US High Speed Train. THIS WOULD BE AWESOME.

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Crazy Fool

a private corporation can't do it though, at least not on the east coast.

The reason the Acela sucks and isn't high speed is because high speed rails need to be straight, and turns are more like big banked curves that take a long distance.

And on the east coast, there are too many people and buildings in the way to make it really work right.

In France it worked because if your house was in the way, they said sorry, gave you some money, then knocked it down.

In the US, odds are they could start today and by 2030, they still wouldn't be done with the first lawsuit to buy/knock down someone's house to build the tracks.

Feb 5 2013 12:34PM

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I doubt this will happen within our lifetimes. With the relative speed and affordability of air travel, there's no market force pushing for the vast expense needed to build the infrastructure of such a system.

California is struggling with these issues in its system now. For the price of that project, the state could roughly purchase a roundtrip airline ticket for each California resident from LA to SF about 10 times. The train will take 4 times as long for the same trip, but also likely cost more.

The only way any of these projects will ever be built is with substantial government expense. Probably over a trillion dollars. I think there are other areas of investment that would provide a better benefit to the public: Healthcare? K-12 Education? Higher Education? Job Skills Training? All probably have a much higher ROI than high speed rail.

Also, the Government can buy out someone's house and land through eminent domain, it's just highly costly. They essentially pay 120% or so of market value plus all relocation costs and more.

Feb 5 2013 1:02PM

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Crazy Fool

the problem in the US is that most of those homeowners will most likely sue the government for more money first.

Feb 5 2013 1:10PM

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theabortionator

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Public transportation in America is fucking awful. You can get around a city and then drive to another one and that's about it.

I'd be down. It's make touring easier unless it was stupid expensive.

Maybe they can do high speed buses, like crazy taxi or something.

Feb 5 2013 1:15PM

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Courts have generally upheld the ability of government's at all levels to use eminent domain for various purposes, although you are correct in that it does not limit or negate potential litigation. The government could pass laws speeding up the appeals process for this purpose as well as any environmental reviews and appeals that might occur.

Feb 5 2013 1:15PM

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Funkadelic

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I don't know. The government bought out a lot of houses in the area of my hometown about 5 years back when they built a new highway. There wasn't any backlash about it.

Feb 5 2013 1:32PM

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Because it's a great value. Over market cost for the property as well as all relocation costs covered and more.

Feb 5 2013 3:19PM

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theBearJew

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hahaha crazy taxi. That would be just silly. I killed so many pedestrians in that game.

Feb 5 2013 3:23PM

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it's actually whatever they deem to be a "fair market price" that an unpressured buyer would give an unpressured seller. That's why it's usually higher, but there are instances in which they pay quite a bit less.

Feb 5 2013 3:27PM

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edai

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The the CA, OR, and WA line is green

Feb 5 2013 3:36PM

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Here's a primer on Federal use of eminent domain from DOJ: http://www.justice.gov/enrd/4610.htm

Feb 5 2013 3:41PM

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Spinoza

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this would really put USA over the line into uber coolness. that is so sick

Feb 5 2013 3:45PM

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JeremyClarkson

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As sick as it is, this is all bullshit.

Remember when California proposed a highspeed train 2 or 3 years ago? They estimated the cost to be in the hundreds of billions. If America actually did this our deficit would only get bigger.

Feb 5 2013 3:51PM

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Laurent.

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Still not getting close to the clusterfuck of railways that we have in Euroland:

And these are the high speeds rails:

Feb 5 2013 4:07PM

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Ski_the_east01

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Hey thanks capt. obvious...gonna anymore astute fucking observations?

Feb 5 2013 4:09PM

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JakeAssBeatClap

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We should have already had it, it's really asinine that we haven't built or started building one the trains are so fucking convenient in Europe. Oh not to mention it would literally create a million or so jobs for Americans...

WHY AREN'T WE STARTING TODAY?!?!

Feb 5 2013 4:10PM

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MothaHucker

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I came in here expecting to see those vaccum tube trains. I am dissapoint

Feb 5 2013 4:22PM

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Crazy Fool

Biggest waste of money ever.

Feb 5 2013 4:27PM

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a_burger

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Tunnels are a possibility

Feb 5 2013 4:34PM

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Crazy Fool

not everywhere. plus tunnels are exponentially more expensive than surface tracks. For major cities and large towns though...definitely just to under 'em

Feb 5 2013 4:35PM

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Heart

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Doubt this will ever happen. I dont think the population dnesity of the united states is high enough to make this viable.

