I am about to blame--you will perhaps be unsurprised--the government. Why isn't there a high speed train from New York to Chicago? Well, first of all, this would greatly anger legislators from New York and Michigan, who like the fact that the Chicago train must pass through Buffalo and Detroit, even if this assures that almost no one with a job will actually use it. Full Story »
Posted by Kaizar Campwala
An article thats more justifiable complaint than information. Although trains in the American Eastern corridors are fast, they are capable of going much faster. But the poor condition of the roadbed keeps speeds low. Roadbeds in the rest of the nation are in even more decrepit condition and would collapse under high-speed trains. To build TGV railroad systems compatible with the ones in France and Japan (considered the worlds best) would require billions to dismantle the old system, replacing it with realigned heavier roadbeds, bridges, larger rails, concrete ties--basically starting over from scratch.
I think the real problem is that for years we had socialism for highways and private enterprise for railways - with the result that upkeep, equipment, maintenance, etc. were horrible. I happen to live in part of the country where rail really works well, and where Amtrak has managed to get the speed of its "regional" trains almost back to where it was in the mid 1950s (the Acela goes faster, and would go faster still even on the old track - except that some engineering genius multiplied wrong and so the cars are about 6" too wide - I kid you not!). Anyway, it's all that deferred maintenance and lack of government support that's why there are railway problems.
We are all thinking about rail and other forms of transportation these days, so there is a value to putting information in print. Perhaps more in depth and less ranty would be more enlightening for us all.
Not very informative or accurate. Misstates the route of the Chi-NY (which does not go through Detroit but hooks up with another train) train, the roadbed situation of the TGV (it required an entirely new engineered route), doesn't really get into the problem except to cast it as a political one and then not get into that with any depth. Unprofessional and thoughtless. Just a waste of space by someone with a suspicious "in" at The Atlantic.
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