Living for the last three years in a land where they have HSR, I can't imagine moving back to the US or California until they have it going there. I don't need a slick ad campaign to tell me it simply works. But it's a good clip nonetheless.
@otavallai I know. I live in California, we are currently building one that will be finished by the end of 2010s. I lived in West Germany before that and was able to choose between 5 high speed trains that took me to all over Europe. We are far behind.
On the Interstate Highway System it's possible to travel between the northern and southern borders and the Pacific and Atlantic and Gulf coasts at highway speeds with no cross traffic. A system of modern rail lines could be constructed with less capital and environmental impact. It would be exponentially safer and many times more energy efficient. Highways freed of much high tonnage traffic would be cheaper to maintain. What will it cost to steer Congress in this direction?
By 1965 the New York Central Railroad had lost much of its passenger traffic to the NY State Thruway. The Long Island Rail Road was still running equipment from the turn of the century. Cars lacked air conditioning and frequently had no heat.The Metroliner was an optimistic gesture but the cars were designed to evoke the appearance of an airliner. It's hard to imagine such a conversation in 1965. Such discussion is urgently needed and too many opportunities have been missed.
I remember New York in 1965. The beautiful Pennsylvania Station (architects McKim, Mead, White) had just been destroyed by the geniuses at the ill-fated Pennsylvania Railroad. Madison Square Garden and a nondescript steel and glass building stand in its place. Plans were already underway for the destruction of Grand Central Terminal, to be replaced by, among other things, a bowling alley, with passengers relegated to underground access similar to Penn's charmless rabbit warren.
The government pays for roads to be built. It does not turn a profit on roads. When automakers do not pay for the roads that we drive their cars on, it is not fair to demand that passenger rail compete without government investment against highway transportation.
A similar argument goes for air travel: governments pay for airports to be built and for many of the operating costs.
I love Mad Men. I love my Royal Enfield motorcycle, but I don't want to be a zombie riding a train to work. And I don't want the government forcing me to pay for it. If it's such a viable idea, find private companies to do it.
@tk409 The Interstate Highways were a good idea. But they weren't built by private companies. They were built by the US government, piece by piece, over half a century. I bet you ride your motorcycle on them too.
I know that HSR is a good idea, just like the Interstates, but I also know that it's not for everyone. Think of it this way. HSR will be able to put lots of people on trains, taking them off the roads and freeing up the roads for you. Whether you use it or not, it's still a win-win.
I can't wait! I would much rather we invest in high speed rail as a society versus more congested freeways and airports, especially in congested urban areas. Much better band for your buck.
You live on the peninsula! You already have CALTRAIN barrelling through your town!
With CAHSR, the trains will speed through your town faster, train and street traffic will be separated, and with an elevated track, there will be no more pedestrian deaths or suicides.
The real crazy train is the one that you have there right now.
Before the inevitable Amtrak comparison is made...
Amtrak is not High Speed Rail. Amtrak is passenger trains running on freight rails. Amtrak has a 79mph speed limit, interacts with street traffic, and is still directly dependent on oil production.
High Speed Rail runs on its own separate tracks, can go up to 200mph, and runs on electricity. And the electricity can come from coal, oil, nuclear, solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, etc. It's not tied to oil.
@tri400 You sure that's 250 MILES per hour, and not KILOMETERS per hour? If it were 250mph, that would translate to over 400kph, which would make it the fastest HSR train in the world.
I love trains and I wish we had fast trains, but dumping mega billions of dollars (think more than 100) into double priced locked-in crony union labor to build a truly high speed rail line that will be operated by overpriced union labor between two cities that are 200 miles apart doesn't seem like a good deal to me. Most people who promote this sort of scheme aren't really jazzed up about riding the fast trains, they just want money and power for themselves and their cronies.
Although most passenger rail isn't profitable, true high speed lines such as the TGV are operationally profitable and do pay for themselves eventually after the initial government investment in capital. We need to be clear that they're supporting high speed (200mph +) rail not just any passenger rail, which is not normally profitable.
Something else. If passenger trains were so efficient, and cost effective, someone would start building them now and make a killing. The next Vanderbilt or Bill Gates. That fact that the government is pushing so hard for them means that they are not. The fact that they require taxpayer money is solid indicator that they can not be run at a profit.
