Posted on 06/14/2015 1:36:36 PM PDT by QT3.14
The May Amtrak derailment outside of Philadelphia put the sorry state of passenger rail in the United States briefly back on the public agenda, leaving many people wondering not just about the specifics of the crash but about the more general issue — how is it that a rich and powerful country that was a pioneer in railroad adoption in the 19th century has such terrible trains?
The United States is a big country, with lots of trains in it. So you can really think of this big generic question as composed of three separate questions with separate answers. One question, of urgent interest to media and political elites in New York and Washington, is why Northeast Corridor passenger rail service is so much slower than the first-rate systems found in France, Spain, China, and Japan. The second question, which will have bedeviled anyone who's ever been a tourist in Europe, is why passenger rail outside of the Northeast Corridor is so unimaginably awful. Last but by no means least, there's the question of why the richest and most powerful empire the world has ever known can't build itself a first-rate national, truly high-speed rail network along Chinese lines.
These questions are often lumped together under the hazy notion that American trains are bad.
(Excerpt) Read more at vox.com ...
I am no dem by any means but I loved our train trip through the NW National Parks in 2007 It was a trip of a lifetime and we are planning another one. We saw sights no one has seen unless on a train. We went on the GrandLuxe which went out of business the next year. I think everyone wants the next one to be through the Canadian Rockies. The only problem was that the freight trains got right of way but it wasn’t a big deal. We just went to bed until we started moving again. We will never forget that trip. If anyone gets the chance to go on one, go!
Not passenger rail. That has become more regulated. Biggest examples have to do with locomotive emissions, signaling and “track class” requirements, “crashworthiness” requirements for trains traveling faster than 125 miles per hour (which is why the Acela Express is about twice the weight of its overseas counterparts), grade crossing requirements for hosting trains traveling at 110 mph and faster, and ADA requirements for access at stations. The vast majority of private tracks that passenger trains run over limit those trains to a 79-mph top speed, thanks to the FRA.
Also, I mentioned that fast freight is no longer a reality (90 mph top speed and possibly faster). Most railroads now are owned by one of the “Big Five” Class 5 railroads—a direct result of government interference and cronyism.
“What is with leftists and passenger trains?”
Leftists can use trains to pull the cattle cars.
I have the beverage thing covered.
Working at Coors, we get three free cases of beer every month.
I’d still need to hit up the bar for my martini, though.
Years ago I had a short stint riding the Long Island RR to Grand Central in Manhattan. These days a monthly pass on the LIRR say from Ronkonkoma is about $350. Not exactly chump change compared to 2-3 decades ago although it sure beats highway traffic and NYC parking.
The train arrived at Ann Arbor 14 hours late, and returned to LA 12 hours late. The Midwest was in the grip of a historic heatwave, yet the air conditioning wouldn't work and the windows wouldn't open, so everyone drank beer, quickly depleting the train's supply. During a 20-minute stop in La Junta, Colo., passengers mobbed the local liquor store to stock up on beer--and I was one of the first in line.
The food on the train was horrible--for example, powdered eggs for breakfast.
I also noticed that the train had a veritable army of conductors--probably because of union featherbedding contracts. German trains on which I had traveled featured one for the entire train.
Afterwards, I swore I would never ride Amtrak again--and I never have.
I never realized JR was private until you said so. Concur on the great service. Courteous staff and passengers. Trains run on time.
For hours after that, late into the night, she kept coming around banging on the cabin door because she had come up short one spoon and she wasn't going to leave anyone alone until she got that spoon back. I don't know if she ever did... or if she got sent to Siberia for losing a spoon.
If you went to central Pennsylvania, that area is so sparsely populated that trains would be impractical.
Y’all will love it. Make lifetime memories.
I remember taking a train out West from Cleveland to the Wig Wam with my Grandparents. I was 4 or 5. I loved it! I don’t think it’s the same anymore. In the Seventies, We Milwaukee guitar players would take the train to Chicago to hit the Blues joints. That was always fun.
St. Petersburg isn’t that dense, I don’t have much trouble getting home from the Rays games—oh, wait a minute...
Seriously, one place that could use light rail is central FL, but it would take a huge amount of planning to tie the area together. The 20yo idea of running a train in the middle of I-4 would have been a useless boondoggle like the TriRail in south FL.
The LIRR goes to Penn Station, not Grand Central. Unless you’re talking about riding the subway the rest of the way.
There was no electric train service to Ronkonkoma until 1987, too; before that, the electric service ended in Hicksville. Current monthly pass fare to Zone 10 is $377.
Of course the passengers in such a car would spend quite a bit of time looking at the loading docks of various industrial facilities.
Your autonomous SUV could get the same job done as the train.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.