USA Will Invest in High-Speed ​​Train to Fight Climate Change::The USA Will Invest in High-Speed ​​Train to Fight Climate Change - US President Joe Biden announced in a speech on December 9, 2023 that they are carrying out the first high-speed train projects in US history. These projects are across America

  • Colorcodedresistor
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    28
    arrow-down
    5
    ·
    11 months ago

    i want this to be real. I’ve loved trains since i was a toddler. and as an adult Trains are some thicc power chungus

    unfortunately the only trains left are either subways or commercial rails, yes there is Some passenger trains. But can you get to anywhere in americs on one? Not today, Not the infrastructure that will take decades to build and Not the follow up on promises made promises. kept…coughthebigdigbostoncough

    (F40PH gang gang) back in my day we memed about objects, zoomers be all meta n shit. get out of my my head charles!

    • jordanlund@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      22
      ·
      11 months ago

      Amtrak is still a thing for passenger trains. It’s just that it’s slower than flying and just as expensive.

      https://www.amtrak.com

      Flew my wife to L.A. for her birthday, easy peasy. Couple of hours by plane.

      Amtrak?

      Fastest is 26 hours and 13 minutes for $230 coach tickets. Private room for $580.

      • BombOmOm@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        11
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        11 months ago

        Amtrak is still a thing for passenger trains. It’s just that it’s slower than flying and just as expensive.

        This is the core reason passenger rail has not become dominant in the US. The country is so physically large that planes do passenger rail’s job, but faster and at the same price point.

        Instead, rail in the US is almost entirely bulk cargo as that makes a ton of sense. Cargo trains are cheaper than trucks/aircraft and the slower speed can be easily planned for.

        • BombOmOm@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          edit-2
          11 months ago

          I just punched in a random 7 hour drive in the US. Amtrak would take 16 hours and cost 3x as much as one would spend in gas to take oneself and their SO on a trip. This isn’t even accounting for costs and time associated with getting to/from the station; whereas the car is door-to-door, faster, and cheaper.

          • jordanlund@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            11 months ago

            Yeah, the LA flight I used as an example is 20 hours by car, I’ve done it, can’t say I’d do it again.

      • AA5B@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        edit-2
        11 months ago

        Acela is useful. We have one intercity rail line that is useful, has high ridership, is profitable, people choose to use, arguably faster than driving or flying, demand far outstrips supply. also the fastest but it’s not really fast enough to be called “high speed”

      • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        11 months ago

        My parents once bought a private room on Amtrak. When they were shown to it, they literally thought it was a closet to store their bags not their room.