High-speed Rail for the United States

Expert Robert Puentes says the United States faces serious political, economic and infrastructure development hurdles on the path to establishing high-speed rail networks. In this week's @Brookings podcast, he examines the Obama administration's commitment and predicts a slow path to high-speed rail in America.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• trains
• transportation
• infrastructure
• u.s. trains
• high speed trains
• bullet trains
• train technology

[evantis121]

hte US is a great country that has achieved great feats but in the world of HSR its like a poverty stricken african third world tip pot country. I travelled from London to Paris in a little over 2 hours, Paris to Zurich in 3.5 hrs, Milan to Rome in 3 hours. In the US it would take 10 hours on average. HSR MUST come to the US!

[gibb1991]

Part Two: Why are we complaining about costs? A new, 220 mph high speed rail network is 1/2 the cost of expanding the interstate highway network and requires no operating subsidies. The TGV and SNCF are paying off their rail lines by themselves! Japan Rail and Japan Rail East were so successful that they privatized way back in 1986 and are still expanding to this day. Private industry has really began to enter the market, including Southeast Railways in England and NTV, or .Italo, in Italy.

[MrFigmentofi]

Here's a better idea. Create a long distance monorail. Monorails are very efficiant and they don't create much population. When it comes to making the tracks, just build them above the existing rail roads. The infrastructure will be a pain in the ass to build, but it's more worth it than HSR.

[DE4THF1RE]

@Scoinsoffaterocks i was kidding jackass. its people like you that can't take a joke

[Scoinsoffaterocks]

@DE4THF1RE

Its people like you that prove my point; america is a lost country, cars have been to embedded into the american psyche, and a huge lack of education and stupidity reign N. America. It's fucked, but HSR is only part of the solution.

[DE4THF1RE]

why do we need rails? we got cars. if you dont have cars ride a bike or walk? get off your ass america. Love you!

[gibb1991]

High Speed Rail is a phenominal way to travel and needs to be implamented in the United States as soon as possible. But not by the government and most certainly not by Amtrak. True HSR systems around the world all make profits and pay themselves off. You don't have to look beyond the Northeast Corridor and the Acela Express to see the profit margin for even a slow high speed train. It must be given to private operators and run on electricity while traveling at a minimum average speed of 150.