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There are only two profitable high-speed rail lines in the ENTIRE WORLD. One in Japan and I believe the other is in France. High speed rail just doesn't make se
by curt 15y ago
There are only two profitable high-speed rail lines in the ENTIRE WORLD. One in Japan and I believe the other is in France. High speed rail just doesn't make sense especially in the spread out urban centers that make up the US. The last mile problem is huge.
Someone commented on the airports being near capacity. That's only because our air traffic system is horrible. If they updated the system and automated much of it, we could drastically increase capacity since the planes could fly straighter routes instead of the current zig zap pattern and fly much closer together safely. Sadly the air traffic controllers union won't allow the changes since they'll lose jobs in the productivity increase.
- wiredfool 15y agoNo, right now the big constraint on air travel is runways. You need 3,5, or 7 miles between planes depending on size, and that works out to one flight every minute or two per non-conflicting runway. Seattle just completed a third parallel runway, that gives them three simultaneous ops in good weather, and two in bad. Atlanta has 5 or 6 now.
- easp 15y agoWhat's your point, re profitability? Are highway systems and surface roads "profitable?" And the airline industry (as opposed to the aircraft industry) has generated little or no wealth in more than half a century of existence.
- StuffMaster 15y agoThe point of high-speed rail isn't to be profitable, it's to transport people. You won't believe how unprofitable interstate highways are.