High Speed Rail

[clackamascoug]

I would just like to thank all of my non-CA Republican friends on CUF for working so hard to help pay for high-speed rail that will connect Los Angeles to San Francisco. There are huge gay communities in both cities, but they hardly know each other. This is really going to bring people together. Thanks guys!

They don't actually need the rails and trains, and transportation. It'd be a lot cheaper just to build the stations, bathrooms, and stalls.

[Moliere]

I would just like to thank all of my non-CA Republican friends on CUF for working so hard to help pay for high-speed rail that will connect Los Angeles to San Francisco. There are huge gay communities in both cities, but they hardly know each other. This is really going to bring people together. Thanks guys!

That's okay. You are returning the thanks by paying for smart meters and an intelligent grid for Houston.

[landpoke]

I would just like to thank all of my non-CA Republican friends on CUF for working so hard to help pay for high-speed rail that will connect Los Angeles to San Francisco. There are huge gay communities in both cities, but they hardly know each other. This is really going to bring people together. Thanks guys!

I wonder how many miles of rail 2.5 billion will get you? I'm guessing around 50 miles.

[Fiyero]

There's nothing on earth like a genuine, bona fide, electrified, six-car monorail.

Yes but will it put my town on the map?

[RobinFinderson]

They don't actually need the rails and trains, and transportation. It'd be a lot cheaper just to build the stations, bathrooms, and stalls.

This is really terrible, but it made me laugh.

[cowboy]

sweet. the 50 or so daily one-hour flights from SoCal to SFO/OAK were just not getting the job done, I suppose.

Let me see if I understand this correctly. If we amortize $2.5 billion over 40 years at 3%, the train would have to make $296k per day to cover the cost of the initial investment. If 2,000 people rode the train every day, then they would have to pay operating costs (around $100?) plus $148 for a ticket that would get them from LA to SF in 5 hours, and their other option would be a $120 plane ticket that gets them from LA to SF in one hour?

Using the analogy conceived by the young squire fildespac, this is akin to charging every student in the high school $10 so that they can have a vending machine across the street and they don't have to use the vending machines next to their lockers.

[Fiyero]

L.A. to Frisco in 3.5 hours isn't all that much longer than passing through airport security and waiting around. But is it possible to blow up a train with powder in your underwear?

[BigPiney]

I wonder how many miles of rail 2.5 billion will get you? I'm guessing around 50 miles.

It will get the environmental documents written. That is about it.

[myboynoah]

Let me see if I understand this correctly. If we amortize $2.5 billion over 40 years at 3%, the train would have to make $296k per day to cover the cost of the initial investment. If 2,000 people rode the train every day, then they would have to pay operating costs (around $100?) plus $148 for a ticket that would get them from LA to SF in 5 hours, and their other option would be a $120 plane ticket that gets them from LA to SF in one hour?

Using the analogy conceived by the young squire fildespac, this is akin to charging every student in the high school $10 so that they can have a vending machine across the street and they don't have to use the vending machines next to their lockers.

Don't so the math, Cowboy. It will just drive you nuts.

[Levin]

(1) Did you include population growth into your calculations? Didn't think so.

(2) Did you include the cost of expanding airports/buying plains/infrastructure to and around airports to handle the population growth? Didn't think so.


Get back to me when you take into account all the externalities of the alternative modes of transportation and so we can have a true comparison.

But most importantly: trains = better quality of life.

You may stew in your hatred of the French, Il Pad, but trust me, they're not wasting a nanosecond of thought on you: they're happily riding their trains eating better bread, better cheese, better everything enjoying their countrysides out the train window, pulling into beautiful train stations, and conversing on interesting topics at a charming cafe on a cobble-stoned square at their destination city.

But enjoy your I-15 and trolling on IMDB about movies.

[landpoke]

Let me see if I understand this correctly. If we amortize $2.5 billion over 40 years at 3%, the train would have to make $296k per day to cover the cost of the initial investment. If 2,000 people rode the train every day, then they would have to pay operating costs (around $100?) plus $148 for a ticket that would get them from LA to SF in 5 hours, and their other option would be a $120 plane ticket that gets them from LA to SF in one hour?

Using the analogy conceived by the young squire fildespac, this is akin to charging every student in the high school $10 so that they can have a vending machine across the street and they don't have to use the vending machines next to their lockers.

Do you know how highway construction stacks up next to rail? I've always assumed they are comparable as to cost over the life of a project and as to their level of subsidizing they receive. It doesn't matter much to me in the long run as, much like PAC's partner, I just like trains.

Oh and just to give an idea of what 2.5 B will get you: Denver is building about 120 miles of light rail and commuter rail at a cost of 6.5 B. This is up from 4.5B four years ago when it was approved by voters.

[Mormon Red Death]

Let me see if I understand this correctly. If we amortize $2.5 billion over 40 years at 3%, the train would have to make $296k per day to cover the cost of the initial investment. If 2,000 people rode the train every day, then they would have to pay operating costs (around $100?) plus $148 for a ticket that would get them from LA to SF in 5 hours, and their other option would be a $120 plane ticket that gets them from LA to SF in one hour?

Using the analogy conceived by the young squire fildespac, this is akin to charging every student in the high school $10 so that they can have a vending machine across the street and they don't have to use the vending machines next to their lockers.

Couldn't they use the high speed rail to ship commodities and such? Sort of like those PODS only its shipped on a train? That would be worth something.

[Mormon Red Death]

But most importantly: trains = better quality of life.

???

Yeah... I dont think so.

[dabrockster]

Even worse, Real America trains only go 79mph? That's high-speed? What kind of boondoggle is this?

I do hate that drive from Columbus to Cleveland..

[Surfah]

One word: Amtrak.