Why don't we have high speed rail ?
- Thread starter Remote
- Start date
Elim Garak
Veteran
Republicans did everything they could to dismantle Obama's agenda when he was trying to do it also.
Art Barr
INVADING SOHH CHAMPION
So the can continue this in time like movie thing. Where they overprice it.
for you to move around. Then you become an economic slave to that boss hog like underdeveloped share cropping ass area.
Art Barr
for you to move around. Then you become an economic slave to that boss hog like underdeveloped share cropping ass area.
Art Barr
Americans don't travel to other countries like that, so I'd reckon that a large part of the country doesn't even understand all of the utility that would come with a HSR system being implemented.
Case in point, I didn't think that the shít was a big deal until I came to Japan. I can take a 1½-hour train ride up to Tokyo for exactly ¥1,241 right damn now... that's $7.89.
For reference, a ride on the Trolley in San Diego was like $5 for a day pass, and that shít really only took you through Barrio Logan and downtown.
Your average person from the country has maybe rode a bus 3 times MAX once they graduated school, and don't even get me started on the níggas from the backwoods, boonies, gump, etc. My hometown deep in Alabama with a population of 29,000 has maybe 2 Uber drivers in the area prior to midnight, so I know
.
If 75% of Americans just took a 2-week trip to Japan or South Korea, about 55% would come back demanding immediate changes to public transportation, food quality, and overall convenience.
Case in point, I didn't think that the shít was a big deal until I came to Japan. I can take a 1½-hour train ride up to Tokyo for exactly ¥1,241 right damn now... that's $7.89.
For reference, a ride on the Trolley in San Diego was like $5 for a day pass, and that shít really only took you through Barrio Logan and downtown.
Your average person from the country has maybe rode a bus 3 times MAX once they graduated school, and don't even get me started on the níggas from the backwoods, boonies, gump, etc. My hometown deep in Alabama with a population of 29,000 has maybe 2 Uber drivers in the area prior to midnight, so I know
. If 75% of Americans just took a 2-week trip to Japan or South Korea, about 55% would come back demanding immediate changes to public transportation, food quality, and overall convenience.
RiverCity916
South Sacramento
High speed rail should already in place just for low cost domestic travel alone
Vandelay
Life is absurd. Lean into it.
Lobbies. But we'd also have to reconstruct cities in addition to building the lines, because once you get to the destination city, you still need a car or an Uber to get to your final location.
America geographically is just too big for its own good
thats not a valid excuse
we don't even have a comparable train network for similarity sized areas that are just as populated/dense.
1/15
@martianwyrdlord
Driving: have to continuously pay attention to the highway. Can't do anything but drive.
Flying: TSA. Tiny seats. shytty food. Did I mention the TSA?
Train: no security, you just walk right on. Don't need to pay attention, just sit there, read a book, enjoy the scenery.
[Quoted tweet]
Who in God's name would take a train from New York to LA? Either fly or drive. A train is the worst aspects of both experiences combined, with the benefits of neither.
2/15
@6SpeedHypnotist
Driving nourishes the spirit and restores one's mastery of the physical. It is a dance with danger, self directed. Riding a train is squirting yourself into a casing like sausage meat. Degrading, meaningless.
3/15
@WallpaperKeith
Have you never travelled on a sleeper service with a bar and dining car? Private compartments? The sounds of a station at night as you stir in your bed at 3am? Morning coffee from the attendant served in your cabin? Trains can be a wonderful way to travel.
4/15
@6SpeedHypnotist
I have not had that chance, and my fear that we will soon lose personal automobile travel prevents me from indulging in such a treat. But you have a way with words. That sounds nice, if only as an occasional respite from the responsibility of self-steering one's transportation.
5/15
@WallpaperKeith
When I am emperor, all long distance trains will look like the Orient Express:
6/15
@6SpeedHypnotist
That is a beautiful train-car. Is that a real picture? My train knowledge is limited.
