1468
PUT THE TRAINS IN THE BAG (mander.xyz)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
128 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 85 points 1 year ago (12 children)

I expect better of the rail network in America. This is a tiny network for the size country we are.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 12 child comments
    •
  • [–] 25 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    The thing is the rail network was pretty comprehensive at one point. Only a few remain.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
    •
  • [–] 15 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    It still is, if you're a piece of rail freight.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Even for freight, it used to be better. My tiny rural town used to be serviced by a rail line hauling passengers, timber, and agriculture, but it was gone before I was even born. You can still see some of the old tracks if you know where to look.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago

    and what remains is in such a hilariously horrendous state that the rest of the world struggles to comprehend it, lines with 20km/h speed limits and trains passing over the tracks literally visibly wobble from side to side

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 9 points 11 months ago (5 children)

    it takes me 24 hours to go by train the same distance it takes me to fly 1.5 hours. and the cost is the same. there are some problems.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 5 child comments
    •
  • [–] 7 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    This has more to do with how commuter trains are forced to give priority to freight trains, causing delays, than actual travel times

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

    It's not that extreme, but even if we assume a 200 mph HSR train:

    • It would still take 12 hours to drive the 2500 miles from Los Angeles (California) to Jacksonville (Florida)
    • It would still take 6 hours to drive the 1200 miles from Jacksonville (Florida) to Boston (Massachusetts)

    Admittedly, there's a point to be made that hardly anyone would drive from Florida straight to Massachusetts or the other way around, but the distance is still impressive.

    Airplanes who fly at 600 mph reduce that travel time to 1/3rd (excluding boarding, which can be time-consuming). I did not calculate how much a train ticket would cost, compared to a flight ticket.

    Admittedly, i travel 400 miles by train in Europe all the time. (a couple times every year). It takes about 6 hours in total.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent