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Obama proposes national high-speed rail - Page 2

post #51 of 95
4/17/09 at 4:04pm
I think it's for people to quickly escape Buffalo.
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post #52 of 95
4/17/09 at 4:04pm
This is a great idea and I'm in full support of it. Although I'd like to see a rail that runs parallel to Interstate 90, running from Boston to Buffalo to Erie to Cleveland and through Toledo up to Detroit.

High speed rails are a great plan because they create jobs, they make travel between cities faster, and they have the capability of sending tons of freight that would allow less trucks on interstates. The less trucks on interstates the less oil we will use, the less pollution will be in the air, the faster freight will arrive, and the less traffic we will see on the roads.

To me, this is a no-brainer. Even for a fiscal conservative like myself.
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post #53 of 95
4/17/09 at 4:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snaieke View Post
This is a complete pile of bullshit. Where do you get your information from, political ads?

There has been hundreds upon HUNDREDS of billions spent upgrading our technological infrastructure over the last 10 years, especially due to Y2k as well as the ever growing demand for online activities. In 15 short years we've went from a 2800 baud modem to 50 Mb/s, sure Japan and South Korea (as examples) can go faster but there is a lot less country to lay wire for ground upgrades... also as to ensuring EVERYONE in the country can get internet, look up how they're developing ways for broadband and cable to be delivered through electrical lines \ outlets. That's the way of the future and the infrastructure is there and already being upgraded.

Most of our infrastructure is NOT old and it certainly isn't breaking down. Are there some flaws, certainly... with a country as large as our and bloated with bureaucracy there is a substantial risk of problems but as the old saying goes... the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Has our rail system fallen along the way side? Sure but its still one of the backbones of our transportation industry

As to paying for it, maybe he should have actually had a hand in the 1.2 trillion dollar stimulus package (the actual cost over 10 years, not the lower amount that was published for the 2 years) and allocated more money towards rail and transportation to adequately fund this project but much like all of his other projects, he just wants to spend billions to 'lay the groundwork' and not mention the total cost before committing to the project.

If there is a way to fund it, i'm on board (literally) 100%.. Thats all I care about. If a % of all sales goes towards repayment of the initial cost, cool. (Think like tolls)
Eh, I'm not going to get into a pissing contest with you. You know I love nothing more than to be called a political hack (not literally, but I certainly get your meaning) right from the onset. Makes for great intellectual debate.

I'm saying that there is a cost/benefit analysis that goes into determining if infrastructure is efficient. That's what the relevant stats would provide. But by all means use a blanket sum like the CBO deficit projections to deny it. There are other areas of spending that don't really have much of a benefit. Why don't you go troll in those threads about deficits? Maybe then more people would take you seriously.
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post #54 of 95
4/17/09 at 4:36pm
Apparently, according to Snaieke, the recent bridge collapses were caused by gnomes.
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post #55 of 95
4/17/09 at 4:38pm
Or disgruntled laid-off bridge trolls.
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post #56 of 95
4/17/09 at 4:49pm
Quote:
Pacific Northwest corridor : Eugene, Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver British Columbia
I like the fact that we're included in this, even if it is just a potential route.
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post #57 of 95
4/17/09 at 5:00pm
If this does come to fruition(and as a life-long train fanatic, I hope it does), I'll be curious to see the first films to tap into a renewed novelty.

Trains have always offered a fanatastic backdrop for all sorts of crazy intrigues.


With a high-speed train, the potential should be irresisitible to studios. Though, as far as I'm concerned, it'll be quite some time before anyone outdoes THE HUNTED.
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post #58 of 95
4/17/09 at 5:21pm
If it aint cars - it aint gonna work in america.
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post #59 of 95
4/17/09 at 6:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Angry Badger View Post
I like the fact that we're included in this, even if it is just a potential route.
There are a lot of hot chicks in Canadia, we need a more effecient method of importing them than CW television shows.

I've bopped around the train system in Europe (primarily Germany) and it was a fantastic experience. I realize it's a lot less area to cover over yonder, but it would be nothing short of fuckinawesome to have that here.
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post #60 of 95
4/17/09 at 6:06pm
Thread Starter 
I wonder if the Buffalo stop is for a potential extension into Toronto.
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post #61 of 95
4/17/09 at 6:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hundred View Post
Good idea, but the New York corridor is no good. Who the fuck would ever want to go to Buffalo?
Same with the SE. Macon, GA? Pass. But a train from Atlanta to Charlotte, Savannah and Jacksonville would be a godsend. Hell, it would pay for itself with revenue just from the football fans alone. I like this idea, lets do it! Of course, by the time it was finished my great-grandkids would be the ones enjoying it and not me. Still a good idea, make it happen O.
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post #62 of 95
4/17/09 at 6:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson View Post
I wonder if the Buffalo stop is for a potential extension into Toronto.
I wouldn't be surprised if this was a reason, but I'm guessing because it has a metro size of 1.2 million people and it would run parallel (as I see from the map) to Interstate 90, which hits Cleveland and other cities around the Great Lakes.

Also, these kind of things get put in plans because of the representation of the district. Buffalo, Rochester, and Niagara Falls are represented by Rep. Louise Slaughter, who is the chair of the House Rules Committee.
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post #63 of 95
4/17/09 at 9:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pompoussory Estoppel View Post
This is a great idea and I'm in full support of it. Although I'd like to see a rail that runs parallel to Interstate 90, running from Boston to Buffalo to Erie to Cleveland and through Toledo up to Detroit.

High speed rails are a great plan because they create jobs, they make travel between cities faster, and they have the capability of sending tons of freight that would allow less trucks on interstates. The less trucks on interstates the less oil we will use, the less pollution will be in the air, the faster freight will arrive, and the less traffic we will see on the roads.
I see a big opportunity for the coal lobby. I mean, it's trains. Choo-choo, right?

Quote:
To me, this is a no-brainer. Even for a fiscal conservative like myself.
It's necessary. Look at a map of the eastern US taken at night and it's easy to see why. Cars just aren't efficient enough at moving that many people over large distances.
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post #64 of 95
4/17/09 at 9:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kernel View Post
I've bopped around the train system in Europe (primarily Germany) and it was a fantastic experience. I realize it's a lot less area to cover over yonder, but it would be nothing short of fuckinawesome to have that here.
The Swiss apologize over the PA if a train coming in from another city is going to be a minute late. How awesome is that? The Swiss' reputation for having a badass public transportation system is well deserved.
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post #65 of 95
4/18/09 at 7:53pm
If we're as close to (or passed) peak oil as some experts believe, the US has to provide a fast, reliable and affordable transport alternative for the millions of people who face being stranded in suburbia by increasing gas prices.
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post #66 of 95
4/18/09 at 7:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ElCapitanAmerica View Post
Or disgruntled laid-off bridge trolls.
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post #67 of 95
4/19/09 at 2:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seabass Inna Bun View Post
The Swiss' reputation for having a badass public transportation system is well deserved.
There it is: the only time you will ever hear "the Swiss" and "badass" in the same sentence.
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post #68 of 95
4/19/09 at 3:04am
It's like a 21st century answer to the Hoover Dam project. Fantastic.
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post #69 of 95
4/19/09 at 4:22am
Build this from Vancouver BC to Las Angeles. PLEASE.
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post #70 of 95
4/19/09 at 5:59pm
I travel everywhere in Europe by highspeed trains. Recently was at an animation festival in a small French town outside Paris. The cool thing is, the french TGV train stops in German cities so you just go onboard and voila - Paris.
I'm so glad we had the 70s oil crisis where the Autobahn was kept empty for days and then our green party movement pushed this over the years in Germany. Our train network is pretty good. I'm 30 now and never owned a car. And I travel a lot.
And it's pretty fun riding in a train that's doing 300 km/h, that's 190 mph.
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post #71 of 95
4/19/09 at 6:09pm
Sounds like a great idea.

Could become terror magnets though. I still don't get why we haven't seen terror against high-speed rails yet. In Europe these things pass over long stretches of farm country and it seems it would be frighteningly easy to drive out at night and pack a few pounds of high explosives under the rail.
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post #72 of 95
4/19/09 at 6:09pm
This is absolutely, positively the worst idea ever.

Men, taking the train makes you impotent.

Women, taking the train gives you submucosal fibroids.

