USA Verison Of High Speed Rail Service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[stevefisher123]

any minute now....anyyyminuteee nowww....any minute nowww...

[forloveC]

Kidding??It's a high speed train??????????

[concious2]

Ha ha ha ha! Rich!

[fiddlesti5]

HAHAHAHAHA... its funny cause it's not high speed...

[CheersnGears]

so I'm flying pittsburgh to new haven today. I'm laying over in Philly and now my next flight has been delayed. even on amtrak's slow line between pit and harrisburg and then high speed from there, total trip time would have been the same. congrats US Air, you can't even out run an Amtrak slow speed train.

[CheersnGears]

@thnksno I'm all for the Interstate Highway System once it becomes financially sustainable. I'm for the FAA and Air Traffic Control once it becomes sustainable. Each got many multiple times the subsidy that Amtrak gets. The TSA alone gets 6 times Amtrak's TOTAL BUDGET just to tell you to take your shoes off.

[PieMaster1994]

Ahhhh... cruising the rails at a whole seventy-nine miles per hour...

[jeffsandychelsea]

Air travel is basically our version of high speed rail. We simply don't have the population density to support high speed rail. Why is this? Probably because the government built huge ass highway networks, which encouraged suburban growth, which in turn spurred more highways, and so on.

[Blogengezer]

NM USA has 'Rail runner'. Built for speed, it must stop every 20 mi (32km) to load and unload a few PAX. It runs 90mi between the capitol 'Santa Fe' and ABQ/Belen. Future (dream) plans are to run to Mexico some day. Funded by taxes from the Fed govt, it barely survives. Subsidized riders keep fares low. When fed funds run out (borrowed from China), maintenance becomes the state's tax bugger. Rest of state is tired of funding what it does not have access to. It was a 'green' political project.

[zivjax]

If it's so damn cost effective, why aren't private businesses building HSR? Why the NEED for government (TAXES) money? I think it's all just envy for the HSR on other places like France and Japan. (I've ridden the Shinkansen and I loved it.) The big hype is the HSR from Chicago to Detroit. Really? Who the hell travels between that Chicago and Detroit that often? This whole thing is going to a tax sinkhole.

[gibb1991]

@zivjax Because Amtrak is a government monopoly, and the government has every intention to keep it that way. Although some companies (like the DesertXpress, X-Train, and Housatonic Railways) are breaking through the restrictive barrier and starting their own private services. However, Japan's rail network is operated privately.

[atrumdecretum]

@gibb1991 it's government owned because passenger rail in the us can't turn a profit... it's that simple.

[jwserge]

600km/h ))))))))))

[VisualAural]

This is crap. Let private sectors take over the train business. Look at how advanced the Japanese Shinkansen is under private ownership. I've ridden both and I'm not proud to say, the trains in the US are like caveman versions of the Japanese trains.

[PaperbatVGFAN67]

Try the Acela...

[yarmo28]

I live on the East Coast USA and use Amtrak frequently. Although our trains don't really compare to those of Europe - primarily because certain politicians starve Amtrak - they are much better than your video suggests. Without Amtrak and the local rail systems, the East Coast would come to a crashing halt in miles of traffic jams.

[RManBB2010]

I'm American and have traveled extensively by many different means, including rail, in North America and Europe. In my experience talking to Europeans and with my Euro friends, some of whom have come to the US to visit and travel with me, the typical European has NO grasp of how big the US and Canada are until they come here and travel. Our cities are VERY different than Euro cities, the distances between them vast, and our cultures are very different. It is like comparing apples and pineapples.

[Milleuros]

I was watching videos of French TGV, German ICE and such, then I found this. Laughed very hard.

Joke aside, it's a shame train system is that bad in USA, but not very surprising. The USA are the country of oil and cars. High-speed trains actually require electricity, and I don't think oil lobbies would accept it.

Train is cheap, accurate (it arrives at the hour they said it will), and very fast. Therefore, it's very comfortable.

[Konformation07]

@Milleuros Also, many Americans don't like to use trains. We value space very much which is what our cars can give us even in a traffic jam. However, this is not USA's answer to the high speed train. There are a few that can go A LOT faster.