Feb 5 2013 4:39PM

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edai

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Holy rustled jimmies batman, you must be a fucking pussy!

Feb 5 2013 4:42PM

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DrZoidberg

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They should make it mag-lev, just cause it's cool.

Feb 5 2013 5:04PM

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chicken

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vancouver to southern california on high speed train would change my life

Feb 5 2013 5:08PM

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Crazy Fool

Because a faster, and most likely cheaper, flight isn't quite good enough.

Feb 5 2013 5:10PM

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skier_boy26

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Crazy Fool

You know what works pretty well, especially in the low-density west? Airplanes.

A HIGH SPEED RAIL NETWORK THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTRY IS FUCKING ASININE. TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR SOME BULLSHIT WHEN WE HAVE FUCKING AWESOME PLANES AND AIRPORTS??? Fortunately, this shit will never happen.

The only region that would really benefit from high speed rail is basically the NE. Oh, and they already have the Acela.

Feb 5 2013 5:13PM

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Ye_ol_wild_Koala

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Loner

The US is huge. I dont imagine it would be done til atleast 2040. Which is like a lifetime away. Imagine the stimulus of the economy with this being build. Murika would be prospering.

It would be sick to see. Also, since im lifted. Imagine if the US oked that pipeline of gas from Canada! Imagine how much more dispensable income people would have if gas was $1.50-2.00 a gallon! People would be killin it.

I'm all for it. But murika has higher ranking prollemz...

Goodonya

http://

Feb 5 2013 5:21PM

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Crazy Fool

Unfortunately it is to an extent, Jerry Brown is shoving California high-speed rail down everyone's throats. It's going to be another grand disaster in the social experiment that is the people's republic of California.

But at least people will be able to get from Fresno to Bakersfield twice as fast!

Feb 5 2013 5:23PM

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Crazy Fool

I can't tell if you're serious, but if so your optimism is extremely misplaced and based off of misunderstanding.

Feb 5 2013 5:26PM

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Funnel

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Wait... people actually think this is a good idea? Or even a feasible idea? Read up on the bullet train proposed for California. Biggest waste of federal and state tax dollars since Boston's "Big Dig." The train will take double the time from SF to LA as a flight, yet cost the same amount. Also, the train will partially run on the same tracks as freight trains (so much for high speed). Here's my biggest complaint- the project will never be finished. This will be the train to nowhere. This is not feasible right now, and most likely never will be. Private corporations would be all over this if it were plausible.

Feb 5 2013 5:28PM

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Ye_ol_wild_Koala

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I would be open minded to any of the ideas. However, I do not run the country. But I was serious

Feb 5 2013 5:33PM

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Did you ever drive through Boston before the big dig, and after? Granted were it not for contractor and politician corruption it would have gone a lot smoother, but the big dig was hardly a waste of money

Feb 5 2013 5:38PM

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Pretty much. I think the state will abandon the project before it's finished. Plan to route it along SR-14 instead of the I-5 corridor is stupid.

Feb 5 2013 5:40PM

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SKI.ING

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Big thanks to the two people with some actual sense in this thread. High speed trains are big waste of money and a dead-end investment. Whoever supports it I hope they come through and take away your fucking land too. Bunch of dumb fucks.

Feb 5 2013 5:41PM

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It looks like that will be approved, a big part of the criticism was it's routing over major water supplies in Nebraska, their state government has since given the green light to a revised route.

Also, US will be a net oil exporter by 2017. energy is a global market and it's not as simple as drilling to cheaper prices.

Feb 5 2013 5:43PM

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Clearly. Look at Europe and France in particular. They sure learned their lesson.

High speed rail is good. Transcontinental high speed rail is not. Once you pass the 6 hour travel limit, its not useful anymore. But up and down each coast it would be perfect

Feb 5 2013 5:44PM

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~~~~~~~~

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Just look at all the experts we have in this thread...

I'd love it I could just hop a train in NY and be in Cali the same day, hope it happens in my life time.

Feb 5 2013 5:45PM

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Ye_ol_wild_Koala

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I agree with the global market concept, however, were the biggest consumers so bam, self feed. Its kind of like if you gave a dog a huge bowl of food, what would he do???

I know canadians really take care of the oil sands workers. I met a guy down in the carribean that was taking him and his children on a really nice vacation telling me about how well they all do. However they are in the middle of nowhere.. Imagine a society where many hands would be needed in the construction as well as the brains behind it.

Feb 5 2013 5:50PM

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