Posted on 05/26/2019 5:46:26 AM PDT by vannrox
Well, California Governor Gavin Newsom has abandoned plans to build a high-speed railroad between Los Angeles and San Francisco. After spending billions of dollars in funds, much of it from the Federal government, the Governor said that the project should be shelved.
He cited that the project was too expensive.
The face of American politics today. This is the slick and well-packaged oligarchy pick for California. Mr. California Governor Gavin Newsom. Look how plastic he appears. Why, he could be right out of one of those political villains from a 1980’s John Cusack movie.
It all began ten years ago. Back then, President Obama called for a network of high-speed railroads to criss-cross the country “within 25 years”. The nation roared with glee and cheering his forward thinking.
Perspicacious = To be far-sighted in understanding things.
At that time, of course, the rest of the world had already implemented High Speed Rail. America was going to get involved in a game of “catch up”.
Only this time, progressive values and liberal management would lead the way.
Look back. The year is 2009; “President Obama’s goal of building a high-speed rail network that at least 80 percent of Americans will have access to by 2025, is facing major resistance in Congress. Earlier this week, Vice President Joe Biden announced a $53 billion, six year plan to get the U.S. high-speed rail network going with $8 billion over the next year spent towards building new lines and upgrading existing passenger lines in areas such as the northeast and midwest.:
His plan, began its’ implementation through California.
Of course, compared to the rest of the world, it’s pretty modest. The idea was to link the two largest cities in California together. This would occur by placing rail lines through the large entirely rural California valley. The top speed would be limited to 220 MPH, which is the global norm. The most ambitious plans would have 800 miles of rail line, paid in part by the Federal government and bonds issued by the (insolvent) California government.
The decision to cancel this program was welcomed by Conservatives, and derailed by Liberals. Both for reasons related towards political considerations. However, in my mind, everyone loses.
What’s worse, rubbing salt in the wound, comes President Trump. He rightfully questioned the decision to kill the project. As a businessman, you do not casually start of kill things without study, and an analysis of the consequences. Obviously, there were concerns that the decision to kill the project were not carefully thought out.
This is an excerpt. You can read the rest HERE.
Because it's not profitable.
Up to 1000 miles HSTs are great. No Airport security BS.
Over 1k miles it is easier to fly.
NYC, DC, Boston connection. Miami to Orlando to Jacksonville connection.
These boneheads wanted to spend billions in Florida for high speed rail from Orlando to Tampa.
At worst an 90 minute drive which the fare cost far more than a car rental for the day to drive.
The worst part of it is most people who visit Orlando and want to visit the west coast of Florida, Tampa isn't on the Gulf of Mexico beaches, so you need to rent a car anyway to go to the beach in St. Pete or Clearwater.
Thankfully Rick Scott killed it.
NYC, DC, Boston connection. Miami to Orlando to Jacksonville connection.
These boneheads wanted to spend billions in Florida for high speed rail from Orlando to Tampa.
At worst an 90 minute drive which the fare cost far more than a car rental for the day to drive.
The worst part of it is most people who visit Orlando and want to visit the west coast of Florida, Tampa isn't on the Gulf of Mexico beaches, so you need to rent a car anyway to go to the beach in St. Pete or Clearwater.
Thankfully Rick Scott killed it.
The problem is there will be 10-15 stops in that 1,000 miles.
Why take a 200 mph train when you can take a 500 mph plane?
1) America is large. There's no HSR from Moscow to Paris, is there?
2) To straighten the rails from Boston to Manhattan would involve moving some of the wealthiest and most powerful people on the planet. Never happen.
A better question would be why does the US need a high speed train?
How is it that Europe has a good rail road system and the US does not. The most basic answer is because of WWII. We destroyed most of the European rail system during the war.
After the war they had to rebuild (with help from us). So in effect they had a clean slate while our rail system is a hodgepodge of competing rail service going back 150+ years.
A second thing to consider Europe is very compact compared to the US. A lot of people in a small area. The US is over 2,000 miles across and much of the middle with relatively low population. There would be no way to get a return on the investment.
Another reason is that the US concentrated on interstate highways. An individual can decide to cross our country and leave at any time they wish, stop where they wish, and still get across the country in about the same time a train could do it today.
The bottom line is that the US does not need nor want high speed rail at the cost it would take to make it happen.
This is just off the top of my head so I may be wrong.
Not to put too fine a point on it, we were promised flying cars, we want our flying cars first.
That is where the lower speed lines come in to play.
A stop every 200 miles is liveable. :)
The commuter lines into DC are a mess. In the summer they run slow trains even slower due to heat restrictions on the track.
Laugh? I thought it was a serious suggestion.
One I support...
because we can't hire illegal aliens and pay them less than minimum wage
[ Because choo-choos are inefficient and too much infrastructure. ]
Also take Japan, most of it’s cities are in a single line along it’s coast....
The USA is WIDE and LONG....
Plus we have to perform a multiyear environmental impact study before we even lay the first mile of track and if we find some dumb mouse that is living in it’s way we have to build around it or run another impact study.....
WE ARE TOO DUMB TO HAVE ONE WITH LIBERALS AT THE HELM...
Study: -HUGE Budget/Schedule overruns early in the EASIEST phase of the program. -First section is From Nowhere To Nowhere and will have NO customers. Consequences: -California is BROKE and can't even afford water and electricity for its citizens and HUGE, GROWING, homeless population.
Because to build them, it will cost trillions and trillions of dollars to run them across the country, lay the tracks and all the electric lines needed to power them. The cost is so prohibited that we cannot afford these trains AND all the free stuff of socialism.
We aren’t communist stooges or tyranny loving Euroweenies who go where the government tells them to go. We want roads and cars to where WE want WHEN we want.
As simple as that.
They don’t add enough value in our culture and geography to justify the cost.
Because we have a remarkable highway system?
Air, car or bus. Railroads are obsolete for passenger travel.
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