Make of it what you will gents. The link is to the Baltimore sun article
Ten billion dollars??? With $20 billion in overruns? WTF? Isn’t Baltimore like 15 miles from Washington, D.C.?
I think I remember my dad and I driving it in 40-ft motorhome in about half an hour fer Christ’s sake.
And what will you do when you get there, without your car to get you around?
Ever heard of “Walking” or possibly riding a bicycle, or is the automobile obsession too strong….!!
A few other items related to that Chamber of Commerce recommendation.
-
Amtrak has a NE Corridor high speed rail proposal on the table “Amtrak revised its cost estimate to $151 billion”
https://nec.amtrak.com/nec-vision/ -
The Boring Company (Musk’s Hyperloop) has permits to start digging between DC and Baltimore on the way to NYC.
https://www.dezeen.com/2018/02/20/elon-musk-boring-company-receives-permission-start-digging-washington-dc-new-york-city-dc-hyperloop-tunnel/
So that’s three ways of speeding up the NYC-DC NEC. Also Amtrak is spending $2.4B on the NEC to allow faster Acela service. It’s currently down to 2hrs door-door as they now have a non-stop train.
And what will you do when you get there, without your car to get you around?
Spoken like a true Coloraden. The last thing you want in DC or NYC is a car - you can’t park them, you can’t drive them without scaring yourself or the pedestrians, and you will regret it if you try. Trust me - I’ve done it.
That’s why they have taxis, Ubers, buses, and subways. Cheap, quick and convenient.
DC wasn’t that bad, when I drove through it, at around 4 am…(https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Fred Mills. said:
Ever heard of “Walking” or possibly riding a bicycle, or is the automobile obsession too strong….!!
Fred, we all love you, but people landing at the airport riding a bicycle to DC? Even you drive your tractor to breakfast. Seems a bit absurd.
Seriously, more mass transit for cities that can support it is great. The question is can the city support this particular mass transit system? (I do not mean subsidize by “support” but for it to be a profitable and sustainable venture)
Greg Elmassian said:
Fred Mills. said:
Ever heard of “Walking” or possibly riding a bicycle, or is the automobile obsession too strong….!!
Fred, we all love you, but people landing at the airport riding a bicycle to DC? Even you drive your tractor to breakfast. Seems a bit absurd.
Seriously, more mass transit for cities that can support it is great. The question is can the city support this particular mass transit system? (I do not mean subsidize by “support” but for it to be a profitable and sustainable venture)
Maybe a bit of further delving into the subject would enlighten and abate the supposition that it won’t be profitable.
Here is one example :
A snippet from an on line article:
Why isn’t an Amtrak ticket cheaper in the Northeast? – Greater …https://ggwash.org/view/10450/why-isnt-an-amtrak-ticket-cheaper-in-the-northeast
Aug 22, 2011 - The train is faster, statistically safer, and more comfortable — additionally, … that the NE Corridor is the only part of Amtrak that makes a profit?
And I won’t go into the politics on this venture but a search may show the governors wife is on the developers board (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
If the figures in the article are correct, Amtrack is closer to pulling it’s own weight than I thought.
Again, taking that article at face value, the issues of Penn station at capacity for number and length of trains, and the tunnel constraints makes it hard to grow.
So, my take is that a faster train to vital areas could work, based on ridership and capacities.
Greg
Greg Elmassian said:
If the figures in the article are correct, Amtrack is closer to pulling it’s own weight than I thought.
Again, taking that article at face value, the issues of Penn station at capacity for number and length of trains, and the tunnel constraints makes it hard to grow.
So, my take is that a faster train to vital areas could work, based on ridership and capacities.
Greg
I just read an article about the new CEO who is from Delta Airlines, and who has promised that ALL of Amtrak will be profitable next year.
“Amtrak says it is profitable on the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston, where adjusted earnings were $524.1 million in fiscal 2018, including $318.8 million from the Acela express train. But the company lost more than $540 million on its 15 long-distance trains, which cover routes of 750 miles or more.” WSJ Jul 6th
The “Gateway Project” [new tunnels to replace the 2 single track 125+ year-old PRR tunnels] is getting closer but is still expensive. One good incident that closes a tunnel will focus the politicians on the issue - half of Wall Street will be late for work!
There is a big new station planned under the old Post Office with a connection to Grand Central and to the LIRR.
Faster trains usually result in more commerce and more economic activity. [Maglev’s just get you more prestige, not profits!]
Amtrak is nothing but a waste of time to model.
Rooster ’ said:
Amtrak is nothing but a waste of time to model.
Pete Thornton said:
…half of Wall Street will be late for work!..
I didn’t know it is “work.” I thought it is gambling (at least for the small fry!).
Some gamblers make a living, some get rich, and some loose their…assets.