This looks like an end to end light locomotive run before the branch opened. Looks like they are stopping to flag each crossing potentially the grade crossing signals not working yet. Interesting look though.
Causes pangs in me of wishing for a simple coast to coast electrified, double tracked, grade crossing-free line transporting the bulk of the countryâs freight.
I think we will get there. I have a feeling the country is changing itâs attitude towards rail.
I hope youâre right but probably not in my lifetime. And better if only passenger or time sensitive container freight only at night
If itâs âtime sensitiveâ, it needs to be more than âonly at nightâ.
I donât think there is any need for a transcontinental HSR, just routes likely <500 miles, none more than 900. That would allow night freights.
The âcatchâ of course is that there is really no such thing as practical overnight HSR. (Or perhaps it would be better to say 'no practical HSR sleepers if âtransportationâ is all the provider is willing to shell out for). Yes, I can build you sleeper accommodations that will work at 186mph. No, they are NOT cost-effective⌠even by Emirates first-class standards.
So youâre pretty well limited to âcorridorsâ that are timewise convenient between âanchorâ destination pairs, and not expect the trainset use to be âchainedâ end-to-end for one-seat ride over longer or transcontinental distances. Of course this limits the relative sense of HSR (properly defined imho as over 150mph) as a new-build option in the first place, vs. 125mph and PRIIA which, like HST in Britain, give the best bang for the buck per hour saved.
125mph sealed-corridor on ~35â centers also solves many of the general issues with the intruding public, and could be used for whatever infinitesimal high-speed rail borne freight shippers would still be willing to pay for.
Maybe I wasnât clear? HSR passenger practically only works in populated corridors, probably under 500 miles maybe Chicago to NYC, maybe 800-900. Freight use if any, would be limited at lower speeds in off peak.
OK, what is the demand for HSR at any distance? Why canât we just get on an airplane? (Assuming the government ever gets its act together.)
Why spend the wealth of our nation duplicating air travel?
Some say air is best at distances over 500 miles as the airways are extremely crowded already.
Under the best of circumstance - door to door via air is nominally two hours longer than the time of the flight itself.
I think rail has convenience nailed in so many markets. Just lacks speed and frequency. I am not a fan of jumping right into HSR like California did. I think they should shoot for car competitive passenger rail, build ridership and demand and then up the speed via incremental projects.
I think they will finish California at some point.
Better video with at speed views. From what I read the restoration of the line was originally intended to go three more stops but they ran short of money or did they change the plan?
Would be nice if someday they extended the restored line all the way to Indianapolis and opened it to Amtrak. What is the rail line to the right? CSX?
Iâm guessing youâve never ridden any HSR. And Acela doesnât count. Average speeds are less than 90 mph from NYC to DC. About 60 to Boston.
Itâs valuable for routes of say 150-400 miles. In France I can travel Paris to Bordeaux to 2 hours. Thatâs 300 miles. Air canât match that from the time I enter a Paris airport to the time I leave the Bordeaux airport. Never mind the time getting to or from the airport.
There is no check-in or security or boarding passes. Walk up to train and board at leisure. Ticketing is all on board. I usually allow 20 minutes. But done it in 5 minutes taxi to train. And leaving a train to boarding a taxi is literally 5 minutes.
The autobahns in Germany canât beat that. Even if you run flat out. I tried that too. Brief spurts to 125, as fast as my VW went, then traffic intervenes and Iâm down to 55 because thatâs as fast as trucks are governed to go so when they pass everything behind gets backed up. Autobahns are mostly 2 lane. Realistically best you can average is about 100. Assuming good weather. If autobahns are wet the speed limit is 50 and itâs enforced pretty rigidly.
HSR makes for the freedom to take day trips across those distances infeasible with air or auto. Iâve done it.
We donât have that freedom here to do day trips. No one from Chicago where I live now would go to Detroit or St Louis or Minneapolis for a leisurely day trip. Europeans can and do all the time.
I guess my question would be why? Amtrak already runs from Chicago to Indy. Why add a new route?
Last time I checked for a biz trip admittedly almost 10 years ago it was 5 hours each way by Amtrak. By car itâs 3 if light traffic 4 if rush hour. I drove.
Current route is pretty slow.
It would be far cheaper to upgrade the current route than to build an all new one.
I
Currently the old ROW is a trail.
https://regionalopportunityinc.org/readi-1-0-project-monon-south-regional-trail/
Especially if routed through Lafayette (think Purdue).