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Subscribe to RSSDon't get me wrong, I love the United States, but I wonder if there is too much bureaucracy these days for us to get a project like this done in a hurry. What do you think?
Shenzhicheng / EPA
A CRH train runs on the 350km/h Shanghai-Hangzhou High-Speed Railway at sunset in Jiaxing, China, Dec. 18. China plans to double its high-speed railway network to over 13,000 kilometers by 2012.
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I don't think it has anything to do with bureaucracy. It has to do with "cost"... Who is going to pay the high cost of constructing these systems? And remember, it also needs very high maintenence, again who will pay for it? Keep in mind that public transit fare, at least in LA, only pays between 15% to 30% of the operating cost depending on the system.
Don't forget NIMBYism - not in my backyard. When China has a large middle class you'll see the same problem crop up there… it has already begun in Shanghai. "High Speed rail is great, but I don't want the tracks running through my neighborhood"...
Until it costs less to travel by rail (again) than it does to travel by automobile, this won't happen here without much griping and whining.
BTW, that is a great photograph!
It already is cheaper to take the train. A oneway ticket to Chicago on Amtrack = $22.
AAA cost of driving one mile (at gas = $2.30)— small car $0.35; large car $0.54
Chicago to Milwaukee 90 miles @ $0.35/mile = $ 31
or Two persons in a medium car $40.50 but toss in tmore expensive gas and you are close to Amtrack.
High speed rail is a win-win situation for the U.S. It will create new jobs, and help cut down on emissions and dependence on forgien oil if more people ride instead of drive. Not to mention the hassle free commute.