Transit Fantasies

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by awvan

I think a lot of people here are getting way ahead of themselves speaking of different trains and fanciful routes. One must keep in mind the relative size of Western Europe. It's tiny. 2.8 million sq. km, and that is if you include Portugal, Hungary and Poland where HSR isn't exactly abundant. Ontario and Quebec combined are 2.6 million sq. km, and with a population of 21 million, we're not exactly close to the 430 million in Western Europe. We're a long way off in most of these corridors, especially ones that are already well served by relatively cheap and quick airplane service, or highway, it takes a little over 3 hours to drive from Calgary to Edmonton.

Mexico and South Africa are hardly in the financial position to start building HSR, Jo'burg only just got it's first subway. Besides, airline travel from Cape Town to Jo'burg is about the cost of a flight from Vancouver to Calgary, and takes just under 3 hours, there is no way HSR could touch that.

So long as the track is compatible with different rolling stock in the limited areas that will see HSR in North America (likely New York-Philly-DC first) I don't really think it matters who builds the trains down there. Besides, Bombardier has lots of business to chase in China right now.

I'd love to have HSR from Vancouver to Portland as much as any of you, but we have to be at least somewhat realistic. Upgraded track and rolling stock for the Amtrack Cascades route to perhaps shave an hour or two off the travel time is probably all we can hope for in the next 20 years.

A very realistic and practical summary, IMO. It's easy to get carried away with elaborate and fanciful ideas, but reality is where it's at, and we need to remember that. Thanks for bringing me - and I suspect many others - back to Earth a bit!