@zivjax The government pays for roads to be built. It does not turn a profit on roads. When automakers do not pay for the roads that we drive their cars on, it is not fair to demand that passenger rail compete without government investment against highway transportation.
A similar argument goes for air travel: governments pay for airports to be built and for many of the operating costs.
trains are the future? trains have been around for over 100 years. making trains faster has been the goal for over 100 years. Teleportation is the future. try selling that. No where in the world are high speed trains portifitable. All are paid by govts. I was china mag train last year, it wasnt for the poor or middle class, only rich could afford to ride. americans love freedom and independence. your selling trains like 1965...new technology has since produced AIRPLANES!
@Ham549 note that the next generation of the Japanese shinkansen (Japan's HSR system) will be a maglev (the first segment, Tokyo-Nagoya, was recently green-lighted).
(look up "Chuo Shinkansen" on wikipedia for more info)
Comment removed
SagaciousSilence 1 month ago
"I did have one other idea: a man... are you following me?"
TheDSil 10 months ago
lol - get a bumper sticker.
jakerlyon 11 months ago 3
Living for the last three years in a land where they have HSR, I can't imagine moving back to the US or California until they have it going there. I don't need a slick ad campaign to tell me it simply works. But it's a good clip nonetheless.
otavallai 11 months ago
@otavallai I know. I live in California, we are currently building one that will be finished by the end of 2010s. I lived in West Germany before that and was able to choose between 5 high speed trains that took me to all over Europe. We are far behind.
NewsSocial 11 months ago
Hollywood's back in the business of propaganda, I see. Oh, of course, they never left it, but it's usually not so blatant.
canofsand 11 months ago
On the Interstate Highway System it's possible to travel between the northern and southern borders and the Pacific and Atlantic and Gulf coasts at highway speeds with no cross traffic. A system of modern rail lines could be constructed with less capital and environmental impact. It would be exponentially safer and many times more energy efficient. Highways freed of much high tonnage traffic would be cheaper to maintain. What will it cost to steer Congress in this direction?
MaxPennington 1 year ago
By 1965 the New York Central Railroad had lost much of its passenger traffic to the NY State Thruway. The Long Island Rail Road was still running equipment from the turn of the century. Cars lacked air conditioning and frequently had no heat.The Metroliner was an optimistic gesture but the cars were designed to evoke the appearance of an airliner. It's hard to imagine such a conversation in 1965. Such discussion is urgently needed and too many opportunities have been missed.
MaxPennington 1 year ago
I remember New York in 1965. The beautiful Pennsylvania Station (architects McKim, Mead, White) had just been destroyed by the geniuses at the ill-fated Pennsylvania Railroad. Madison Square Garden and a nondescript steel and glass building stand in its place. Plans were already underway for the destruction of Grand Central Terminal, to be replaced by, among other things, a bowling alley, with passengers relegated to underground access similar to Penn's charmless rabbit warren.
MaxPennington 1 year ago
Trains needed for Canada too! Portland, Seattle and Vancouver desperately need to be better connected!
aranhilfp01 1 year ago
Becuase this show is so awesome, I'll give them a pass. besides, Campbell is the biggest tool on the show
sasquatch989 1 year ago
The government pays for roads to be built. It does not turn a profit on roads. When automakers do not pay for the roads that we drive their cars on, it is not fair to demand that passenger rail compete without government investment against highway transportation.
A similar argument goes for air travel: governments pay for airports to be built and for many of the operating costs.
gnuoyd 1 year ago 6
I love Mad Men. I love my Royal Enfield motorcycle, but I don't want to be a zombie riding a train to work. And I don't want the government forcing me to pay for it. If it's such a viable idea, find private companies to do it.
tk409 1 year ago
@tk409 The Interstate Highways were a good idea. But they weren't built by private companies. They were built by the US government, piece by piece, over half a century. I bet you ride your motorcycle on them too.
I know that HSR is a good idea, just like the Interstates, but I also know that it's not for everyone. Think of it this way. HSR will be able to put lots of people on trains, taking them off the roads and freeing up the roads for you. Whether you use it or not, it's still a win-win.
lenojames 1 year ago 20
Ad agencies did propaganda campaigns for the President in WWII, also.
hersheyfree 1 year ago
@hersheyfree Propaganda? It's everywhere. Just turn on Fox 'news' for your daily share of right-wing propaganda.
