5 ms·

If you've never ridden the Zephyr cross-country, I can't think of another time I've felt so deeply frustrated that USA hasn't developed a high-speed rail networ

If you've never ridden the Zephyr cross-country, I can't think of another time I've felt so deeply frustrated that USA hasn't developed a high-speed rail network connecting all its major cities. If you're on the fence about trains vs. planes and have never done it, give it a try and imagine what it'd be like to be traveling ~200MPH while in the observation car. Still enjoying the decadent landscape views, drinking your beverage of choice, emitting far less carbon than flying, while still traveling quickly, without most of the obnoxious TSA theatrics.

newaccount2021 4y ago
ashtonbaker 4y ago
We did a round trip, Paris-Nice-Paris one summer. The trip to Nice was overnight on a sleeper car, and the way back we had first-class TGV tickets. I loved the sleeper car very much, but watching the French countryside fly by at 200mph was a vision of a civilized future that my American mind could scarcely comprehend.
idontpost 4y ago
> without most of the obnoxious TSA theatrics That's just naive. If train travel ever becomes common again, the TSA WILL get their grubby little fingers into it.
- ghaff 4y ago
  And the fact is that if you travel regularly and have TSA Pre, I do still get to the airport early but I pretty much breeze through security the vast bulk of the time. No shoes off, laptops out, etc. It's rarely a headache.
  - xboxnolifes 4y ago
    I think TSA is mostly useless, but people really overblow how much of a pain it is to go through security for domestic flights. It's never taken me more than 45 minutes to go from dropoff to gate for a domestic flight, and most are closer to the 20 minute range (mostly just walking to the gate itself). All of that not even being TSA-Pre.
- herbst 4y ago
  Not sure about that. Flying is also horrible in Europe but on Trains even international ones you usually just have border controls between 2 stations. If even. No idea why the US would be so different, especially as there is little or no 'international' crossing.
  - idontpost 4y ago
    Because you're naive and ignorant about government goons justifying their existence?
    - herbst 4y ago
      I am totally ignorant when it comes to us government yes. I just put up a European perspective. A little hope if you will
pessimizer 4y ago
> without most of the obnoxious TSA theatrics. This is theater that easily could have been applied to trains. And the TSA really fought to be on them, but the CEO at the time was really stubborn. They were able to get away with the same attitude since[0], but government pressure was high[1], and the new guy seems to be ideal for the internal security force hammer to come down[2]. ----- [0] "TSA Administrator: No need for airport-like security for rail travel" https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/01/tsa-administrator-no-need-for-airport-like-security-for-rail-travel.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/01/tsa-administrator-no-need-fo... [1] "Lawmakers push TSA to strengthen Amtrak passenger security" https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/288502-house-lawmakers-push-tsa-to-strengthen-passenger-security-on-amtrak/ https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/288502-house-lawma... [2] "Former CSX executive becomes new Amtrak CEO" https://wtop.com/business-finance/2020/03/amtrak-names-former-csx-executive-ceo/ https://wtop.com/business-finance/2020/03/amtrak-names-forme... "Amtrak CEO asks Congress to expand TSA’s ‘No Fly List’ to rail passengers" https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/amtrak-ceo-tsa-no-fly-list-b1788115.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/amtrak-ceo...
- pengaru 4y ago
  There will always be a difference since you can't fly trains into the World Trade Center. Planes are basically missiles.
bergenty 4y ago

newaccount2021 4y ago

ashtonbaker 4y ago

We did a round trip, Paris-Nice-Paris one summer. The trip to Nice was overnight on a sleeper car, and the way back we had first-class TGV tickets. I loved the sleeper car very much, but watching the French countryside fly by at 200mph was a vision of a civilized future that my American mind could scarcely comprehend.

idontpost 4y ago

> without most of the obnoxious TSA theatrics That's just naive. If train travel ever becomes common again, the TSA WILL get their grubby little fingers into it.

ghaff 4y ago
And the fact is that if you travel regularly and have TSA Pre, I do still get to the airport early but I pretty much breeze through security the vast bulk of the time. No shoes off, laptops out, etc. It's rarely a headache.
- xboxnolifes 4y ago
  I think TSA is mostly useless, but people really overblow how much of a pain it is to go through security for domestic flights. It's never taken me more than 45 minutes to go from dropoff to gate for a domestic flight, and most are closer to the 20 minute range (mostly just walking to the gate itself). All of that not even being TSA-Pre.
herbst 4y ago
Not sure about that. Flying is also horrible in Europe but on Trains even international ones you usually just have border controls between 2 stations. If even. No idea why the US would be so different, especially as there is little or no 'international' crossing.
- idontpost 4y ago
  Because you're naive and ignorant about government goons justifying their existence?
  - herbst 4y ago
    I am totally ignorant when it comes to us government yes. I just put up a European perspective. A little hope if you will

pessimizer 4y ago

> without most of the obnoxious TSA theatrics. This is theater that easily could have been applied to trains. And the TSA really fought to be on them, but the CEO at the time was really stubborn. They were able to get away with the same attitude since[0], but government pressure was high[1], and the new guy seems to be ideal for the internal security force hammer to come down[2]. ----- [0] "TSA Administrator: No need for airport-like security for rail travel" https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/01/tsa-administrator-no-need-for-airport-like-security-for-rail-travel.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/01/tsa-administrator-no-need-fo... [1] "Lawmakers push TSA to strengthen Amtrak passenger security" https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/288502-house-lawmakers-push-tsa-to-strengthen-passenger-security-on-amtrak/ https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/288502-house-lawma... [2] "Former CSX executive becomes new Amtrak CEO" https://wtop.com/business-finance/2020/03/amtrak-names-former-csx-executive-ceo/ https://wtop.com/business-finance/2020/03/amtrak-names-forme... "Amtrak CEO asks Congress to expand TSA’s ‘No Fly List’ to rail passengers" https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/amtrak-ceo-tsa-no-fly-list-b1788115.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/amtrak-ceo...

pengaru 4y ago
There will always be a difference since you can't fly trains into the World Trade Center. Planes are basically missiles.

bergenty 4y ago