Posted May 19, 201213 yr http://pedestrianobservations.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/high-and-low-speed-rail-coordination/ High- and Low-Speed Rail Coordination Posted on 2012/05/17 The debate about what kind intercity rail to build tends to be either/or. On one side, there’s HSR-only advocacy: this represents the attitude of SNCF, especially in the earlier years of the TGV, and such American HSR proponents as John Mica. In this view, legacy rail is inherently slow and money-losing and the best that can be done is to start fresh; generally, this view also looks down on integration with legacy regional rail. On the other side, there’s a legacy-only advocacy, which represents how Britain upgraded its intercity rail network in and after the 1970s and also the attitude of proponents of Amtrak-plus lines in the US. The problem with this is that there are a lot of different markets out there, and the service levels they justify and the construction challenges they impose are different. Sometimes such markets are in the same general area, and this means some lines should be HSR and some should be upgraded low-speed rail. Countries that tried to go to one extreme of this debate are now learning the hard way that they need to do both. Britain radically optimized its intercity main lines, which now have the highest average speed in the world except for HSR – but it needs more, and this requires it to build a new HSR line at immense cost. In the other direction, France’s TGV-only strategy is slowly changing. SNCF still doesn’t care about legacy intercity lines, but the regions are investing in regional rail, and one region even uses the high-speed line for local service. Japan gets away with neglecting most of the intercity lines because its physical and political geography is such that markets that can support HSR dominate, but other countries cannot.
February 19, 20169 yr Redirected from the other states' rail thread... The costs associated with getting into LA versus SF from the central valley are staggering...I looked it up last night and they're considering a tunnel up to *20 miles* in length from Palmdale beneath the mountains southwest to the Burbank airport. There the line would then join the existing commuter rail tracks for the final 8~ miles to LA's union station. There is already a commuter rail line to Palmdale, and the original plan was to upgrade that track, and ultimately that's what will probably end up happening because the cost is no doubt less than half the cost of the 20-mile tunnel. So in both LA and SF there are plans to electrify at least part of the existing commuter tracks to enable the HSR trains to get in, but that means that some of the commuter trains will also be able to electrify. Just think if we built electric HSR in Ohio -- there would also be the opportunity for high quality commuter service on those same tracks. In one direction for Cleveland and Cincinnati, but in two directions for Columbus. I was considering something similar for running Cleveland - Pittsburgh HSR via Akron and Canton. With my lottery billions, from Canton north, I'd build a four-track mainline with the 220 mph trains on the inner two tracks stopping only at the enroute stations of downtown Akron, downtown Canton, and Pittsburgh International Airport. I'd put the 100 mph regional commuter trains on the outer tracks making station stops every 5-10 miles north of Canton. :) "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 20, 20222 yr Here’s a great thread disputing the notion that High Speed Rail requires local transit and regional rail. To be clear, they are great complements that do mutually increase ridership, it is just not a strict requirement. Plenty of examples to consider are included. From an Ohio perspective, the point is to not wait for one to build the other. thread continues When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
March 6, 20232 yr New (?) advocacy group for improving US rail system, "Solutionary Rail" https://www.solutionaryrail.org/
March 6, 20232 yr Long article, but good discussion of nationalization of rail in the US and the different ways it could be accomplished, with potential problems identified. Good reading for better understanding US rail system. https://inthesetimes.com/article/nationalize-the-railroads-workers-on-strike-biden-wages
January 27, 20241 yr minimum acceptable hsr in north america — https://www.instagram.com/p/C2fkFIWJzaR/?igsh=Y2lrZG5vY3F4ZHVh
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