[CheersAndGears]

@Konformation07 Train ridership is way up in the U.S. It isn't so much that people don't like to take the train, it is that so few in the US are adequately served due to lack of funds. If you think Amtrak gets too much in subsidies, think about this for a second: The Feds are spending $1.5 billion to rebuild 10 miles of interstate just outside of Chicago. For that same amount, Amtrak moved over 30 million people last year. Amtrak is a bargain.

[Konformation07]

@CheersAndGears For the population, 10% is not a lot compared to other countries. Trains aren't popular among Americans and many don't like using them. In fact, I don't like using the train at all. In terms of mass transit, flight is way more popular and for shorter distances. Car is the ideal choice. Train is just an alternative option.

[CheersnGears]

@Konformation07 I would argue that you don't like the U.S. trains that, with the exception of the Acela, I can see your point about speed. My point about Amtrak's increasing ridership is that trains *are* in fact increasingly popular with Americans. Fares for all airlines are shooting up and out of reach of more Americans. The fastest and most comfortable way to get up and down the northeast is easily by Amtrak. That needs to be replicated elsewhere.

[thnksno]

To further add... I can drive a 6 cylinder family sedan 30ish MPG with my family from Chicago to St. Louis for far less (and less time) than I ever could considering round trip tickets. Heck even at $48 for one adult and 600 miles round trip, you're splitting hairs between a sedan or Amtrak. Maybe we need to raise the price of gas to push HS rail through? lol!

[thnksno]

ha! The HS rail arguments crack me up. Frenchies and their TGV, what is France the size of Wisconsin? Then there's the folks who just want to go from here to there. Like St Louis and Chicago, problem is you can't find enough riders. So the train stops at 3000 bfe locations in Illinois and averages 21 mph. lol! RI from Joliet to LaSalle St was faster in the 50's than Metra today! Yet still needs to be quasi-socialist to operate, never mind all of the loop (1%ers) rides Metra daily! TAX THE RICH!

[CheersAndGears]

@thnksno 110mph service from Chicago to St. Louis starts up in 18 months. 110mph service in Michigan started this week. When the 110 service is complete all the way to Detroit, it will be a 4.5 hour trip for $36. You can't drive it OR fly it faster or cheaper.

[thnksno]

@CheersAndGears Oh I bet that ride between Chicago and Detroit will be a good one, they're like sister cities! lol... In the news today; "DETROIT – Authorities say a 9-month-old boy was killed when shots were fired into a Detroit home early Monday."

I'm all for HS rail, once it becomes sustainable without being a 'quasi government agency.' But for now its only useful purpose is in highly populous locales such as the northeast. I have no need to go to Detroit or St Louis.

[Gazahater]

they can make up shit to go to war but they cant make a bullit train

[DiveOregon]

@Gazahater bullit train? how about bullet train. stupid liberal

[divisioneight]

Another great job done by our Government. Privatize railroads and let the fortunes be made again.

[Shakers67]

THIS, a Hight Speed Service ? xD LOOK THE TGV MAN !!

[ubertser]

look pathetic isn't it. 

[sonicfan7]

Amtrak For the lose...... TGV all the fucking way...

[thejasond]

I like Trains....

[tykrn19]

Looks very very very heavy one.... and strange design as well... no mean to look down on you guys american... hey, as for Acella Express, that was a good start....

[McNabbulous]

@tykrn19 The problem with Acela reaching its full potential is the real estate Amtrak shares with the municipal ralroads. To build a track that would be able to handle the full performance of Acela would require massive service interruptions along the Northeast Corridor that would be impractical.

[markrobins210]

It is surprising that US has beautiful landscapes but they lack Railways.

Believe me

travelling with train and viewing the landscape from your train window

is the MOST Beautiful experience a person can ever have in life!

Please TU if you agree.

[BungKanKid]

@markrobins210

TRUE, but consider this. A Train ride coast to coast is damn near 3000 miles or 5000km, that would be like a 20-25hour trip even if they could sustain those speeds across the entire terrain. That would be like, what London to Moscow, with natural obstacles. It isn't cost effective here, at least now. Too Bad. I love the Euro system, it is so convenient and cost effective, but 3 days in a Train From Los Angeles to NY would Kill me!

