How come building HSR can be this difficult in US?

[Juice]

The cost to build HSR in the future will be much higher compare to build the HSR right now. HSR can provide the other option for long distance travel and will be much cheaper compare to fly. Take 6-8 hrs of driving from LA to SF depend on your driving speed. People will ride HSR if the ticket don't cost too much for a round trip from LA to SF and the travel time can shorten to 3 hrs.

They have used that argument before....still can't get people to ride them.

 

[StarCraft_ZT]

In El Paso we barely have a functioning bus system. If you don't have a car....you're scr#wed...

I believe it...because the same situation in DFW, buses are very limited, although there is light railway, people don't ride it too much, still the car is the most used way of transport. It seems in Texas, every building is too far away from each other.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

There are a lot more trains in the North-East. But no real need for high-speed. They still have airports for the longer hauls!

Speaking as someone from the NorthEast I can tell you nobody I know would ever consider taking the train. If Amtrak stopped tomorrow not too many people would be screaming (and keep in mind we have those Acela trains up here)

 

[sincity]

They have used that argument before....still can't get people to ride them.

In LA people still ride metro rail to work, people still take greyhound bus to travel across the country. Not everyone can afford to pay for airfare to travel. You will find many rider within the 300 millions population. The question whether HSR is worth the investment and can the state recuperate from the HSR initial investment.

Driving give you more freedom as a commuter but the travel time is much longer compare to HSR when you go from state to state.

 

[beijingwalker]

From this video I've got a feeling that ,not only about HSR,building anything big won't be easy in today's US,just too much hassles.

 

[Juice]

In LA people still ride metro rail to work, people still take greyhound bus to travel across the country. Not everyone can afford to pay for airfare to travel. You will find many rider within the 300 millions population. The question whether HSR is worth the investment and can the state recuperate from the HSR initial investment.

Driving give you more freedom as a commuter but the travel time is much longer compare to HSR when you go from state to state.

When I was up there a year ago....took the Metro down-town from Pomona. Over-priced as far as I am concerned

 

[sincity]

When I was up there a year ago....took the Metro down-town from Pomona. Over-priced as far as I am concerned

I remembered I paid 7 dollars for the metro red line pass to down town 2 yrs ago. I don't know how much you have to pay now.

 

[FaujHistorian]

HSR in itslef is not the issue. But a general lack of long term planning is.

I expect Americans not to repeat the 150 years old design of mass transit to copy from Germany or China.

I do expect Americans to be bullish about futuristic and more practical technologies in mass transit.


Don't take me wrong.

I truly admire US ideals.

However I do see that the country is suffering (hopefully temporarily) from Rich-man diseases of being sluggish, too needy, too many protections, too much unionism,

and a general sense of entitlement.

As a result, a relatively prosperous working class has disappeared replaced with fast food jobs, and store clerks working for $10 an hour.

Unions and the grandma politicians have made the big industries inefficient or altogether destroyed them.

I'd rather see a working class man working for 15 dollar car manufacturing job instead of a fast food joint.

manufacturing jobs fled to China for a reason.

Unions made it impossible for those jobs to be competitive.

Old people and morbidly obese people and their grandma politicians are making a wonderful country to do short term tricks with money

like printing dollar bills.

The country that invented the core concept of internet, must move to the 21st century transportation system.

And

in the process hopefully create millions of non-union jobs in America

instead of importing toys to TVs from Asia.


Happy New year to everyone.

 

[Juice]

I remembered I paid 7 dollars for the metro red line pass to down town 2 yrs ago. I don't know how much you have to pay now.

It was more...is the red pass the one that gets you on the subway too? If I remember we paid something like $20 each.

 

[sincity]

It was more...is the red pass the one that gets you on the subway too? If I remember we paid something like $20 each.

No just a direct pass from my city to LA metro station. Probably I paid a little bit more but no less than 7 dollars as I remembered.

 

[Juice]

No just a direct pass from my city to LA metro station. Probably I paid a little bit more but no less than 7 dollars as I remembered.

Well, we got the ticket in Pomona to LA...but it was like a "day" pass....we got to ride all public transport for the day.

 

[sincity]

Well, we got the ticket in Pomona to LA...but it was like a "day" pass....we got to ride all public transport for the day.

A day pass always cost more. Take metro rail to down-town you don't have to stuck in traffic during rush hr.