7y ago
  Considering that the TSA misses more than two thirds of weapons passing through their checkpoints (they have improved - it used to be 95%), we can safely say that TSA does indeed make delays for the hell of it. They are not increasing air safety in any meaningful capacity. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2017/11/09/tsa-misses-70-of-fake-weapons-but-thats-an-improvement/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2017/11/09/tsa...
  - cheerlessbog 7y ago
    To be fair they don't need to find them all just enough to deter.
    - sneak 7y ago
      That’s not accurate. If two people carry weapons onto planes and one gets caught and the other hijacks the plane and flies it into a building, well - the TSA has failed in their task. The sole reason this hasn’t happened in a while is that nobody is really making any efforts to mass murder with airplanes, TSA or no TSA. We should probably just shut it down and save the money at this point.
geezerjay 7y ago
> For distances in US, what we have is already superior. Unfortunately, TSA security theater adds major delays, as does antiquated FAA air traffic control procedures. That's quite the contradiction. Additionally, it seems you're failing to take into account that high-speed railways also enable suburban and even urban services, which are not possible with airways.
djsumdog 7y ago
> For distances in US, what we have is already superior. Um .. Russia? Lower population density, larger land mass and vastly larger and superior high speed rail infrastructure. No sorry, for US distances we're still super behind.
- tomohawk 7y ago
  I doubt I'd get on board a Russian jet. Here in the US where jet travel is safe, it makes no sense to get on board a train when you can fly there so much more quickly. Adding in high speed trains doesn't change that. They're just too slow to make a difference.

djsumdog 7y ago

Virgin Trains Florida (formerly Brightline) now has a three line high speed system and it should complete to Orlando by 2023. California kinda fucked theirs up royally, sadly. I really wish they hadn't, because then at least the US would be on track to having two major new high speed rail systems. If Florida's system is successful, I can see Virgin Trains pushing to get lines extended to Atlanta and Nashville. I think once people really saw it in wide use, demand would go up and we'd see the East Cost AmTrak corridor upgraded as well.

reaperducer 7y ago
Virgin recently bought the Las Vegas ↔ Los Angeles high speed rail company. We'll see what happens there.
ourlordcaffeine 7y ago
In my mind what California needs more than a high speed intercity network is a medium speed high capacity train system between cities and surrounding commuter settlements.