[PGMEagle]

The US gov is too greedy then to invest it's money in thing like High Speed Rail for it's citizens.

[whygothic]

emm...I'm not good at economics so is it true that pound-for-pound, rail transportation is the most cost efficient esp those powered by electricity? At least for intra city? Btw, maglev sounds awesome but how about the cost?

[howzerman1]

The US has no need for hi speed rail when they have an effective air transport system in place for human travel. Most American prefer to fly rather than travel by rail. Rail systems in the USA are primarily heavy lift industry based, with no need for the cost of hi speed at this time. The primary transportation system in the USA is personal automobile. Most countries that utilize public transportation and rail have a much lower ownership of personal automobiles and even lower use.

[starventure]

@howzerman1 Americans prefer to fly until their flight is waiting on a taxiway for takeoff due to a ground delay at the destination or due to to deicing lines at the originating airport. Then, we bitch about how there needs to be built a high speed train from A to B, even if the population transiting the route is too low to sustain service. What we have is a population and body politic here in the US that is uninformed of the benefits of HSR and the unwillingness to spend on it.

[CheersAndGears]

@howzerman1 In a race from my house in Pittsburgh to washington dc. I can actually BEAT U.S. airways by driving because of all of the TSA crap and then getting to/from the airports. Flying was fine till the TSA got involved. Now, total trip time door to door is a minimum 5 hours. For trips less than 500 miles, HSR can beat that any time, every time. That's what HSR is for.

[Thessalier]

hahaha

[dariustate2008]

Um...this isn't high speed rail. Haven't you ever heard of the Acela?

[jemdude22]

Japan is 100 years ahead of USA!!

[howzerman1]

@jemdude22 MId tech but not hi technology, maybe in production. I worked in the tech industry in Japan and they are not ahead.

[HyperbolicSine]

2 Acela lines generate more than 50% revenue for the whole company, most other lines are unprofitable. And keep in mind that there's no infrastructure to keep the train moving at the top speed. To compete with airlines more efficiently, separate high-speed connections need to be built between large cities. But America is bankrupt, and it won't afford to fund these multibillion projects

[trinityct]

The heartland Flyer? :)

[SuperSasquatch777]

I noticed there was a bunch of people there also. Do people really just watch trains go by?

[gewglesux]

@SuperSasquatch777 it might have been Saturday.... it did not look like there was much else to do..

[furlenlausen]

American Rail hahahahahahahahahaha

[Neosaigo]

That is not a high speed rail, but I get what you are saying. :\

[Jimaera]

Lol, yeah, this looks about right.

[davidFreiheit]

america tries to police the world,and is the last in the world, every other country is more advanced and more safe.

[saberswordsmen1]

@davidFreiheit That's a pretty dumb statement, honestly.

[forsmers1]

why cant we have 200mph maglevs except with seats and service

[lesliechan31]

Dude we suck in comparison to Japan. Especially for cars and electronics. No contest.

[phillyslasher]

lol it's funny to think so many scoff at us Americans and call us backwards because we fly instead of take the train. Ironic in a way, if you think about it.

[ilf93dimarco]

pathetic.

[lsmith1981]

America is hard headed

[gillmann1234]

For anyone saying rail is more expensive to the consumer, a ticket on an Amtrak train from St. Louis to Chicago that leaves TODAY (Nov 2, 2011 at 5:30pm ) costs $24. A flight from St. Louis to Chicago that leaves at 4:00 will cost $173 if the flight is a non-stop one way flight. If you don't believe me, go ahead and compare prices. Opportunity cost of time aside, current rail is cheaper than airfare. If our train system was faster, this would be amazing for the communities along the corridor.

[BungKanKid]

@gillmann1234

That is not usual though. You can always find good deals if you can be flexible, but most travelers can't. Hell, I have flown LAX-BKK for US$150 walk up price, but I wouldn't say as a rule that Bangkok is as cheap to fly to as 2 tickets to Disneyland. It's usually not the case..

You might be a help if you could share your source for these price deals. I want to take a train trip with my kids just to do it. And we ARE flexible since I am retired,pretty much

[yurrri1978]

Вот Вам и Вектор и Маглев и Свиссметро. Это еще на десятилетия.

