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From: Roger Merriman <roger@sarlet.com>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: Lost your home? Car? Everything? Thank a bicyclist and
 the California road diet.
Date: 18 Jan 2025 15:01:55 GMT
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cyclintom <cyclintom@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Sun Jan 12 10:00:23 2025 Roger Merriman  wrote:
>> Catrike Ryder <Soloman@old.bikers.org> wrote:
>>> On 11 Jan 2025 18:16:00 GMT, Roger Merriman <roger@sarlet.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Catrike Ryder <Soloman@old.bikers.org> wrote:
>>>>> On 11 Jan 2025 08:01:36 GMT, Roger Merriman <roger@sarlet.com> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>>> Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>>>>>> On 1/10/2025 4:38 PM, AMuzi wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 1/10/2025 3:31 PM, pothead wrote:
>>>>>>>>> On 2025-01-10, Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> On 1/9/2025 9:05 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>> ... the other high speed rail projects didn't do much
>>>>>>>>>>> better on controlling planning, construction and maintenance costs:
>>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>> "Case Study V: California High-Speed Rail"
>>>>>>>>>>> <https://uta.pressbooks.pub/oertgreentransport/chapter/chapter-7- 
>>>>>>>>>>> case-study-v-california-high-speed-rail/>
>>>>>>>>>>> <https://uta.pressbooks.pub/app/uploads/sites/131/2022/09/Tbl3- 
>>>>>>>>>>> e1664395162274.png>
>>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>> I haven't checked, but methinks that a large percentage of the time
>>>>>>>>>>> and money are being used to fund endless litigation:
>>>>>>>>>>> "High Speed Rail Litigation"
>>>>>>>>>>> <https://www.planetizen.com/tag/high-speed-rail-litigation>
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> I'm wondering how other countries have done this. We rode the TGV in
>>>>>>>>>> France. It was very impressive. I've talked to folks who used Japan's
>>>>>>>>>> high speed rail and were very impressed.
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> I've rode the TGV and it was quite impressive. The rail system in Europe
>>>>>>>>> is so far superior to the antiquated crap we have here in US it's not 
>>>>>>>>> even
>>>>>>>>> in the same league.
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> I have no opinion but there are societal differences:
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> https://www.visualcapitalist.com/vehicles-per-capita-by-country/
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> which present a chicken-egg problem.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Interesting data. I see that France is really not far behind the U.S. in 
>>>>>>> cars-per-capita. I had wondered if they had far lower car ownership and 
>>>>>>> were thus more amenable to tax dollars going to rail, but that doesn't 
>>>>>>> seem to be the case.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Anyway, other countries are doing rail pretty well. It's sort of a shame 
>>>>>>> we can't. I'm pretty much forced to do a lot of freeway driving these 
>>>>>>> days. I'd prefer a choice.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>> It appears to be a political choice and and almost a worse service that you
>>>>>> have for the same reasons.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Roger Merriman
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> The desire some people in the USA have to be more like other countries
>>>>> seems to have taken a political hit. There seems to still be a little
>>>>> sense of individualism left in our culture, but I wonder how long it
>>>>> will last.
>>>>> 
>>>>> --
>>>>> C'est bon
>>>>> Soloman
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Considering that all of your towns were built by rail would seem that the
>>>> train is very American! That there has been a move to Car centric culture
>>>> for last 70 something years doesnt change that nor mean it couldnt change
>>>> back, as ever these arent fixed.
>>>> 
>>>> Roger Merriman
>>> 
>>> People used to ride horses and buggies for transporation, too. As for
>>> me, I can tolerate being confined for a few short hours to an
>>> uncomfortable seat amongst a couple hundred other uncomfortable
>>> passengers on an airplane, but not locked up for a couple of days on a
>>> train. 
>>> 
>> Plains are much more cramped and generally people in your space than trains
>> certainly intercity ones, plus one can wander to the buffet bar and so on.
>> 
>> A proper highspeed train of which America seems to have a massive 49.9 of
>> line that can handle the only just classified as Highspeed 150mph, the
>> Amtrak trains seem to average essentially fright speeds 50/60mph which in
>> the right situation is fine,.
>> 
>> I?ve taken the Caledonian sleeper to Fort William a few times, it?s around
>> that speeds but as you board the train in the Evening have a room and bed/s
>> and it arrives by the morning that works but even within UK which is quite
>> a bit smaller having intercity trains run so slow and uk Intercity trains
>> aren?t highspeed but they are double the speed I think they date from the
>> 1970?s or thereabouts.
>> 
>> I don?t use intercity trains much as well while I live in a City I?m a hour
>> or so away from the intercity trains, at least ones I do use, and my
>> family/friends don?t live in cities so ends up with at least 2 trains to
>> and from the main line station plus probably a taxi or getting collected by
>> them.
>> 
>> A proper highspeed train absolutely could do intercity traffic and be
>> reasonable competitive vs air travel, lot less faff ie avoid airports!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I suspect that the reason that they are trying to go to faster and faster
> aircraft isn't to get there faster but to get somewhere less
> uncomfortable. Even first class is uncomfortable. I think the last flight
> I went on I was wearing my VFW pin and they put me at the emergency exit
> door so that I had some leg room.
> 

Um passenger Planes haven’t got faster, but larger, trains have increased
their speeds, with more true high speed trains being sold and lines built.

Roger Merriman