high speed train from St. Louis to Chicago

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: miketheidiot

technically airlines get heavy subsidies in the form of airports, runways, and so forth.

for which they pay landing and gate fees. if the fees don't cover the costs involved, then it's a subsidy. but that's not been presented yet.

edit: i am about 2 hours 20 minutes behind the conversation

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

High speed rail between STL and Chicago is a stupid waste of money IMO....very little benefit. What St. Louis actually needs is light rail connecting West County, Clayton and Downtown. Damn...if we're going to spend tons of money we need to be halfway smart about it.

 

[Steeplerot]

Originally posted by: Double Trouble


Cars represent individualism and freedom

How so? Seems to me it is just another bill to pay and hassle to have to drive.
Personal freedom is waiting in exhaust fume choked freeway for hours a day while people on a train kicking back is authoritarian or something?
Whatever.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: TheRedUnderURBed

Originally posted by: Double Trouble


Cars represent individualism and freedom

How so? Seems to me it is just another bill to pay and hassle to have to drive.
Personal freedom is waiting in exhaust fume choked freeway for hours a day while people on a train kicking back is authoritarian or something?
Whatever.

Are you really that dense? Oh wait...

With a car you have the freedom to travel on your own schedule and route - with mass transit you go by their schedule and route. Also no one suggested that since a car represents freedom that the converse is that mass transit equals authoritarianism. Pull your head out...

 

[Kwatt]

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: Genx87
I dont see how a train could realistically compete with semi-trucks or planes for JIT. They take too long to load\unload. And even with this highspeed version is getting to a destination a few hours earlier going to make the system work? With a semi-truck they drive right upto the JIT factory. With a train it would need to be unloaded onto a truck and then driven to the factory. With a plane it is there within a few hours.

I wouldnt mind seeing more trains used for frieght. Especially non-critical stuff. But I think it will take a change in the train system to make this possible.

/shrug

You are thinking conventional trains/high speed trains. I am not, I'm talking about a rail system that doesn't rely on 1 engine and a string of cars. Obviously I've not posted all the details of what I'd like to see regarding HSR to replace much of the semi traffic. Oh, and I'm not going to post it here...I should probably just float the idea to BHO and maybe get me some Fed pork money to do it...

Why do the hard part get some Fed pork money to do a study about it.
Better yet get a committee set up and put me on it.



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