[LandroverB1]

Hi,people went by rail to see the beautiful wild country of America and speed was not a wanted ideal anyway.A bit of out there luxury and staged hotels of pure opulence for this century is all thats needed to attract paying passengers.Something with couple apartments and on/off skid mounted transference of your country batch isnt a far fetched idea?Regards peter.

[southparkline1]

We don't have the best passenger rail but that is because freight rail owns the lines. US freight rail on the other hand is the best in the world.

[jluis0202]

this US people are so funny!

[laservader1]

why is it so slow?

[hop208]

@laservader1 Because it's not a high speed train.

[SPS148669]

USA has a faster train than that. It's called Acela Express.

[Amtrak1194]

The only way that America is going to catch up with Europe is if we do something of the LGV style line. Where the long distant trips would be covered by Highspeed equipment and competing with airlines. The only problem is alot of our routes run through mountainous terrain and I'm not sure how a 15 car TGV Duplex would handle mountains.

[LoveMeLoveMyDog80]

@Amtrak1194 TGV can handle significantly steeper inclines than conventional trains due to force of momentum. LGV lines have 3.5% inclines, and dedicated ICE routes in Germany have 4%. It's worth noting that the TGV and ICE both have services running through the Alps. Also HSR in the US would mainly focus on the North East, Great Lakes, CA and FL, where the most viable routes exist. Crossing the Rockies is technically feasible, but not commercially/politically viable - at present.

[grover9559]

@LoveMeLoveMyDog80 Good post! HSR in the US would be most effective in the Northeast, Great Lakes, CA and FL with other regional routes upgraded to 100mph standards like they had in 1900.

[LoveMeLoveMyDog80]

@grover9559 I agree totally on the provincial routes upgrade. If federal regulations can be revised to allow European style equipment to operate (which has long proven safety records) then 100 and 125mph provincial diesel services would be possible with no need for new alignments, making implementation very affordable. The main issue then is ensuring that Amtrak train get the priority access they are meant to have, and rail roads keep their infrastructure up to scratch for fast running services.

[flees4free]

lol

[adarshk7]

Tell me, you don't call this high speed.

[danielw1245]

@adarshk7 lol. We don't, but we haven't invested the money needed to build trains with respectable speeds yet. However, that is what Obama is trying to do now.

[adarshk7]

@danielw1245 Haha, ok. But I guess you don't need high speed trains. High speed road travel is faster and cheaper I believe?

[danielw1245]

@adarshk7 it is...assuming that there's no congestion!

[adarshk7]

@danielw1245 Well yeah I agree, that's the basic concern behind road travel and requirement for the mass transit.

[CheersnGears]

@adarshk7 Just try driving 110mph (like in Michigan) or 150mph (like on the Acela).

[aLinuxTV]

DREAM ON ....U.S.A is a Third World Country now and will lNEVER be able to own a high speed rail train. stop drooling

[sawaddekabb]

it does not sound like most of the train like the sound is not even similar tilted train or electric train or most of the high speed train but i didn't mean that the sound is bad

[sawaddekabb]

the train sounds is very strange

[1onsite]

@sawaddekabb really why?

[Tuttigiu]

@1onsite seems a 1935 mercedes horn

[DFDalton1962]

Inter-city rail isn't practical in America. The population density is too low and the distances between cities is too great. Air travel is much more efficient (although the TSA is certainly trying their best to remedy that).

Even in the NE corridor Amtrack loses money. Unless it's for some quaint vacation trip, Americans do not like trains and consider them ALL 2nd rate transportation. All of you who are "embarassed" by America's trains, just learn to deal with it. America moves forward.

[1onsite]

@DFDalton1962 thus you need high speed rail!

[DFDalton1962]

@1onsite The only place I see HSR being profitable is between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. There would be a constant stream of vacationers/gamblers using it. It would compete timewise with flying and be much faster than driving.

There was talk of HSR in Wisconsin (!) for a while. I am assuming they wanted it between Milwaukee and Madison, with a link from Milwaukee to Chicago. What a joke. Few would use it.

