Because of the air industry (and car industry) lobbies.
Comment on When Americans Fly Economy, They're Actually Paying for Someone Else to Fly Private
RushLana@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 days ago
Most common route is atlanta to orlando
Why isn’t there high speed rail ??? The distance is only 700km ( 440 miles ) a french TGV can easily go over 300 km/h ( 185 mph ) so a direct line would at most be 2h30, given a plane boarding time it’s very competitive, conveninent and at a fraction of the operating cost.
dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 2 days ago
zipzoopaboop@lemmynsfw.com 2 days ago
Pretty much the hidden plot for who framed Roger rabbit
atrielienz@lemmy.world 1 day ago
“The Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000-acre (177,000 ha), peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida line in the United States. A majority of the swamp is protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Okefenokee Wilderness. The Okefenokee Swamp is considered to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia and is the largest “blackwater” swamp in North America.” -Wikipedia
Add to this Indian Reservation land, National Park/Preserve/ Wildlife Refuge land, the Everglades, other swamp/marshland, etc and you start to see that there’s several environmental challenges to a rail system from. Georgia to Orlando Florida.
RushLana@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 day ago
According to gmaps there is a 4 lane highway between atlanta and orlando, I’m pretty sure you can squeeze train tracks there.
3abas@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Yup. And there are several other 2 lane roads connecting Florida and Georgia to the west of the swamp. A direct line from Jacksonville to Atlanta would be challenging, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.
Orlando to Atlanta is already a direct land route, and you see Georgia plates in Florida and Florida plates in Georgia regularly.
atrielienz@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Just curious about what your thought is here? How straight are the roads? How often do they have to be resurface or maintenance? Just because there’s a road or highway, the are must be able to support high speed rail? Should they continue to clear swamp land in order to erect high speed rail? Is the plan here to usurp the highway for high speed rail? If so, what happens to those people who still need a vehicle in order to get where they’re going? What happens if they need that highway?
RushLana@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 hours ago
In case this is in good faith :
There is 4 lanes, you can remove one or two and set train tracks which don’t have a lot of constraints compared to cars due to train wheel being steel and having better adherence.
People who still need car for whatever reason can use the remaining lanes and have less trafic since train are a lot more efficient than car at moving people.
If you are woried about the swap I’m sure care exaust and tires particles which are know to damage environement a lot. Trains are electric so at least polution will be localized near power plants and thoose can be eventualy replaced by renewables.
ZMoney@lemmy.world 9 hours ago
Environmental concerns have never stopped any developed economy from doing what they want. Just look at this area on a map. These objections are not serious. The passenger rail service is trash in the US because of the automobile and hydrocarbon industries.
RangerAndTheCat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
If the government or the billionaires really wanted to they’d just do it and fuck the Indians on repeat like every other time, it’s just a talking point and it’s not going to be”ez money” like the keystone pipeline. I wish our government gave two shits about treaties with not only the natives but anybody.
atrielienz@lemmy.world 1 day ago
So what you’re saying is you advocate for the government to clear swampland (fuck the environment I guess), and continue to disenfranchise Native American peoples because you want high speed rail so badly?
Yeah. Yeah. I know you didn’t say that. But that’s what can be extrapolated from your assertion that the government and billionaires could if they wanted to. Don’t normalize this shit. It’s wrong for the government to seize things that don’t belong to it regardless of the purpose they plan to use if for.
criticon@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
How many are a final destination? Orlando is a big hub for planes coming from South America and Atlanta y the biggest US hub, so probably a lot of people flying that route are connecting and wouldn’t make a lot of sense to get a plane ticket and then a train and then another flight
RushLana@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 day ago
It would absolutly make sense ? Especially if there are night trains that go slower and can help you get rest without paying an hotel.
criticon@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
It makes sense if you are going to Atlanta or Orlando, not if you are just connecting somewhere else
Don’t get me wrong, I love trains and I’d love to see a big network of high speed trains
BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 1 day ago
You can have a high speed train station at the airport as well. A lot of European big hubs have that.
sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 1 day ago
ATL is the second largest hub in the US after Chicago?
If you can fly pretty much anywhere from ATL in the world.
criticon@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
ATL is the largest by total commercial emplanements
criticon@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
Exactly my point, people flying that route are taking connecting flights
sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 1 day ago
Orlando to atl sure. But they would also go to Miami.
I doubt anyone flying ATL to ORD for connecting in ORD
doingthestuff@lemy.lol 12 hours ago
High speed rail has a massive stigma in the US as hundreds of billions have been spent on failed rail projects (embezzled or just abandoned mostly) and 99% of us have never even seen it in existence. It’s like a myth scam sold to us by snake oil salesmen.
Sure, if we fund it again it will really happen this time.
skisnow@lemmy.ca 10 hours ago
Also based on an experience I had at work with a visiting American who point blank refused to get the tram, there seems to be a vicious cycle where public transport is seen as unsafe because only poor people get it, and only poor people get it because it’s seen as unsafe.
HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 5 hours ago
Was he genetic?