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.
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.
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.
It all comes down to sufficient customers. The monorail in Miami runs next to US-1.
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.
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 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.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.
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.
They do that in Chicago & D.C. Makes a lot of sense.
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.
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".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.
High Speed Fail is what we have here in California.
A train from Los Angeles to San Francisco cost twice as much as a border wall.
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.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.
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.
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