A large network of HSR like they have in Europe and Japan is impractical.

[tehatemachine]

@1onsite It depends where we need high speed rail though. California was one of the only good proposed spots. It would have to be two major cities not to far from eachother that have a high volume of people that commute from City A to city B. Our rail network is different though. We by FAR have the best Freight train system in the world. But passenger rail isn't used that much at all. Air works better for long distance.

[intelceleron44]

@DFDalton1962 i think trains are fuckin cool. i dont use them becuase i have three cars but in my opinion i am much in favor of our styling and design...especially back in the glory days of steam.

[DFDalton1962]

@intelceleron44 Funny you should say that. Seems everyone who is in favor of spending billions of dollars on useless high speed rail projects wants OTHER people to use it.

[intelceleron44]

@DFDalton1962 I really dont get our political system. Its not in the best intrerest of the people anymore but in the best interest of special interests...( AKA Money.)  I think we should go back somewhere in between the wild west era and the 60's. That would be cool....except for the fact I wouldn't have my smart phone and couldn't check my emails on the fly...bummer:(

[grover9559]

@DFDalton1962 Somehow this doesn't seem to be an issue in other countries like China, Japan, Taiwan, S.Korea, Britain, Holland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. If communist governments like China and Russia can build them, why can't we? HSR is very effective on routes of 200-400 miles with trip times under 3 hours. There are quite a few places in the good ole USA where these trains would make good sense instead of just building more highways.

[Konman91316]

@DFDalton1962 The problem is that America really does not "move forward" which is why we are stuck with trains that, for the most part, run at the same speeds as they have for 100 years. That's third world.

That is the reason people don't use it. We have not truly built a high speed system besides the Acela which really is only "higher" speed on just a few sections. Also, the airlines themselves may profit but the backbone airports and highways certainly do not.

[Vlakpage]

@DFDalton1962 More efficient? It is not. Lets see some fair comparison (from wiki):

Passenger airplanes averaged 4.8 L/100 km per passenger (1.4 MJ/passenger-km) (49 passenger-miles per gallon) in 1998. Note that on average 20% of seats are left unoccupied.

A 1997 EC study on page 74 claims 18.00 kWh/train-km for the TGV Duplex assuming 3 intermediate stops between Paris and Lyon. This equates to 64.80 MJ/train-km. With 80% of the 545 seats filled on average this is 0.15 MJ/passenger-km.

[folks3000]

@DFDalton1962 Actually while America as a whole has lower population density, areas like the Midwest, West Coast, and East coast have population densities similar or greater than Spain. Saying high speed rail won't make sense in Wyoming doesn't negate it making sense in say, Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison-Minn­eapolis or the like. The reason America is auto dependent is because we gave massive subsidies to freeways for over a half a century that made Amtrak look like pocket change.

[gibb1991]

@DFDalton1962 Actually, that's not correct. Amtrak's Acela Express in the NEC produces a proft that is large enough to even cover the losses of the NE Regional services (which would produce a profit with new equipment).  In FY2010, the NEC reported a total profit of about $50 million. Demand for rail services in the nation has been increasing for the last nine years. High Speed Rail could work on the West Coast, the Central Midwest, Texas, Florida, parts of the Deep South, and Northeast.

[trainlover479]

@DFDalton1962 'Amtrak'

[southparkline1]

@DFDalton1962 The NE corridor does make money, it covers the cost for itself and the rest of the money is used to pay for half of Amtraks other services. It makes lots of money but Amtraks other lines don't so the money is used to upkeep other services. Also, America may be a joke in passenger rail but no one can touch us when it comes to freight rail.

[SmarterThanU100x]

@DFDalton1962, Actually, you are wrong. U.S. just didn't invest enough on rail, instead, put a lot of money into auto mobile biz. Bus is cheaper because infrastructure is all paid by tax money, but rail, it's paid by the rail company, mostly. This country could have real high speed rail, with cost and it can wipe out some of the air routes... overnight train from NYC to Chicago, anywhere between Portland Maine to Virginia, if there's dedicated HSR rail tracks.

