Not Here, But Why Not?
Via Engadget: French train breaks rail speed record
Why can’t we have trains like that here in the US? Obviously they couldn’t be used along the Eastern Seaboard, but for long distance runs across country, there’s no good reason as far as I’m concerned. Imagine taking a train to San Francisco from Chicago (Amtrak: California Zephyr) and the trip only taking around seven and a half hours (with stops along the way, non stop would be just under six hours). Sure, that’s not as fast as a plane, but it’d be more comfortable and is significantly faster than the two-plus day journey it is now. Or, imagine arriving in New York in the early afternoon after departing New Orleans at 8:00 a.m. (Amtrak: Crescent).
How cool would that be? To me, very cool. I love to fly, but it’s also incredibly costly and there will come a time when flying will be cost prohibitive. Why not begin work on a new high-speed rail system now, instead of years from now (if ever)? Sure, it’s a costly venture to create a new, or upgrade where feasible, rail system, but I can’t believe that if you make rail travel more appealing it doesn’t begin to garner more support and ridership. Of course the majority of people would rather fly when faced with the days-long adventure of riding the rails!
And you know, after people find out how cool it is to travel by train, maybe they will *want* to take their next vacation via a train and actually pay for the long and slow premium experience and romance of a cross country train trip!
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