Recent content by Tlcooper93

This does seem like a Gadgetbahn. Somehow though, in the hands of the Japanese, there is an inherent trust, however small, that a breakthrough is possible. Agreed however. Bringing the Tokaido Line up to 220 would seem to be a much better use of cash. The speed of the line, however, seems to...

Found some reading from the International Union of Railways: https://www.uic.org/com/enews/nr/596-high-speed/article/the-definition-of-high-speed-rail?page=thickbox_enews If someone finds something better, I’d love to see

By international standards no. The problem is, what constitutes true HSR is fickle, especially in America. I think it’s widely agreed upon that Acela is not true HSR but HrSR. The Acela only reaches 150 for short stretches, and the average speed is quite low. Given that LA to Vegas will reach...

Considering what people regularly pay to travel aboard the Acela, what BL allegedly will charge for what will probably be a nicer product seems pretty reasonable.

Acela served on plastic plates for the majority of COVID times - much like LD traditional dining. I understand they are different products - that's really neither here nor there. Given what tickets cost on LD trains, and that dining is a significantly more important aspect of that trip and...

Any particular reason why Acela gets real plates and silverware but LD trains aren't doing that yet (unless there is new information to me).

Not sure if this is the right place to post this since the re-organization but: I took a round trip to NYC the past couple days from BOS and experienced Acela first dining. Wow. The last trip I took was in the fall (before that in 2022). What a massive improvement in quality of food - for...

Boy I really like Eng. it’s never good to place too much faith in one person, especially with a set of problems as big as the T, but it really seems like he knows what he’s doing. I especially appreciated his enthusiasm to meet with planners early - to me, this is critical at making p...

In Doha, we walked down stairs from a 777 at a remote stand. Must be quite a sight to walk down from a 747.

I think my enjoyment, in general, of cars, and driving them, would go up if it wasn’t forced upon us. Objectively speaking, cars are hella awesome. There’s no denying that driving a super nice German or Italian car (or in this case, a Tesla or electric equivalent) when it is a true choice, and...

If this doesn't merit an entirely separate thread, I understand, but I figured it was worth a try. Its hard to discuss BL Florida without touching up the hundreds of grade crossings between Miami and Coco. Whenever I look at a map of the BL route, I see so much redundancy. Sometimes there are...

I’m actually quite fed up with this false narrative that most people prefer cars all the time and that that number is increasing. It’s completely lacks evidence, and beyond North America, where cars are pushed upon us because of antiquated and draconian land use policies, it’s untrue. In Europe...

Not sure I agree that Asia is somehow experiencing a massive modal shift away from public transit to cars. The rule of price + time is universal. People will generally take the fastest and cheapest travel to their destination, regardless of who they have to travel with. This shift you claim is...

Ugh, don't hold your breath. But I guess I'm a pessimist when it comes to transportation change in this country. Welcome from just across the border anyhow! AU is filled with endlessly knowledgeable people when it comes to rail!

Perhaps you've heard or read otherwise (please say if you have), but I though MA was currently rather flush with cash, especially since new tax measures implemented last year.