MsPerfectsquare 11 months ago 3
I can't wait! I would much rather we invest in high speed rail as a society versus more congested freeways and airports, especially in congested urban areas. Much better band for your buck.
LADudeCPP 1 year ago 2
A similar scene was actually in the movie Singles.
TheShannon76 1 year ago
I never liked Campbell. And I don't want a crazy train barreling through my town. (I live on the peninsula / bay area).
mcheung5 1 year ago
@mcheung5 ROTFL!
You live on the peninsula! You already have CALTRAIN barrelling through your town!
With CAHSR, the trains will speed through your town faster, train and street traffic will be separated, and with an elevated track, there will be no more pedestrian deaths or suicides.
The real crazy train is the one that you have there right now.
lenojames 1 year ago 3
Before the inevitable Amtrak comparison is made...
Amtrak is not High Speed Rail. Amtrak is passenger trains running on freight rails. Amtrak has a 79mph speed limit, interacts with street traffic, and is still directly dependent on oil production.
High Speed Rail runs on its own separate tracks, can go up to 200mph, and runs on electricity. And the electricity can come from coal, oil, nuclear, solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, etc. It's not tied to oil.
lenojames 1 year ago 23
@lenojames correction, 250mph....is the design speed of HSR under construction in England
tri400 1 year ago
@tri400 You sure that's 250 MILES per hour, and not KILOMETERS per hour? If it were 250mph, that would translate to over 400kph, which would make it the fastest HSR train in the world.
lenojames 1 year ago
@lenojames yes i am sure....400km/h is the design speed in England....they want the best.....to get people out of Aircraft and into trains....
tri400 11 months ago
@tri400 ...even better!
lenojames 11 months ago
mitcheal.com/rickscotti4.jpg
manumitx 1 year ago
I love trains and I wish we had fast trains, but dumping mega billions of dollars (think more than 100) into double priced locked-in crony union labor to build a truly high speed rail line that will be operated by overpriced union labor between two cities that are 200 miles apart doesn't seem like a good deal to me. Most people who promote this sort of scheme aren't really jazzed up about riding the fast trains, they just want money and power for themselves and their cronies.
cp256 1 year ago
@cp256 Wow those Unions sure are bad, we should go back to 15 hour work days working for 6 days a week for only a few dollars.
Ham549 1 year ago
@Ham549 As if there is no middle ground. Public sector unions are bleeding this country dry, it's a fact.
cp256 1 year ago
Although most passenger rail isn't profitable, true high speed lines such as the TGV are operationally profitable and do pay for themselves eventually after the initial government investment in capital. We need to be clear that they're supporting high speed (200mph +) rail not just any passenger rail, which is not normally profitable.
comatusfilms 1 year ago 4
Something else. If passenger trains were so efficient, and cost effective, someone would start building them now and make a killing. The next Vanderbilt or Bill Gates. That fact that the government is pushing so hard for them means that they are not. The fact that they require taxpayer money is solid indicator that they can not be run at a profit.
zivjax 1 year ago
@zivjax The problem with that is the fact that the government is also involved in highways and airplanes in a big way. The playing field isn't level.
TrainMan7070 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@zivjax The government pays for roads to be built. It does not turn a profit on roads. When automakers do not pay for the roads that we drive their cars on, it is not fair to demand that passenger rail compete without government investment against highway transportation.
A similar argument goes for air travel: governments pay for airports to be built and for many of the operating costs.
gnuoyd 1 year ago
I love Mad Men, but this is BS.
zivjax 1 year ago
trains are the future? trains have been around for over 100 years. making trains faster has been the goal for over 100 years. Teleportation is the future. try selling that. No where in the world are high speed trains portifitable. All are paid by govts. I was china mag train last year, it wasnt for the poor or middle class, only rich could afford to ride. americans love freedom and independence. your selling trains like 1965...new technology has since produced AIRPLANES!
cbcannon 1 year ago
@cbcannon Go to Germany, Japan, France see who is riding those trains. The Maglev is just for Airport traffic anyway.
Ham549 1 year ago
@Ham549 note that the next generation of the Japanese shinkansen (Japan's HSR system) will be a maglev (the first segment, Tokyo-Nagoya, was recently green-lighted).
(look up "Chuo Shinkansen" on wikipedia for more info)
snogglethorpe 1 year ago
oh brother. Did someone call Biden?
tuanische 1 year ago
Comment removed
lescarpi1 1 year ago