3 ms·
> You want a double digit billion dollar MagLev train that connects Boise, Idaho with, St. Louise Missouri? That will be another 10% of your income No, just re
by pbz 11y ago
> You want a double digit billion dollar MagLev train that connects Boise, Idaho with, St. Louise Missouri? That will be another 10% of your income
No, just reallocate some of the hundreds of billions spent on wars / military and make something productive.
- atom-morgan 11y agoIt's worth noting JR Central is a private company. So I don't think the Japanese are giving up any of their income unless they pay for a ride.
- the8472 11y agoI would assume they get some govt subsidies in one form or another for building infrastructure.
- lmm 11y agoThey charge ridiculously high prices. But they can get away with it because Japan's roads make poor competition (there's not room for any more). In many ways it's the other way around: the US has a massively subsidized road network that makes rail uncompetitive. But it's also simply that land is so much cheaper in the US that there's less need to use it efficiently.
- wahsd 11y agoOk, you go get right on that. I'll help you build that MagLev in our imagination. You are asking something that cannot be changed without drastic measures. You are asking American to not be the thing it is, a war mongering nation that has never not been at war or agitating and instigating or preparing for a war or conflict of some sort. We live in a war based economy with an insurmountable amount of support for exactly that in the voting populace.
- worklogin 11y agoPretty sure paying off our debts,educating our kids and fixing the bridges that might collapse at any moment should come before a federally funded train that won't benefit more than 1% of the population.
- melling 11y agoYes, we are discussing putting a maglev from St. Louis to Boise, Idaho because someone wanted to show you why it wouldn't work in the U.S. I bet if we thought about it for another second, we'd come up with more suitable places. Los Angeles to San Francisco 400 miles Los Angeles to San Diego 150 miles NYC to Philadelphia 92 miles NYC to Boston 220 miles NYC to Washington DC 226 miles Chicago to St Louis 260 miles Dallas to Houston 240 miles Dallas to Austin 200 miles Austin to Houston 170 miles Tampa to Orlando 85 miles Miami to Orlando 235 miles
- worklogin 11y agoTo be clear, I never really thought Boise->MO was realistic. Real options still wouldn't benefit more than a small portion of the country, unless we're going to build a high-speed rail network along side the highway system. Then you're talking hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars.