I forgot how nice it is to use the train
-
@bachophile said in I forgot how nice it is to use the train:
Couldn't see more than the first paragraph, but looks like an interesting trip.
Here is a story (a bit old but still interesting) about a couple of guys who took the train from Vienna to Pyongyang DPRK. DPRK does not ordinarily allow travelers to enter via train (except via one crossing in China). Authorities in Russia made a mistake and at the border, they were not stopped.
-
@axtremus said in I forgot how nice it is to use the train:
high-speed rail funding
Look at the boondoggle in California's HSR initiative. It's massively behind schedule, massively over budget, and massively too short (if that makes sense). In the more than 10 years since it was approved, it has 119 "under construction." Not completed, under construction.
This video will give you an idea of the scope of the progress:
Link to videoThe inter-city travel in Europe is of a much smaller scale, and therefore easier to implement than here in the US.
The only place where HSR is possible here in the US is where Amtrak actually owns the right-of-way: the Northeast Corridor. Even there, the "high-speed" Acela between DC and Boston only hits about 150 mph, and that's for a short stretch in Connecticut.
-
Probably lots of legal challenges about routes and environmental impact. Maybe shitty contracts that have union guys getting paid handsomely while waiting for legal permission. Etc.
Also who knows if the above ‘estimate’ is legit or exaggerated.
-
Probably lots of legal challenges about routes and environmental impact. Maybe shitty contracts that have union guys getting paid handsomely while waiting for legal permission. Etc.
Also who knows if the above ‘estimate’ is legit or exaggerated.
@jon-nyc said in I forgot how nice it is to use the train:
Probably lots of legal challenges about routes and environmental impact
Yup. Remember when the contractor said he can't do it and left for Africa because it's less dysfunctional?
Also there's a lot of politicking going on. The original route has been amended so as to service one politician's home town - with the attendant massive increase in cost and delays.
The "Brightline" train in FL that's references? Not really a fair comparison. Brightline used existing tracks and rights-of-way making it much cheaper. Not mentioned is that Brightline is not really high-speed rail either. The locomotives they use are rated up to (I believe) 130 mph. I doubt the track work is capable of sustaining that for most of its run.
Current Operations in South Florida: 79 mph
Orlando Extension from West Palm Beach to Cocoa: 110 mph
Cocoa to Orlando International Airport: 125 mphBrightline is considering a HSR project in Texas connecting Houston and Dallas. The plan is to use Japanese tech and totally new infrastructure. I haven't seen cost estimates.
-
About five years ago I took an Amtrak, the Silver Meteor, from Florida to NYC. My daughter had just moved to New York and wanted her cello and I was tasked to get it to her. I had to deliver the cello personally because that's what I was instructed to do so I could either drive it up, fly it up, or take the train. I tried the train because of George's great pics of his trips. Mw wife wasn't coming along so that made the choice easier. I bought tickets for myself and the cello and it was a great experience--going up. The ride was nice except the train tracks from Washington to NYC were pretty rough. Also no great scenery. Lots of abandoned factories and rusty infrastructure, but over all the experience was enjoyable and relaxing. Though--it seems the train the the choice means of travel for a lot of people who I guess are at odds with the authorities. At almost every stop someone was getting hauled off the train in handcuffs.
The ride back should have been good but I got a seatmate this time. She was a HUGE woman from Haiti, I think. She was nice enough, she didn't speak English and ate food, lots of sour, smelly food, from a paper shopping bag she had on the floor. All in all it was pretty intolerable. I was able to call a friend and he picked me up in Savannah and drove me to my car in Florida. He could smell the Haitian food on me.
That was the last time I was on a train. My wife and I are thinking of taking a day trip, or maybe an overnight, on the Brightline here in Florida. Could be fun.
-
About five years ago I took an Amtrak, the Silver Meteor, from Florida to NYC. My daughter had just moved to New York and wanted her cello and I was tasked to get it to her. I had to deliver the cello personally because that's what I was instructed to do so I could either drive it up, fly it up, or take the train. I tried the train because of George's great pics of his trips. Mw wife wasn't coming along so that made the choice easier. I bought tickets for myself and the cello and it was a great experience--going up. The ride was nice except the train tracks from Washington to NYC were pretty rough. Also no great scenery. Lots of abandoned factories and rusty infrastructure, but over all the experience was enjoyable and relaxing. Though--it seems the train the the choice means of travel for a lot of people who I guess are at odds with the authorities. At almost every stop someone was getting hauled off the train in handcuffs.
The ride back should have been good but I got a seatmate this time. She was a HUGE woman from Haiti, I think. She was nice enough, she didn't speak English and ate food, lots of sour, smelly food, from a paper shopping bag she had on the floor. All in all it was pretty intolerable. I was able to call a friend and he picked me up in Savannah and drove me to my car in Florida. He could smell the Haitian food on me.
That was the last time I was on a train. My wife and I are thinking of taking a day trip, or maybe an overnight, on the Brightline here in Florida. Could be fun.
@Tom-K said in I forgot how nice it is to use the train:
I got a seatmate this time
I never understood why Amtrak seats don't have an armrest between seats.
I've only done coach between Fort Wayne (business class)/Chicago and Chicago/Milwaukee.
Otherwise it's a sleeper - every single time. Yeah, it's expensive, but at least you get meals.
ETA: Yeah, scenery. You'll notice I haven't posted many (if any) pictures of our trips to New Orleans and back. I mean, Mississippi...
-
https://www.fox5ny.com/news/nyc-boston-less-than-2-hours-heres-how
Imagine being able to go from the Big Apple to Beantown in 100 minutes.
After nearly ten years since its inital proposal, the bullet train is finally gaining popularity among lawmakers.
The proposal known as the North Atlantic Rail (NAR) is a passenger rail that will take travelers from New York to Boston at speeds up to 225 miles per hour.
Rick Harnish, the executive director of the Chicago-based High Speed Rail Alliance, part of the coalition behind the proposal says the service will make travel more enjoyable.
"You need to make it easier for people to travel. You need me to make it less expensive for people to travel, and you need to make it more productive," Harnish said.
The two cities are roughly 216 miles apart, which is typically a four-hour ride via train or car--meaning the rail would nearly cut that trip in half.
That's two hours quicker than the Acela service, which is the fastest train that Amtrak now runs.
and
There are major concerns about the project though.
Not only is the project expected to cost around $50 billion, but environmentalists worry about the impact construction could have on the ecosystem.
(expected cost of USD$50B probably means actual cost of at least 3x that)
-
@axtremus said in I forgot how nice it is to use the train:
high-speed rail funding
Look at the boondoggle in California's HSR initiative. It's massively behind schedule, massively over budget, and massively too short (if that makes sense). In the more than 10 years since it was approved, it has 119 "under construction." Not completed, under construction.
This video will give you an idea of the scope of the progress:
Link to videoThe inter-city travel in Europe is of a much smaller scale, and therefore easier to implement than here in the US.
The only place where HSR is possible here in the US is where Amtrak actually owns the right-of-way: the Northeast Corridor. Even there, the "high-speed" Acela between DC and Boston only hits about 150 mph, and that's for a short stretch in Connecticut.
@George-K said in I forgot how nice it is to use the train:
Look at the boondoggle in California's HSR initiative. It's massively behind schedule, massively over budget, and massively too short (if that makes sense). In the more than 10 years since it was approved, it has 119 "under construction." Not completed, under construction.
Sec Trans Pete:
Adam Carolla comments: "My kids were two when California started the high speed rail project they are now 18 and we still got nothing. So I am not as optimistic as Pete."
-
A country like China can do because they just tell people, "we are building a train through your house weather you move or not.'
Taiwan put in a high speed rail from Taipei -- Kaohsiung, the two largest cities with Taipei in the north and Kaohsiung in the south. Most of the stations are a bit out of the towns because it was very difficult to get the land.
(Fun fact - before the train was built, the most traveled (by number of flights) route in the world was the route between the two cities. There was about a flight every 10 minutes or so. Almost Nobody would ever buy a ticket ahead of time. You would just go to the airport, look for the next flight and get a ticket. Even though it is only about a one hour flight, you usually got meal service. LOL. The air attendants really had to move fast to get it done.)
-
A country like China can do because they just tell people, "we are building a train through your house weather you move or not.'
Taiwan put in a high speed rail from Taipei -- Kaohsiung, the two largest cities with Taipei in the north and Kaohsiung in the south. Most of the stations are a bit out of the towns because it was very difficult to get the land.
(Fun fact - before the train was built, the most traveled (by number of flights) route in the world was the route between the two cities. There was about a flight every 10 minutes or so. Almost Nobody would ever buy a ticket ahead of time. You would just go to the airport, look for the next flight and get a ticket. Even though it is only about a one hour flight, you usually got meal service. LOL. The air attendants really had to move fast to get it done.)
@taiwan_girl said in I forgot how nice it is to use the train:
Almost Nobody would ever buy a ticket ahead of time.
I remember you saying that a while ago.
I assume the HSR developers didn't have to flee to Morocco (?) because of the dysfunction and bureaucracy.
-
fro @George-K
Amtrak is making a fall rail trip even sweeter by allowing travelers who book a private Roomette to bring someone along with them for free.
The sale, which must be booked by Oct. 31, is available for travel on most routes from Nov. 1 through Jan. 31, Amtrak shared with Travel + Leisure. Travelers can book online or by entering the promo code “C104” in the Amtrak app.
https://www.travelandleisure.com/amtrak-private-roomette-sale-has-bogo-prices-8734218
-
for @George-K
For my first overnight Amtrak ride in 2021, I booked a roomette on a Viewliner train. Then, in 2025, I booked a roomette on a newly upgraded Superliner train. The rooms had similar layouts, but modern upgrades made the second ride much cozier.
https://www.businessinsider.com/differences-between-old-new-amtrak-roomettes-overnight-trains?op=1
-
https://www.newsweek.com/us-close-high-speed-rail-breakthrough-2081942
When the great and the good of the American high speed rail industry gathered in Washington, D.C. over May 13-15 for the U.S. High Speed Rail Association's (USHSR) 2025 annual conference, there was tremendous excitement tinged with anxiety.
Several attendees told Newsweek they believe the U.S. could be on the verge of a high-speed rail breakthrough, setting the stage for the kind of comprehensive national system enjoyed in the likes of China, Japan and Western Europe.
Ray LaHood, a Republican who served as Transportation Secretary under President Obama from 2009 to 2013, said if one of the two high-speed rail lines currently under construction is completed, it will prove "wildly popular" and boost support for high-speed rail across the nation. Other insiders agreed, but argued permitting reform and more explicit federal support will be needed first.
There has been concern over the Trump administration's attitude toward high-speed rail. The conference took place one month after Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced $63.9 million in funding for a proposed Dallas to Houston route had been scrapped, and amid rumors that the California High Speed Rail line under construction between Los Angeles and San Francisco could lose federal support.
