High-speed train to Atlanta? Speed drives the vision

[MrEd]

New ""high speed" train from NC to Atlanta.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/story/494541.html

Top speed today: 79 mph

This month, the federal government released a study that advanced high-speed rail between Charlotte and Macon, Ga., with a stop in Atlanta.

The study, conducted by the Volpe Center of the U.S. Department of Transportation, doesn't mean ground will be broken anytime soon, but it's better than nothing. The next step is for the transportation departments of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia to conduct a more detailed study to determine ridership, and what's the best train speed to keep construction costs low but also attract riders. The states are also seeking federal money to begin environmental studies.

The top speed for the Charlotte-Atlanta route today is 79 mph, but the average speed is much lower, making the train noncompetitive with the four-hour car trip.

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

The study examined building the corridor to handle trains operating between 90 and 200 mph. A train running faster than 150 mph is unrealistic because of the added expense of electrifying and straightening the track. A 200 mph train would need an entirely new alignment, which is cost prohibitive.

I bet they think the US's Interstate Highway system was never built either because it, too, was cost prohibitive.

Then incremental improvements could be made to up the speed by 10 or 15 mph, if there would be a demand for it.

Doesn't the Acela experience tell us this will never happen? What we're now seeing is Congress asking for proposals for a whole new high speed alignment.

“The business case is solid,” Foster said. “We capture less than two percent of the trips, but we operate in the black.”

Replacing 2% of the automobile trips in the country with diesel trains isn't enough to get rid of the mid-east oil dependence as Obama has promised.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Let me get this straight. The conducted a study, probably at a cost of millions of dollars, to see if they should conduct another study, also at the cost of millions of dollars.

What the hell? I hope Obama ends this crap.

 

[jphjaxfl]

The State of Georgia has been studying passenger service from Atlanta to Athens, GA and Atlanta to Macon for 15 years. With all the money spent of the studies, they could have upgraded the rail lines, bought equipment, operated the trains and studied the real thing. I lived in the Twin Cities where they spent millions studying light rail for years. Finally they built the Hiawatha line which has been extremly sucessful, but the price tag increased dramatically while they spent all the money doing studies. I don't see Georgia spending all money to implement HSR.

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

I don't see Georgia spending all money to implement HSR.

Georgia probably didn't pay 100% of the cost of building the Interstate Highways within their borders, either. Or their airports, for that matter.

 

[Crescent Mark]

Sweet, this would go right through my downtown.

 

[BobWeaver]

Replacing 2% of the automobile trips in the country with diesel trains isn't enough to get rid of the mid-east oil dependence as Obama has promised.

We only import about 17% of our oil from the Middle East; I think the media tends to blow it out of proportion.

While it is good to hear, good luck getting South Carolina to spend millions on that. Our state budget is already tight enough.

"The top speed for the Charlotte-Atlanta route today is 79 mph, but the average speed is much lower, making the train noncompetitive with the four-hour car trip....We are enamored with top speed,” Foster said. “But we get more bang for our buck bringing curves up to 80 mph than running a short straightaway for 125 mph. If you could get an average speed of 90 mph with a couple of trains a day you'd be tickled to death."

So why isn't this project about spending millions on improving and, where necessary, expanding the existing ROW to increase average speed? <_<

 

[George Harris]

The State of Georgia has been studying passenger service from Atlanta to Athens, GA and Atlanta to Macon for 15 years. With all the money spent of the studies, they could have upgraded the rail lines, bought equipment, operated the trains and studied the real thing. I lived in the Twin Cities where they spent millions studying light rail for years. Finally they built the Hiawatha line which has been extremly sucessful, but the price tag increased dramatically while they spent all the money doing studies. I don't see Georgia spending all money to implement HSR.

I have said it before, but here it is:

Studies are a government agency's way of looking like they are doing something when they are not and don't want to. If you are a bureaucrat you can never go wrong by asking for a study. It is a means of decision avoidance. And finally, if you are finally cornered into actually making a decision, the political equivalent of being thrown off a cliff, you can point to studies to deflect the blame when things go wrong. That is also why agencies hire consultants. It is soneone to blame when things go wrong. The blame will always be assigned to some consultant or outisde party regardless of who actually screwed up.