Fly, you people. Fly!
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post #73 of 95
4/19/09 at 6:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bitches Leave View Post
Sounds like a great idea.

Could become terror magnets though. I still don't get why we haven't seen terror against high-speed rails yet. In Europe these things pass over long stretches of farm country and it seems it would be frighteningly easy to drive out at night and pack a few pounds of high explosives under the rail.
I dunno the details, cause no one really reports about it, but in Germany the Bundesgrenzschutz (Border Police) patrols the railtracks with fighter jets and other means. And the tracks where the train is really fast are almost always fenced off.
Of course it's far from perfect I guess. But if you are in a state of mind, where you wouldn't build a public transportation system because you couldn't make it terror proof, you can as well wave the white flag of surrender.
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post #74 of 95
4/19/09 at 6:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bitches Leave View Post
Sounds like a great idea.

Could become terror magnets though. I still don't get why we haven't seen terror against high-speed rails yet. In Europe these things pass over long stretches of farm country and it seems it would be frighteningly easy to drive out at night and pack a few pounds of high explosives under the rail.
Perhaps it's because the threat of terrorism (while 100% real) is overstated...
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post #75 of 95
4/19/09 at 7:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankCobretti View Post
This is absolutely, positively the worst idea ever.

Men, taking the train makes you impotent.

Women, taking the train gives you submucosal fibroids.

Fly, you people. Fly!
I'll leave the oceans out of this altogether.
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post #76 of 95
4/19/09 at 7:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Prankster View Post
There it is: the only time you will ever hear "the Swiss" and "badass" in the same sentence.
AHEM.

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post #77 of 95
4/19/09 at 8:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seabass Inna Bun View Post
I see a big opportunity for the coal lobby. I mean, it's trains. Choo-choo, right?
I don't know about the rest of the country, but the already approved California High Speed Rail (which presumably the national plan is going to end up subsidizing, so yay) is going to be electric. I just wish they could start building it, like, now-ish.
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post #78 of 95
4/19/09 at 8:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bitches Leave View Post
Could become terror magnets though. I still don't get why we haven't seen terror against high-speed rails yet.
For the same reason that we haven't seen Unicorns attacking the subways.
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post #79 of 95
4/19/09 at 9:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stormin View Post
that line should be swapped for one that goes from New England (either Boston/Worcester/Springfield/Hartford or Boston/Cape Cod/Providence/Hartford), through Bridgeport and New Haven, then New York City, down the Chemical Coast, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, etc, etc.
http://www.cwrr.com/Amtrak/Acela_NB_1.html
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post #80 of 95
4/19/09 at 9:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geoff Foster View Post
If we're as close to (or passed) peak oil as some experts believe, the US has to provide a fast, reliable and affordable transport alternative for the millions of people who face being stranded in suburbia by increasing gas prices.
Wouldn't it be better if we rethought the wasteful exurban model we've boxed ourselves into?
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post #81 of 95
4/19/09 at 9:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankCobretti View Post
Wouldn't it be better if we rethought the wasteful exurban model we've boxed ourselves into?
Yeah and while you're at it, build some more pedestrian sideways. Should help with the obesity problem too.
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post #82 of 95
4/19/09 at 11:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankCobretti View Post
Wouldn't it be better if we rethought the wasteful exurban model we've boxed ourselves into?
That's one of the great things about public transportation in the Boston area, people naturally build around and gravitate towards living near the trains, leaving cars by the wayside. If they keep expanding the network of trains outward like bigass spiderwebs, hopefully we can wean people off of suburban sprawl and get them to settle around more compressed downtown areas in all the various towns across the country.
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post #83 of 95
4/21/09 at 12:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankCobretti View Post
Wouldn't it be better if we rethought the wasteful exurban model we've boxed ourselves into?
Yes. But that would require (probably) more money and (certainly) balls the size of grapefruit.

Far easier to build a nice shiny monorail ... sorry ... high-speed rail link that can be spun as an answer to the rising cost of fuel without actually being such.
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post #84 of 95
4/21/09 at 1:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankCobretti View Post
Wouldn't it be better if we rethought the wasteful exurban model we've boxed ourselves into?
Its an interesting idea, but it's not as if we can retroactively shuffle people into better, more efficient communities. (Although it might be easier than moving, say, Israeli settlers.) It would be a smart thing to implement in growing urban areas though, where much city planning is still just on the books and the opportunity to grow green is an option.

