Texas’ Long-Awaited Bullet Train Plans to Start Construction

i'll believe it when i see it.

New website says route (for the US's first high-speed train) will be built in six segments.

site says, with first work to begin in fourth quarter of 2020​

​

 

Unless it never starts.

 

I don't think this is off-topic, is it?

An Oral History of 'Marge vs The Monorail', the Episode That Changed 'The Simpsons'
https://www.vice.com/en/article/akd...onorail-the-simpsons?utm_source=pocket-newtab

 

The board will allow it this time.

 

Amtrak released a new proposed route map that would be funded by the Biden admin's infrastructure plan (if passed). The map includes new Amtrak service between Houston and Dallas (with a connection in College Station). Does this compete with, or incorporate, the bullet train? I thought the bullet train was privately funded.

https://thehill.com/homenews/admini...ew-service-map-that-would-be-funded-by-bidens

 

There won't be a bullet train for years, if ever. A rail line already exists between Houston and Dallas for Amtrak use. I'm guessing they'll just use the existing rail line? Amtrak was also working with Texas Central for some other service, but I don't recall where that went. I'm not even sure where we stand with Texas Central. Last I heard, they were waiting on Texas Supreme Court ruling about something (eminent domain?) and Abbott was flip-flopping on his views within days.

 

Amtrak has to get quicker. Trips take way too long with stops in between. It's nearly 10 hours to take the train from HOU to NOLA. I'm all for rail, but to compete with air travel, it can't take 10 hours to get to NOLA.

Personal side note...my great grandfather...my dad's dad's dad...was a train engineer on the line from Meridian, MS, to NOLA. I'd like to make that trip one day just to say I did. He gambled all their money away, screwed up enough to have his very Irish Catholic wife decide it was enough to divorce him even back then, and all that led to my grandfather being a lifelong bank robber, but I'd still like to see it.

 

Amen. The Amtrak trains in this region are slow as Christmas. They need dedicated rail lines and modern trains. They seem to be in every developed country in the world but here.

 

No more money into antiquated systems.....high speed rail?? Hell yes.

DD

 

I think for most people in the US, rail is "that other form of transportation". Nobody really cares about it until they need it and, of course, they never need it. People in the Northeast seem to use it for business, I guess, but not so much many other places.

My biggest complaint would be how slow it is and how unreliable it can be with breakdowns from what I understand. Next complaint would be how many "segments" you may have to travel to get anywhere -- even from major city to major city assuming such a connection exists.

I thought about taking a train ride around the country for the fun of it, though. It may be a neat way to do that via something like one of their multi-day/multi-segment rail passes or something. But even that could be more fun in car. A train would just be a neat way of seeing things differently.

 

Don't be a stupid person.

DD

 

From a usage perspective, passenger rail in the US really only makes sense in the Northeast Corridor: Washington DC - Philadelphia - NYC - Boston. That's also the only place where it's profitable in the US. Everywhere else lacks the population density (or proximity to the next big city) for it to make sense, and in most cases, establishing the right-of-ways to lay the track would be practically impossible. With businesses leaving central business districts for the suburbs across the country, the case for high speed rail diminishes further. I say this despite air transportation (commercial) being a complete PITA and getting worse by the day (TSA groping, no liquids carried on, no drink service on flights anymore, mask on all flight long). Thank goodness for private aviation - no poors, get my drink on, no spending time with the nasties at the airport.

Use some logic people -- not just emotion -- to evaluate rail. Be smart.

 

If you want to be entirely disabused of the notion of an actual passenger rail system in this country, @Dr of Dunk, something people seem to forget once existed here, then by all means - take a ride around the country using the rail we have now. You will swear never to do it again. However, if a fast, smooth, reliable and comfortable rail adventure is up your alley and you want to travel long distances, stopping in interesting places along the way, do it in Europe. If you never have, it will be a revelation.

 

This seems like a ridiculous waste of money lol

 

lol. I've been warned of train rides in the US by another person who took a ride up the West Coast, I believe. And I know enough to know it's not going to be a means of reliable travel, but it's one of those "hobo" things I've wanted to do in the US. There's some kind of freedom with being able to just take a train somewhere like Chicago, get out and enjoy the town, get back on some other day, ride somewhere else, spend some time. All the while seeing sites you probably may not be able to see in a car.

 

I love riding trains and I’ve done just what you’re describing several times in Europe over the years. It’s relaxing. Heck, I can sleep easily on a train, which I can’t do flying.

One time in the early 1980’s, we found ourselves in Venice on May Day, intending to stay a couple of days. Arrived by train and hadn’t thought of it being a big holiday at all. Well, the city was jam packed with Italians (how dare they!), not a room to be found. So after wandering around for hours until after dark, enjoying ourselves, we found a train with a sleeper and ended up a few countries away by the next morning. Back then, they still had the Eurail Pass that covered nearly the entire EU for a flat fee, the cost depending on how long you wanted to use it. You could get on and get off whenever you liked, and we did. A great trip.

 

Best sex I ever had was on a train b/w Germany/Poland/Czech Rep.

She liked it too, btw, to preempt that joke.

 

You were able to get her out from under the sun lamp and onto a train?

 

Sun lamp? You were behind the times 20 years ago.