Mad Fast Trains

Two stars of the hit show, "Mad Men," are big fans of high-speed rail. And they've teamed up with U.S. PIRG and the humor website Funny or Die to make a short video that's launching on the site today.

Please go to http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/7e1b30b48b/mad-men-on-trains and vote this video "Funny." That will keep us at the top of the page longer, and help build more buzz for fast trains.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Mad Men
• MadMen
• high-speed rail
• public transportation
• trains
• Pete Campbell
• California
• bullet trains
• AMC
• transit
• Mad Fast Trains
• Mad Men on Trains
• U.S. PIRG
• USPIRG
• US
• PIRG
• Public Interest Research Group
• highways
• cities
• economics
• Obama

[lenojames]

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]

@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.

[TheDSil]

"I did have one other idea: a man... are you following me?"

[jakerlyon]

lol - get a bumper sticker.

[NewsSocial]

@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.

[otavallai]

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.

[MsPerfectsquare]

@hersheyfree Propaganda? It's everywhere. Just turn on Fox 'news' for your daily share of right-wing propaganda.

[lenojames]

@tri400 ...even better!

[canofsand]

Hollywood's back in the business of propaganda, I see. Oh, of course, they never left it, but it's usually not so blatant.

[tri400]

@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....

[lenojames]

@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.