Why don't we have high speed rail ?

[Remote]

That's not an alternative to interstate and continental flights

Sure it is.

High speed rail doesn't eliminate the airline industry but it makes a lot of airline trips unnecessary.

Not every flight Americans take is New York to Los Angeles.

 

[WIA20XX]

It's hilarious.

The Climate is killing us environmentalists want more rail.
The "save the animals" environmentalists want no rail.

AND

A lot of business people use environmental groups and laws to stop development that will hurt their bottom line.

And both environmental groups are Democrats/Liberals/Progressives, using laws that Democrats passed in the 70s.

It's just like most cities are Blue, and most of the rich blues use "Democrat/Progressive" laws to stop affordable housing, infill housing, etc.

 

[Mike Nasty]

That's not an alternative to interstate and continental flights

No shyt, neither is me driving 3 days cross country.

 

[Windows 91]

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.

During my first trip to Japan I visited 8 different cities and never saw the inside of an automobile once. It was unbelievable. Between the Shinkansen, public metros, and private rail companies, I could get anywhere I wanted quickly and efficiently. And I only needed a single reloadable IC card that worked with every city's train system in the country. Sad to know this will never be possible in America.

 

[Seoul Gleou]

Sure it is.

High speed rail doesn't eliminate the airline industry but it makes a lot of airline trips unnecessary.

Not every flight Americans take is New York to Los Angeles.

Again, there's no alternative to commercial flights for intercontinental and and interstate flights. Hence why his point about the auto industry decimating the airline industry being a false equivalence.

I am a big proponent of LRTs and I know first hand what benefits they generate. But to say "well, if all politicians are bought by the auto industry, they'd try to kill all airlines." Is stupid. It's no coincidence that the 1st or 2nd most valuable airline in the world, United, has an HQ right next to the Potomac.

 

[Strapped]

Because our system of government is corrupt & gets nothing done but to fear monger & propagandize while playing the victim on lies . The military budgets keeps ballooning though

 

[Remote]

Again, there's no alternative to commercial flights for intercontinental and and interstate flights. Hence why his point about the auto industry decimating the airline industry being a false equivalence.

I am a big proponent of LRTs and I know first hand what benefits they generate. But to say "well, if all politicians are bought by the auto industry, they'd try to kill all airlines." Is stupid. It's no coincidence that the 1st or 2nd most valuable airline in the world, United, has an HQ right next to the Potomac.

You're not explaining why not though. So this is just you going in circles.

How many train networks do we have to point to around the world that are alternatives for interstate and intercontinental flights?
Actually I already know what you're going to say...

 

[ChatGPT-5]

That's a fair assessment. Honestly, other countries are getting fed up with her polarized the US has become. We plan in 4 year cycles. There's no no way to grow "an empire" if the political and commercial pendulum swings wildly every 4 years.

However, China has several things working against it...1, their population is expected to decrease by 500 million in the next 60-80 years...everything they are building can't be paid for (think Evergrand times 100), 2, China is a middle income country, their GDP per capita is lower than Mexico's; GDP per capita is a more important metric than GDP because it means you can purchase and often manufacture more complex finished goods. 3, China at present lacks the innovative capacity to overtake the US. Pretty much everything they made, came from the US or a western nation first. It's kind of hard to be the dominant superpower when everything you do is based off of a western power.

Honestly, I could give you 4 or 5 more reasons why they most likely won't overtake the US. The more likely scenario is BRICS does actually become a thing, but because all the member countries like the US to varying degrees, they'll probably end up gridlocking each to an extent never significantly pass the US. Saudi Arabia doesn't want to buy Chinese military equipment. India doesn't want to lose the gains from tech and call center employment. China needs a consumer base that has more disposable income to purchase their low quality mass produced Shein/Temu shyt. Brazil likes their western tourism. And Russian oligarchs are annoyed that they've been largely excommunicated from western society.

no one can predict what the chinese will do. population decrease and randomly out of no where the CCP gives off crazy incentives to add 2 more kids to the family. They do things at the wave of a wand.

 

[ChatGPT-5]

Thinking about this I do really so a lot of abandoned train tracks when driving. I wonder how many we have across the country that could be refitted for a highspeed rail(not a train nor transportation expert obviously)

isn't that what california did? but not highspeed trains, just rapid transit. not sure why the rest of the country can't be refitted for a highspeed railway. politics is the only thing, making that country look like an old Cadillac while china looks like a Lamborghini SUV.

 

[Seoul Gleou]

You're not explaining why not though. So this is just you going in circles.

How many train networks do we have to point to around the world that are alternatives for interstate and intercontinental flights?
Actually I already know what you're going to say...

Why what? Do you really need me to tell you why an industry has not progressed due to lobbying and corruption? What exactly is your argument here?

 

[null]

because yanks are babies when it comes to first world standards like ..

good infrastructure
good public transport
criminal rehabilitation
universal healthcare

also:

yanks don't want to be in close proximity with other yanks. especially the upper classes.
yanks are contradictory .. (like being prudes and freaks at the same time)
yanks want sometone else to pay for stuff like this.

-

i know. i've studied them.

 

[Spence]

They want you in a car, buying gas/oil, and wasting your life behind the wheel. The fact 50k people are killed in auto accidents in this country per year is just an afterthought

 

[#BOTHSIDES]

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.

Or rail companies just gotta market and sell it better/more. It Is highly unlikely that a significant amount of Americans will travel outside USA to ride trains like those in Asia and europe

Hell Elon changed the perception of EVs even tho I don’t think they’re better

 

[Amerikan Melanin]

Trains jobs especially Pullman Porters birthed the black middle class.

White Americans don’t want black Americans to have ease of travel, for better jobs or cheaper vacations.

It would hurt the plane lobby’s.

Toll roads would take a hit.

Car sales would probably drop also.

However it would be a major boost to the overall economy. Tracks would have to be built, train jobs, travel and more employment, catering, etc.

 

[Elim Garak]