Re "the freedom to change my plans," that's very interesting and seems pretty key. A current problem with Amtrak northeast corridor service is that they use the airline model of jacking up prices for rides closer in time, rather than a public service model of flat, low prices. I'm sure this is rational budget-wise for them given limited number of seats, but it makes it impossible to change trains on or close to the day of service without paying a hefty price when exchanging tickets. That will never be competitive with driving which generally has unchanging costs. Having plenty of trains and seats, spare capacity, and much higher volume, in addition to viewing the line as a public utility rather than a fare-maximizer, would make it more doable I reckon.
What you write here is absolutely perfect. If you or I, or a couple of million (at least) sane, normal, forward thinking people were President right now, with a Congress that also could see the light of HSR, this could all happen here. (My personal wish is true HSR from NYC to Montreal... a two hour ride?)
Unfortunately, we have the polar opposite happening in the country now. We have an administration hell bent on increasing the use of fossil fuels; making EV vehicles more expensive; and trains?... I wonder if they even know what they are.
I doubt anything is going to happen to improve passenger rail in this country, except for the few projects that are underway, for the next two or four years. I'm more concerned that the moron in charge will somehow stop even those projects.
I drove by the new Portal Bridge in New Jersey yesterday- the second of the three steel arches is about to be lifted into place. All I could think of, is does this project and the rest of Gateway just stop dead because the orange menace in DC has a tantrum?
About the only thing we can do is convince His Idiocy that he can personally make a few million on HSR construction. Only then would he possibly become a fan.
Re "the freedom to change my plans," that's very interesting and seems pretty key. A current problem with Amtrak northeast corridor service is that they use the airline model of jacking up prices for rides closer in time, rather than a public service model of flat, low prices. I'm sure this is rational budget-wise for them given limited number of seats, but it makes it impossible to change trains on or close to the day of service without paying a hefty price when exchanging tickets. That will never be competitive with driving which generally has unchanging costs. Having plenty of trains and seats, spare capacity, and much higher volume, in addition to viewing the line as a public utility rather than a fare-maximizer, would make it more doable I reckon.
What you write here is absolutely perfect. If you or I, or a couple of million (at least) sane, normal, forward thinking people were President right now, with a Congress that also could see the light of HSR, this could all happen here. (My personal wish is true HSR from NYC to Montreal... a two hour ride?)
Unfortunately, we have the polar opposite happening in the country now. We have an administration hell bent on increasing the use of fossil fuels; making EV vehicles more expensive; and trains?... I wonder if they even know what they are.
I doubt anything is going to happen to improve passenger rail in this country, except for the few projects that are underway, for the next two or four years. I'm more concerned that the moron in charge will somehow stop even those projects.
I drove by the new Portal Bridge in New Jersey yesterday- the second of the three steel arches is about to be lifted into place. All I could think of, is does this project and the rest of Gateway just stop dead because the orange menace in DC has a tantrum?
About the only thing we can do is convince His Idiocy that he can personally make a few million on HSR construction. Only then would he possibly become a fan.
Thanks! Once emperor, i plan on building an SCMaglev network linking the continent. Still won’t be easy, though.