7/15
@WallpaperKeith
It is from an older build of the Orient Express. The new train design can be seen at Train Orient Express | Orient Express, trains de luxe depuis 1883
It is quite something.
8/15
@6SpeedHypnotist
I am not a fan of trains for spiritual reasons. My bias may be because I am an American. Our trains (as far as I know) are not nearly so nice. Driving a car is one of the only brave things we have left. It's vitally important. But I would enjoy a ride on that train.
9/15
@WallpaperKeith
The idea that train travel isn't very American is a modern idea. Your network used to be incredibly extensive. This is a 1930's map of ONLY the main routes, not the minor lines.
Your network was decimated because of pressure from the (subsidised) road lobby - it was a choice.
10/15
@dryborer
Roads mean freedom and individualism. Trains mean that someone else decides when you leave, how fast you go, and how often you stop. It's no mystery why Americans said no thanks to that.
11/15
@martianwyrdlord
And airports mean what?
Americans weren't really given a choice. Their trains were dismantled.
12/15
@Americanism4you
Automobiles and airplanes are better, there are no two ways around it.
Before automobiles and planes, obviously trains were going to dominate.
13/15
@6SpeedHypnotist
General Motors streetcar conspiracy - Wikipedia
They did this with streetcars in the cities too.
14/15
@Purrpatrol
It was a good choice. I love car trips. Loud music, Pringles, great scenery and freedom.
15/15
@SlicinHammer
Yes, the 1930s when commercial flight was just getting off the ground. What was your point again?
To post tweets in this format, more info here: https://www.thecoli.com/threads/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-the-coli-megathread.984734/post-52211196
@martianwyrdlord
Driving: have to continuously pay attention to the highway. Can't do anything but drive.
Flying: TSA. Tiny seats. shytty food. Did I mention the TSA?
Train: no security, you just walk right on. Don't need to pay attention, just sit there, read a book, enjoy the scenery.
[Quoted tweet]
Who in God's name would take a train from New York to LA? Either fly or drive. A train is the worst aspects of both experiences combined, with the benefits of neither.
2/15
@6SpeedHypnotist
Driving nourishes the spirit and restores one's mastery of the physical. It is a dance with danger, self directed. Riding a train is squirting yourself into a casing like sausage meat. Degrading, meaningless.
3/15
@WallpaperKeith
Have you never travelled on a sleeper service with a bar and dining car? Private compartments? The sounds of a station at night as you stir in your bed at 3am? Morning coffee from the attendant served in your cabin? Trains can be a wonderful way to travel.
4/15
@6SpeedHypnotist
I have not had that chance, and my fear that we will soon lose personal automobile travel prevents me from indulging in such a treat. But you have a way with words. That sounds nice, if only as an occasional respite from the responsibility of self-steering one's transportation.
5/15
@WallpaperKeith
When I am emperor, all long distance trains will look like the Orient Express:
6/15
@6SpeedHypnotist
That is a beautiful train-car. Is that a real picture? My train knowledge is limited.
7/15
@WallpaperKeith
It is from an older build of the Orient Express. The new train design can be seen at Train Orient Express | Orient Express, trains de luxe depuis 1883
It is quite something.
8/15
@6SpeedHypnotist
I am not a fan of trains for spiritual reasons. My bias may be because I am an American. Our trains (as far as I know) are not nearly so nice. Driving a car is one of the only brave things we have left. It's vitally important. But I would enjoy a ride on that train.
9/15
@WallpaperKeith
The idea that train travel isn't very American is a modern idea. Your network used to be incredibly extensive. This is a 1930's map of ONLY the main routes, not the minor lines.
Your network was decimated because of pressure from the (subsidised) road lobby - it was a choice.
10/15
@dryborer
Roads mean freedom and individualism. Trains mean that someone else decides when you leave, how fast you go, and how often you stop. It's no mystery why Americans said no thanks to that.
11/15
@martianwyrdlord
And airports mean what?
Americans weren't really given a choice. Their trains were dismantled.
