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[DonasaurusRex]

It would be nice to see them as a city to city option, going from say chicago to detroit to toronto to new york in a matter of hours would be great, IF cheaper than flying or the cost of gas. I think bullet trains with massive load capacity would better serve for the commercial and industrial sectors in america. Just think if we could get products in say the port in philly to chicago in hours and then on out to Seattle. Now thats great cause you got less trucks on the highways hopefully curbing pollution and traffic congestion. From a central unloading station within a city then smaller delivery trucks are mostly needed. I dont know if rail will ever be a big deal in the US for regular travel ...not compared to flying. From what my friend tells me though sounds like japans system is meeting its limits, and the trains could perhaps run more often to serve the population, then again thats his trip from kanagawa to tokyo every morning so ofcourse thats gonna be hell.

 

[Lil' Dice]

Actually, you should do a little research yourself into the feasibility of building high speed trains in the US. Economically it isn't feasible in the US, for a huge number of reasons (not the least of which is cultural, but also include the other reasons listed above such as the track conditions and distances high speed trains would have to cover compared to their European and Japanese counterparts). But of course, since you came into this thread calling everyone an "idiot", you probably already knew that, didn't you?

Are you serious? Are you thinking a block-to-block bullet train? :lol How would a train from LA to Vegas which spans 200 miles NOT be feasible? There are million sin California alone who commute 100+ miles a day.
And since when do bullet trains need run on the same track as a cargo/Amtrak train?

 

[Phoenix]

because of zoning laws (or lack thereof), most Texas cities suffer from horrible urban sprawl, thus making the creation of an effective mass transportation system nearly impossible. This is also a major reason you couldn't have good public transportation in cities like Atlanta - they problem is so massive that it's hard to figure out how to approach it correctly.

The only good that might come of this recent supreme court decision regarding domain is that the cities can say "fuck off" to the various groups that have been blocking expansion of Marta so that it actually goes enough places to warrant using it. On my commute off I-20 I would have to drive up to 285, then go north many miles just to get to the Marta station. That stupid part about that is that once I get past 285 I have absolutely NO traffic, so there's no point in my getting into traffic on 285 to get to the Marta station when I could just finish the rest of my commute into downtown Atlanta.

Marta sucks ass to an extent I never thought possible. Oh, and its expensive for what pieces of the city you can actually get to For a city whose history is based on the railroads, you'd think it would have a halfway decent commuter rail system.

 

[Phoenix]

Think about it though. Your odds of being in a train wreck are much higher than being in a plane crash. Because a train is dependent upon hundreds of miles of track, not to mention the mechanics of the engine(s) and all the cars, and is vulnerable to hazards on the tracks. Basically there's a lot more that can go wrong. The biggest difference is that when something does go wrong on a plane, the results are almost always fatally catastrophic -- but there's less to go wrong.

That, and your chances of living through a train mishap are an order of magnitude better than that of living through a plane mishap.

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

I'd welcome a better rail car system in addition to our crap bus line. Miss a bus in Cleveland - you're going to be waiting 30-45 minutes for the next ride. >:|

At least when I visited Chicago the public transportation was fairly convenient. I don't believe we waited longer than 10 minutes for a subway car going any direction. It fuckin' rocked.

I'm considering ditching my car due to repair, insurance, and fuel costs.

Bus pass is just $54, versus $170 a month for insurance and the two tanks of gas required to get back and forth to work.

A combination bus line and bike commando would work well.

Only problem would be the absolute shit Cleveland winter would reduce that to bus only.

Can't wait to get out of this shitty town.

 

[Flynn]

Yeah, and the "wait forever" part kills it for me. I took Amtrak one time from LA to the San Diego area. I arrived about an hour later than I usually do by car, and haven't taken the train again since then.

The last time I drove to San Diego it took me two hours to get through Orange County. My ulcer would have prefered the train ride.

 

[Deku]

I think Americans would rather walk over the tops of gridlocked cars than ride public transporation. Somehow we've gotten it into our heads that only nobodies ride the bus or the subway (cities such as NYC, DC and Chicago not included).

I for one am of the mind to start using trains to move through California. The last time I drove to San Diego I sat through two hours of traffic trying to get through Orange County. I could have been sitting on a train, watching Kill Bill on my PSP.

Yes, I find this attitude very strange. When I tell my friends I like to take public transit, they ask me if I'm poor.

Well, I am poor right now because I'm looking for a job and living overseas, but in Japan, EVERYONE takes transit. Car is a luxury item. And actually, transit can usually get you places much faster than driving.

 

[Jill Sandwich]

I was extremely impressed with the transport system in Copenhagen, Denmark when I went last summer. Thier Metro system, trains and busses are all synchronised and you can hop between each with one ticket. And they were on time by the second.

 

[Fixed2BeBroken]

Wow, people talking Highly of NY Metro/Public transportation system and don't use it on a Daily basis. (hell, have yall even ridden a sub out here ONCE?)

Amazing. Where do you fools come up with your great analysis?




with that said.

I really want to Blow up 74th street Jackson heights in queens.

 

[xsarien]

Wow, people talking Highly of NY Metro/Public transportation system and don't use it on a Daily basis.

Speaking highly of it in terms of sheer size. The E train can eat me.

 

[WasabiKing]

STILL waiting for that bullet train to Las Vegas from Los Angeles. And tack on SF to Vegas too!

 

[Bluecondor]

A bullet train line from NY to Chicago (with stops in Pittsburgh and Cleveland) would be unbelievable.

 

[Incognito]

No, because Americans are rugged individualists who pull can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and public transportation is for godless commies.

Exactly. :lol :lol