[tehatemachine]

@SmarterThanU100x High speed rail would only work if it where run privately like it is in japan. The Bus system is garbage and takes to long Mostly because it to is government operated and is always late. Amtrak is also government subsidized which shows why so much money is lost on it each year.

[sierracuban]

@DFDalton1962  WE NEED HIGH SPEED RAIL.....OIL WILL HIT 200 DOLLARS PER BARREL ONE DAY SOON, AND AMERICAN AIRLINES FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY 2 DAYS AGO EVEN WITH OIL AT JUST 110 DOLLARS PER BARREL......WE WILL BE CRAZY NOT TO BUILD BULLET TRAINS.......

[KuraIthys]

@DFDalton1962 That might be true, in current circumstances, but air travel typically has something like a 2-3 hour overhead due to security procedures and the location of airports. In that amount of time, even the slowest of high-speed rail networks can travel a distance of 450 miles. The ones currently in the early planning stages almost 750... That's the headstart an efficient high-speed rail system can have on air travel... And that's what makes it practical.

[trinityct]

@DFDalton1962 No. America moves BACKWARD when we don't invest in high-speed rail. Even though airlines are fuel efficient, they are nowhere CLOSE to being as efficient or as safe as trains. We NEED trains too! We need more transportation options and this is the way to go! We CAN do better than traffic jams and over-reactive TSA people with STILL unsafe airlines and their overpriced tickets. We MUST release our strangled grip on foreign oil and fossil fuels altogether! WE NEED MORE TRAINS!!!!!!!!

[trinityct]

@DFDalton1962 Also, way to spell AMTRAK right.

[brushcreek42]

@DFDalton1962 It is too practical. Jet air travel is fuel inefficient and couldn't survive without Federal subsidies. Guess who pays for all those airports and runways? Who pays for the air traffic controllers? And still the airlines lose money and go bankrupt. Carrying passengers is not profitable, whether by plane of train.

Americans would travel by train, but there have to be more available. America is moving backwards in the field of public transportation.

[ursamajoran]

@DFDalton1962 Ya but intra-city rail sure is. I use the trains in Los Angeles along with buses and my bicycle as my principal and chosen mode of travel here. The catch is you can't be in a hurry. I have developed an equation for calculating travel time on public transportation. If say it it a 20 minute trip by car around noon time, you take the travel time multiply by 4 and add 1 hour. In this case the 20 minute trip by car would only take 140 minutes, or 2 hours 20 minutes.Wow!

[tykrn19]

@ursamajoran You made a good point. It's all because of that cities, especially major cities in the states design for motor traveler. You see, you have more very wide road back there, and lots of parking lot, compared to any other major cities elsewhere in the world, especially Japan, where good space is a luxurious. Well, traffic jam, you are not alone guys. I think electric small cars are more effective for you...

[skinnyshit8888]

@DFDalton1962 Then why is it...that in the past year...Amtrak transported a record of more than 300 million...with the ridership constantly increasing(they made another record ridership number this holiday season, breaking last years record)...The information is from Trains Magazines website, so your refute better be a good one!

[leothedirilo]

@DFDalton1962 my damn governor is trying to get away from building my state's american ICE

[owenooh]

Where does the key go ?

~because surely this must be a wind-up clockwork train..... :-)

[evantis121]

America is the laughing stock of the whole world when it comes to passenger rail. we are like cave men sniffing each others butts.

You just have to look at who the american voters voted for (scott walker, john kaisch etc) in the mid-terms to realise that we should worry about the standards of american education too!!

[1onsite]

@evantis121 no wonder were so depend on OIL!!! all the cars on the road

[lindsey4heart]

@evantis121 Wow..not every American is like that. I honestly think America should invest on high speed trains it would help cut down on air polution and gas.

[2002puravida]

LOL, I take it this is to be sarcastic. The Amtrak line that runs by my house has had "high speed trains" signs for years even though they DECREASED the speed here from 70+ MPH to about 45!

[1onsite]

@2002puravida sucks uh you would think the USA would have better service that this

[2002puravida]

@1onsite Well they go about 80-90 on one line I take but unfortunately, last time, they had every eastern track into Chicago down to one for repairs so after making good time, we sat and waited for like 30 minutes, lol.

[vilhelmcasp]

we're so advanced