High-speed trains are finally coming to the US

[JacksinPA]

High-speed trains in America? Virgin Trains USA on track to make it so | CNN Travel

(CNN) — Japan has its famed Shinkasens, Russia its Maglevs, France its TGVs.

But what about the United States?

One train company has high hopes of bringing high-speed rail travel to America. Brightline Trains, which bills itself as "America's first new major private intercity passenger railroad in over a century," has just gotten a major vote of confidence from Richard Branson's Virgin Group.
========================================
To be branded Virgin Trains USA, they will initially link Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

 

[Fledermaus]

High-speed trains in America? Virgin Trains USA on track to make it so | CNN Travel

(CNN) — Japan has its famed Shinkasens, Russia its Maglevs, France its TGVs.

But what about the United States?

One train company has high hopes of bringing high-speed rail travel to America. Brightline Trains, which bills itself as "America's first new major private intercity passenger railroad in over a century," has just gotten a major vote of confidence from Richard Branson's Virgin Group.
========================================
To be branded Virgin Trains USA, they will initially link Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

High Speed Fail is what we have here in California.

 

[ecofarm]

Only one thing really matters: population density. That's the great disparity between the US and Europe and the reason mass transit is not popular here. At some threshold, passenger trains become economically viable.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Only one thing really matters: population density. That's the great disparity between the US and Europe and the reason mass transit is not popular here. At some threshold, passenger trains become economically viable.

I've advocated placing commuter rail lines within interstate highway medians - nothing is a better ad for mass transit than seeing folks kicked back in railway cars, reading the morning news, zipping by commuters stuck in creeping traffic jams.

 

[ecofarm]

I've advocated placing commuter rail lines within interstate highway medians - nothing is a better ad for mass transit than seeing folks kicked back in railway cars, reading the morning news, zipping by commuters stuck in creeping traffic jams.

It all comes down to sufficient customers. The monorail in Miami runs next to US-1.

 

[SDET]

High-speed trains in America? Virgin Trains USA on track to make it so | CNN Travel

(CNN) — Japan has its famed Shinkasens, Russia its Maglevs, France its TGVs.

But what about the United States?

One train company has high hopes of bringing high-speed rail travel to America. Brightline Trains, which bills itself as "America's first new major private intercity passenger railroad in over a century," has just gotten a major vote of confidence from Richard Branson's Virgin Group.
========================================
To be branded Virgin Trains USA, they will initially link Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

So, they are going to change the logos on the Tri-rail. That seems like an easy enough task. They can show videos of high speed rail on the existing trains for branding purposes.

 

[ttwtt78640]

It all comes down to sufficient customers. The monorail in Miami runs next to US-1.

The DC Metro "red line" runs (above ground) along with I-270 in Montgomery County, MD.

 

[JacksinPA]

I've advocated placing commuter rail lines within interstate highway medians - nothing is a better ad for mass transit than seeing folks kicked back in railway cars, reading the morning news, zipping by commuters stuck in creeping traffic jams.

They do that in Chicago & D.C. Makes a lot of sense.

 

[jdog21]

High-speed trains in America? Virgin Trains USA on track to make it so | CNN Travel

(CNN) — Japan has its famed Shinkasens, Russia its Maglevs, France its TGVs.

But what about the United States?

One train company has high hopes of bringing high-speed rail travel to America. Brightline Trains, which bills itself as "America's first new major private intercity passenger railroad in over a century," has just gotten a major vote of confidence from Richard Branson's Virgin Group.
========================================
To be branded Virgin Trains USA, they will initially link Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

A train from Los Angeles to San Francisco cost twice as much as a border wall.

 

[beancounter]

The only profitable area for passenger trains in the U.S. is the Northeast corridor.

I'm not sure how they are going to make this work outside of a niche customer base.

...Unless the cost/benefit in the customers' mind is greater than flying.

 

[Taylor]

I've advocated placing commuter rail lines within interstate highway medians - nothing is a better ad for mass transit than seeing folks kicked back in railway cars, reading the morning news, zipping by commuters stuck in creeping traffic jams.

We have that in Atlanta. The problem is that by the time you drive to the rail station and park, you've already dealt with most of the traffic. Rail is great if you happen to live and work very close to rail stations, but that's not very many people.

The best thing about Atlanta's rail is that the last stop is literally inside the airport. That was a great decision.

 

[Tom Horn]

High-speed trains in America? Virgin Trains USA on track to make it so | CNN Travel

(CNN) — Japan has its famed Shinkasens, Russia its Maglevs, France its TGVs.

But what about the United States?

One train company has high hopes of bringing high-speed rail travel to America. Brightline Trains, which bills itself as "America's first new major private intercity passenger railroad in over a century," has just gotten a major vote of confidence from Richard Branson's Virgin Group.
========================================
To be branded Virgin Trains USA, they will initially link Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

And Arnold says that California deserves two of them because they thought of it first.