12/15
@Americanism4you
Automobiles and airplanes are better, there are no two ways around it.
Before automobiles and planes, obviously trains were going to dominate.
13/15
@6SpeedHypnotist
General Motors streetcar conspiracy - Wikipedia
They did this with streetcars in the cities too.
14/15
@Purrpatrol
It was a good choice. I love car trips. Loud music, Pringles, great scenery and freedom.
15/15
@SlicinHammer
Yes, the 1930s when commercial flight was just getting off the ground. What was your point again?
To post tweets in this format, more info here: https://www.thecoli.com/threads/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-the-coli-megathread.984734/post-52211196
1/3
@Kanthan2030
10,000 km:
Length of high-speed rail in China when Xi Jinping became the President (in 2013)
42,000+ km — Today
And it was 0 km in 2007!
A decade in China is like a century in other countries.
Those who don’t understand the “Speed of China,” are doomed to failure.
2/3
@MartinLZinn
Imagine the size and scope of this transformation, its mind blowing.
A country using its wealth to do something constructive.
3/3
@sudhee_sylt
Infrastructures build civilizations and create jobs.
This is THE most important metric to establish healthy/progressive societies...
To post tweets in this format, more info here: https://www.thecoli.com/threads/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-the-coli-megathread.984734/post-52211196
@Kanthan2030
10,000 km:
Length of high-speed rail in China when Xi Jinping became the President (in 2013)
42,000+ km — Today
And it was 0 km in 2007!
A decade in China is like a century in other countries.
Those who don’t understand the “Speed of China,” are doomed to failure.
2/3
@MartinLZinn
Imagine the size and scope of this transformation, its mind blowing.
A country using its wealth to do something constructive.
3/3
@sudhee_sylt
Infrastructures build civilizations and create jobs.
This is THE most important metric to establish healthy/progressive societies...
To post tweets in this format, more info here: https://www.thecoli.com/threads/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-the-coli-megathread.984734/post-52211196
Last edited:
CashmereThoughts
Veteran
They would just over price TF out of high speed rail.
In the north east corridor. Dc-Philly-NYC-Boston Amtrak is more expensive than flying.
Truth is, HSR can only really work in certain corridors of the US where urban areas are more densely packed.
NE Corridor
Texas Triangle
SF-LA-SD
Parts of Chicagoland that connects with the great lakes
I disagree here. There are some routes that simply would be better to fly. Think LA to NYC. This country is far too big to have HSR coast to coast. Would be too expensive to run.
It’s only a few airline routes that would be affected.
Vandelay
Life is absurd. Lean into it.
China is able to do it because the present state of their cities is roughly only 30-40 years old. The present state of US cities is 80-140 years old. In addition eminent domain is much easier in a country like China over the US.America geographically is just too big for its own good
And
Opposition is to be expected.
I argue that the real issue is how incompetent rail activists have been. Did you think they would just nod their heads and agree with you? Highspeed rail entered its zenith in the 1980s, and American advocates have had 4 decades to get a lobbying strategy together and have failed.
In stark contrast i'm reminded of how competent the LGBT people have been over the last 40 years at getting things passed on both national and local levels despite Republican opposition and counter-lobbying groups fighting them. Same can be said for the global warming activists, or UBI activists, housing first activists, and drug legalization activists.
Notice how each of these initiatives had organized groups, payed for politicians, wealthy donors to the cause, think tanks to craft policy, and corporate allies. Rail activists have failed at these. Personally I'm sick of the auto industry excuse as if you don't have your own allies in the steel industry (us steel) , engineering(general electric, and existing rail operators (Union Pacific, CSX, etc) who would love to get contracts in the High Speed rail arena.
Until the HSR activists properly fund themselves and lobby like other expensive and controversial leftist issues, they will continue to get nothing . Something being a good idea is not good enough justification for it to be reality. That good idea needs people willing to fight for it.
Last edited:
blues_funk_reggae
Veteran
Ask Lyle Lanley
