4 ms·

This could maybe work if it was sf-Seattle. LA is too close

klyrs 3y ago
Insert snark about socal traffic. But honestly rail travel in the US is obnoxiously slow and freight has priority resulting in maddening delays. As long as they don't wake up the passengers on arrival, and stay parked until a reasonable hour, this may be the only way to travel by rail and get there on time.
pulvinar 3y ago
LA is 8 hours away by train -- fits nicely in one night's sleep. Seattle is a whole day (or 2 hours by plane).
- the_mar 3y ago
  Why is US train travel so much slower than that in Russia of all places.
  - wpietri 3y ago
    In short, the car industry and car culture won out here. A lot of public transit is seen as for the poor and other disfavored groups. The US right complains endlessly about Amtrak subsidies, while somehow ignoring the half-trillion dollars (per Wikipedia) spent on the interstate system (plus lots more spending at the state for highways, etc).
  - kersplody 3y ago
    US train companies are allergic to capital investment. Essentially no electrification, limited double tracking, passing sidings too short for the 2 mile+ freight trains, and essentially no alignment upgrades to increase running speed. Then we put a precision scheduled railway (PSR) operational model on top of it which incorporates none of these words => basically freight trains move ad-hoc when they are ready. This is why Amtrak service in the west can be 18 hours+ behind schedule. In Russia, the entire Trans-Siberian Railroad is electrified and almost entirely double tracked.
  - Mountain_Skies 3y ago
    The US makes very good use of its extensive rail system but they use it for astonishing amounts of cargo, not for moving around small numbers of people very quickly. Outside of perhaps the Boston/DC corridor, passenger rail service is about enjoying the scenery. For any other use, cars, buses, and airplanes are better in most ways.
  - phlakaton 3y ago
    No high speed rail. CAHSR will cover more ground than Moscow-St. Petersburg in less time... if it can be completed, which given the political headwinds is a big "if."

Insert snark about socal traffic. But honestly rail travel in the US is obnoxiously slow and freight has priority resulting in maddening delays. As long as they don't wake up the passengers on arrival, and stay parked until a reasonable hour, this may be the only way to travel by rail and get there on time.

pulvinar 3y ago

LA is 8 hours away by train -- fits nicely in one night's sleep. Seattle is a whole day (or 2 hours by plane).

the_mar 3y ago
Why is US train travel so much slower than that in Russia of all places.
- wpietri 3y ago
  In short, the car industry and car culture won out here. A lot of public transit is seen as for the poor and other disfavored groups. The US right complains endlessly about Amtrak subsidies, while somehow ignoring the half-trillion dollars (per Wikipedia) spent on the interstate system (plus lots more spending at the state for highways, etc).
- kersplody 3y ago
  US train companies are allergic to capital investment. Essentially no electrification, limited double tracking, passing sidings too short for the 2 mile+ freight trains, and essentially no alignment upgrades to increase running speed. Then we put a precision scheduled railway (PSR) operational model on top of it which incorporates none of these words => basically freight trains move ad-hoc when they are ready. This is why Amtrak service in the west can be 18 hours+ behind schedule. In Russia, the entire Trans-Siberian Railroad is electrified and almost entirely double tracked.
- Mountain_Skies 3y ago
  The US makes very good use of its extensive rail system but they use it for astonishing amounts of cargo, not for moving around small numbers of people very quickly. Outside of perhaps the Boston/DC corridor, passenger rail service is about enjoying the scenery. For any other use, cars, buses, and airplanes are better in most ways.
- phlakaton 3y ago
  No high speed rail. CAHSR will cover more ground than Moscow-St. Petersburg in less time... if it can be completed, which given the political headwinds is a big "if."