While high speed rail languishes in the US, it booms in China and beyond
Mar 23rd 2010 by Bob Morris http://caivn.org/sites/all/themes/ca...eader-logo.gif Read More: http://caivn.org/article/2010/03/23/...ina-and-beyond Quote:
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I'm not sure it will be worth connecting Asia to Europe. As in the US, there maybe limits to how efficient HSR stacks up to air travel over long distances.
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The thread being about US high speed rail, not Chinese, we return to the topic:
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http://sf.curbed.com/uploads/2010_03_hsrcaltrain.jpg San Jose station area rendering via CAHSR Source: http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2010/0...o_any_good.php |
Key to High Speed Rail's Success Is in The Details, Leaders Say
March 24, 2010 By Tom Palmer http://www.theledger.com/images/logo2.gif Read More: http://www.theledger.com/article/201...ders-Say&tc=ar Quote:
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Orlando high speed rail renderings (including the super-station at OIA which will connect commuter and high speed rail with downtown Orlando):
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...florida/24.jpg http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...florida/25.jpg http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...florida/26.jpg http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...orida/27-1.jpg http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...florida/28.jpg http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...florida/29.jpg http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...florida/30.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...den/IDrive.jpg |
In Orlando, will the HSR be able to eventually share the commuter rail tracks to downtown?
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^No -- however, if high speed rail is eventually extended North to JAX it would make a stop in downtown Orlando at the Lynx Central Station (bus and commuter rail). High speed rail will make a direct connection with commuter rail at OIA, which will go directly to downtown.
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I'm a bit confused - where does the picture below fit in? Near the airport? Another HSR station?
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^That is the Orange County Convention Center stop, which is just North and out of picture. Seaworld is across the street.
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^Not really... The OCCC is to the WNW on this picture, and Seaworld is to the WSW, across the Beeline and across I-Drive. Neither are what I would call 'walking distance', which makes the station's location a bit odd imo.
http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/6...hsrstation.jpg |
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^I know that area pretty well... I promise you, you're getting the scale off... Go check the path distance in Google Earth if you have it. I bet it's 2/3rds of a mile or so from where the HSR platform would be, to an actual entrance of the OCCC on foot. And I'm talking about the annex. Going to the main hall on foot would be closer to a mile. (and surely over a mile if the air conditioned skywalk is used)
Any planner involved in this project who is hoping to make the typical conventioneer walk that distance (especially in challenging weather) is incompetent, and should be relieved of their duties immediately. |
^I know the area, too, having lived in Orlando for 20 years. I'm not getting the scale off, I don't need Google earth.
It would be better having the rail station on top of the convention center, yes, but that is not possible. Therefore, the plan to extend Canadian Court to Universal Boulevard, and create a longterm urban plan that will extend from SeaWorld South to Universal Studio North seems like a better plan overall. Notice that in the conceptual all new development is backed up to parking garages over parking lots, and all development is at street level. Urban planning 101. The future proposal for a light rail line is also expected to go right through the high speed terminal (look closely and you'll see it there) which will have a direct stop at the convention center. It's easier to move light rail in and out of tight spots than it is high speed rail. |
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Here's some Google Earth snapshots for you... http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/7518/occchsr3.jpg http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/2777/occchsr2.jpg http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/9691/occchsr1.jpg screenshots from Google Earth These distances are not acceptable for someone on foot. Well established precedent tells us that almost nobody is willing to walk over 1/2mile from a transit stop to/from their destination, and studies centric to Florida actually peg the distance at more like 1/4mile... As you can see, the proposed HSR location would involve walking distances considerably beyond that. So my original point remains, the OCCC is not within walking distance of the proposed station. I'm sure there will be a shuttle set up, but with this kind of distance, they could just as well do a monorail up to Universal and down to Sea World. Or better yet, move the station down closer to I-4, in behind the Rosen Centre. |
^I would tend to say that walking distances from an HSR station are not equivalent to the amount of walking that people will do from a regular old "transit" stop. People will walk a mile or more within an airport, for example, with little complaining.
I don't know the area, so I'm not saying that this is necessarily an area where longer distances would be tolerated, but we're not talking about a normal transit stop that the same people would be using every day. |
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^Fair enough. Like I mentioned, I don't know the area, and your point about it being a glorified commuter line (at least to start) is definitely true.
I just know that in the case of HSR in California (which, while it won't be completely analogous to European systems, will be much closer from the get go than Florida's will be), I'll be happy to walk more than a half mile at either end if it keeps me from having to deal with airports or freeways, and the ridership studies show the same. |
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http://images.nycsubway.org/i19000/img_19730.jpg Source: http://world.nycsubway.org/perl/show?19730 By then I'll probably be using a motorized wheelchair, but I'll be joining Gordo doing what it takes to get to the HSR station wherever it is. |
^On the FL line, only the Lakeland station will be in the middle. The others will be offset to the side, making getting to the other side of the highway a bit more of a challenge.
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