Here is a slide show story about the development of high speed rail in other countries. The story comes in the wake of Obama’s 53 billion dollars to develop our own system.
Let me just say that I’m all for developing alternatives to automobile and airplane travel and public transit infrastructure. But I am a little queasy about the idea of traveling at three or four hundred miles per hour at ground level. Call me a Luddite.
But the coolest part of the story is the “maglev train” which apparently never touches the ground when traveling. Maglev is tech geek talk for “magnetic levitation.”
Photo is from Wikipedia.
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February 9, 2011 at 12:38 pm
Mitch
If you don’t look out the window, riding Japan’s bullet train feels no faster than an American train going at 50 mph. And they apologize for arriving 2 minutes late.
February 9, 2011 at 12:48 pm
Eric Kirk
I’m more worried about some idiot in a hurry driving around the crossing arms and being on the track. Or a cow.
February 9, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Fred Mangels
Or an earthquake. Or rocks falling down a hillside during a storm or an earthquake.
February 9, 2011 at 1:08 pm
Ernie's Place
Eric, stop! You’re breaking my heart. I’ve always had a love of big machines. Showing these pictures is like techie-porn to me. I have this fascination with machines – that one person can think of, but it takes many, many people to build. My quintessential machine was the sailing ship. It could be sailed all over the world on just the sweat of a man’s brow. All it took was the skill and muscle to set the sails and man the helm. “But, luddite no like sail ship.”
Beautiful trains, but It’s sad to know that we will never see one of those beauties shooting up the Eel River Canyon. Not even if it were totally Solar powered. Not even if it was wind powered. Not even if it ran on Tofu. If you think that you are a “luddite“, look around you in Humboldt/Mendocino. Scratch the person next to you and you will find a Cro-Magnon. They are perfectly happy dragging their possessions around and living in mud huts. We can’t even make Richardson Grove legal for modern trucks. We can’t even get some people to look at how practical and harmless the project is.
My first reaction was that I didn’t want to see Richardson Grove touched, so I looked into it. They are doing such little harm to The Grove that it is ludicrous to worry about it. Yeah High speed train…
“Ugh… Me no want train… Stir up mud…Me happy not going anywhere…Been here like this long time. Me happy”
Believe me Eric you are no luddite”. “Ugh!.. Eric not us. He progressive”
February 9, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Mitch
Well, Eric, I’m not 100% certain, but I don’t think high speed rail designs ever involve traffic crossings. They always put in an overpass or underpass.
February 9, 2011 at 3:25 pm
Sally
I would love to see a high speed train from Crescent City to San Diego. (and no, the Amtrak Bus does not count!)
February 9, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Eric Kirk
I think we just voted on something a couple of years ago for bonds for a Bay Area to LA connection, but I don’t remember if it was high speed cosmic powered anti-gravity rail or not.
As for the north coast connection, maybe a hydrofoil ferry which goes up and down the coast? Has the concept been explored? We’ve talked about short sea shipping, but the hydrofoils in the Bay Area cut the ferry commutes in half.
February 9, 2011 at 4:36 pm
moviedad
We are all aware aren’t we about the push from big oil and car manufacturing to eliminate “Mass/Public Transportation” from the American mindset? They were very successful.
February 9, 2011 at 7:23 pm
Sally
@ moviedad – definitely. Big Oil and King Kar dismantled the trolleys and subways all over the nation. And the commercials urged us to “see the USA in your Chevrolet” and to drive in for food along the way, with waitresses on roller skates. Hmmm.
February 9, 2011 at 9:47 pm
Eric Kirk
And the loss of the Key Rail system in the Bay Area which used to extend across the bottom level of the Bay Bridge. Urban legend has it that Goodyear Tires bought up the system and sold it off, but I haven’t ever found anything to support that, although there was enormous pressure to fold up shop on the trains and switch to buses which wouldn’t cramp the automobile style.
February 9, 2011 at 10:16 pm
Capdiamont
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_American_Streetcar_Scandal
A good read on the situation. In one of the series of the Key System books it said the bay bridge caries 1/2 the amount of people today, than it did when it had street cars on the bottom level.
February 10, 2011 at 10:59 am
ED Denson
I really like the idea of high speed trains, being a train nut. But I also share your instinctive hestiation to go that fast on land. I suppose that before automobiles the idea of going 60-70 mph on land would also have been scary, so I say “Build it and I will ride.”
February 10, 2011 at 11:06 am
Capdiamont
BTW, I’ve ridden the South Korea high speed rail, and loved it. Several key things about high speed rail. No at grade crossing of any kind. All curves are slight, gentle things, even grades.
February 10, 2011 at 1:16 pm
moviedad
I still hold out hope for an air powered train from Arcata to Garberville. Put in some tidal powered compressors, Viola’.
February 10, 2011 at 8:18 pm
Sally
Casey Jone, you better watch your speed!
February 11, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Eric Kirk
Yeah, there’s a scary thought!