 

[ttwtt78640]

They do that in Chicago & D.C. Makes a lot of sense.

Yep, the land is already public, it's far less expensive than digging tunnels and the noise is less than the vehicle traffic already makes.

 

[ttwtt78640]

We have that in Atlanta. The problem is that by the time you drive to the rail station and park, you've already dealt with most of the traffic. Rail is great if you happen to live and work very close to rail stations, but that's not very many people.

The best thing about Atlanta's rail is that the last stop is literally inside the airport. That was a great decision.

That was the case for much of the initial DC Metro system - it had almost no stops outside of the Capital Beltway (I-495/I-95). Another rip-off is that that the DC Metro system did not serve the professional football or hockey/basketball facilities - gotta let the millionaires get their parking lot revenue.

 

[JacksinPA]

That was the case for much of the initial DC Metro system - it had almost no stops outside of the Capital Beltway (I-495/I-95). Another rip-off is that that the DC Metro system did not serve the professional football or hockey/basketball facilities - gotta let the millionaires get their parking lot revenue.

The Metro does not go up to Georgetown either. I heard the locals fought it & now they're out of luck.

 

[Taylor]

Another rip-off is that that the DC Metro system did not serve the professional football or hockey/basketball facilities - gotta let the millionaires get their parking lot revenue.

Yes, it's a great option to avoid exorbitant parking fees, traffic, long walks to the stadium, and having to drive home should you have engaged in a little too much "liquid cheer".

 

[Hawkeye10]

I'll believe it when I see it. Currently the top speed is 79mph and the service is losing money:

https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/l...-loss-despite-increased-ridership/1458621002/

Very few serious people believe that this could ever be profitable, which is why these people have been having so much trouble with financing:

Florida?s Latest Railroad Is a Mostly Private Gamble

 

[Hawkeye10]

High Speed Fail is what we have here in California.

As predicted by almost all.

 

[maxparrish]

A train from Los Angeles to San Francisco cost twice as much as a border wall.

Actually its closer to three times as much.

 

[Bullseye]

High-speed trains in America? Virgin Trains USA on track to make it so | CNN Travel

(CNN) — Japan has its famed Shinkasens, Russia its Maglevs, France its TGVs.

But what about the United States?

One train company has high hopes of bringing high-speed rail travel to America. Brightline Trains, which bills itself as "America's first new major private intercity passenger railroad in over a century," has just gotten a major vote of confidence from Richard Branson's Virgin Group.
========================================
To be branded Virgin Trains USA, they will initially link Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

We've been trying to build one in California for years. Even voted to fund it. It's had cost overruns, design problems and assorted other problems. It's been scaled back to a run between Bakersfield and Madera although the grandiose plan was supposed to be from San Diego to LA to San Francisco to Sacramento. We'll have our own flying cars by the time that happens.

 

[Chillfolks]

In Norfolk they put in a 7.4 mile light rail system. The final total was just over 43Million a mile.

 

[VanceMack]

AMTRAK used to be viable because even though it took longer to get you there the cost was great. Now...the cost is outrageous and the time of travel sucks. The industry hasnt proven itself viable. I doubt that changes with high speed rail.

 

[PeteEU]

High speed rail works if done right. Linking downtowns of major cities together..cities that are at most 800 or so km away from each other.

High speed rail replaces airplanes between said cities.

Case in point. Travelling from Malaga in southern Spain to Madrid. 530 km. When high speed rail came, 90+% of air travel disappeared. Why?

Time. Airplane takes 1 hour and 30 min, but you need 60 to 120+ minutes in each end to get from downtown to the airport and through security. Train takes 2 hours 30 minutes and takes you to the heart of both cities.

So where could high speed rail be good in the US? New York to Boston, Washington Dc and such. LA to Vegas. Orlando to Atlanta. All these are some of the busiest air routes in the US and are all under 600 km in distance. There are many more high passenger traffic links in the US where it would work.

Will it happen? Nope the political system is too corrupt and the airlines would protest big time. Add to that, the American car fetish and big oil lobbyist and such...not a chance in hell for it to get off ground. Also it is the lack of vision of the future in America that basically died with Kennedy.



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[EnigmaO01]

Only one thing really matters: population density. That's the great disparity between the US and Europe and the reason mass transit is not popular here. At some threshold, passenger trains become economically viable.

The governments in Europe also subsidize the systems don't they?

 

[Maccabee]

I've advocated placing commuter rail lines within interstate highway medians - nothing is a better ad for mass transit than seeing folks kicked back in railway cars, reading the morning news, zipping by commuters stuck in creeping traffic jams.

I just like trains.