That said, high-speed rail is not just about daily commutes and freeing up rush hour traffic. It involves interstate commerce and things like that. Ideally, building high speed rails in concert with new communities that are designed around such infrastructure would make the most sense.
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post #85 of 95
4/21/09 at 2:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pop Zeus View Post
Its an interesting idea, but it's not as if we can retroactively shuffle people into better, more efficient communities. (Although it might be easier than moving, say, Israeli settlers.) It would be a smart thing to implement in growing urban areas though, where much city planning is still just on the books and the opportunity to grow green is an option.
I think the high cost of gas (oh yes, it will go up again), plus the deglorification of homeownership, could contribute to a reshuffling organically.
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post #86 of 95
4/21/09 at 2:24pm
Plus since dick swinging is so important to Americans how about this question. What is cooler, chugging along a road at 30 mph using 19th century technology or riding in a hypersonic magnetically levitating train traveling through underground vacuum tubes? Ok, we may not be there yet but you know it's coming.
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post #87 of 95
4/21/09 at 2:43pm
Thread Starter 
I'm in favor of this simply because it brings us one step closer to this.
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post #88 of 95
4/21/09 at 3:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson View Post
I'm in favor of this simply because it brings us one step closer to this.
The original Darrin?
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post #89 of 95
4/21/09 at 5:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankCobretti View Post
This is absolutely, positively the worst idea ever.

Men, taking the train makes you impotent.

Women, taking the train gives you submucosal fibroids.

Fly, you people. Fly!
World's most unbiased opinion above.
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post #90 of 95
4/22/09 at 1:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fafhrd View Post
I don't know about the rest of the country, but the already approved California High Speed Rail (which presumably the national plan is going to end up subsidizing, so yay) is going to be electric. I just wish they could start building it, like, now-ish.

Too subtle, huh?
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post #91 of 95
4/22/09 at 2:15am
Edit to remove pointless train attack questions and worries. Nothing to see, folks.
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post #92 of 95
4/22/09 at 6:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snaieke View Post
This is a complete pile of bullshit. Where do you get your information from, political ads?

There has been hundreds upon HUNDREDS of billions spent upgrading our technological infrastructure over the last 10 years, especially due to Y2k as well as the ever growing demand for online activities. In 15 short years we've went from a 2800 baud modem to 50 Mb/s, sure Japan and South Korea (as examples) can go faster but there is a lot less country to lay wire for ground upgrades... also as to ensuring EVERYONE in the country can get internet, look up how they're developing ways for broadband and cable to be delivered through electrical lines \ outlets. That's the way of the future and the infrastructure is there and already being upgraded.

Most of our infrastructure is NOT old and it certainly isn't breaking down. Are there some flaws, certainly... with a country as large as our and bloated with bureaucracy there is a substantial risk of problems but as the old saying goes... the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Has our rail system fallen along the way side? Sure but its still one of the backbones of our transportation industry

As to paying for it, maybe he should have actually had a hand in the 1.2 trillion dollar stimulus package (the actual cost over 10 years, not the lower amount that was published for the 2 years) and allocated more money towards rail and transportation to adequately fund this project but much like all of his other projects, he just wants to spend billions to 'lay the groundwork' and not mention the total cost before committing to the project.

If there is a way to fund it, i'm on board (literally) 100%.. Thats all I care about. If a % of all sales goes towards repayment of the initial cost, cool. (Think like tolls)
Snaieke EXITS Stage Left; whilst singing the final lines of "Pardon me, Boy...is this the ChattaN*gga Choo-Choo...?"...
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post #93 of 95
4/23/09 at 2:47am
So, how many years till we get a "babies shouldnt be allowed in trains" thread?
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post #94 of 95
4/23/09 at 3:17am
I'm more excited about the "Snaieke shouldn't be allowed in political discussions" thread.
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post #95 of 95
4/23/09 at 3:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg David View Post
I'm more excited about the "Snaieke shouldn't be allowed in political discussions" thread.
Im even more excited about the "Why arent you guys talking about movies anymore?" thread.
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