The fastest commercial train in the world is now fully armed and operational, covering the line between LA
and San Francisco. OK, I lied. Actually, that’s what I wanted to write. Sadly for us, it’s in China.
Some may ask, Why can we not do this in US? Let me explain,
Western Europe is 1.3 million square miles
The US is 3.7 million square miles (or 3.2 without Alaska).
Given our overall population density, there is no way to install a nationwide high speed rail system that will be able to compete with air travel.
If I’m going to take a train, it needs to get me to my destination more efficiently than air. Either significantly cheaper (but takes as long or longer), or similar cost/time but less hassle (security checks, etc).
Cross country rails wouldn’t make any sense what with it having to traverse pretty much every terrain type, and impossibly huge costs, however the infrastructure of the cities/high density population areas is what I was referring to. A rail going down the west coast, down the east coast, across the southern areas would be a vast improvement over airplanes, having rails just to do something like commute from northern california to southern california would be immensely helpful.
So yes, long distance rails would be impractical, but our rail way infrastructure right now is ridiculously terrible, to say otherwise would be illogical.
Rails for Seattle – portland, Seattle – Spokan, Seattle – SF, SF – LA, SF-SD, and more western rails, and hundreds of east coast rails would bring in a lot of revenue. Currently the only thing really holding rails back in some states is a lack of money, however rails would generate money needed, similar to the BART in California.
Developed with Siemens, Bombardier and Alstom, the new train swooshes across the red land at 245mph (394km/h). The service covers 663 miles (1,068 kilometers) at an average of 217mph (350km/h), which means it’s the fastest train in operation in the world according to China’s railways ministry. It’s part of the network of 42 high-speed lines that will be finished by 2012. If you have never tried these amazing trains in Europe or Japan, imagine going from New York to Chicago in just a bit over three hours, no absurd controls, no waits, no taxis needed.
The new Chinese high-speed lines will increase their total network from 53,437 miles to 74,564 miles. That’s still smaller than the US railway system which, but ours only has one single “high-speed” line, bridging the 456 miles that separate Boston from Washington at a whooping 70mph average, totaling seven hours. Don’t take that line, folks. It will liquify your brain.
