Hi Rich, I beg to differ- I take the Acela regularly and it’s plenty speedy and efficient for me. Way better than driving to DC and NYC. However, if higher speeds matter to you, you may want to check out Florida’s Brightline system. I think they were testing 110 mph trips recently. Our family friends utilize it regularly. It has completely changed their commutes and their quality of life. I think Brightline’s next planned expansion may be Vegas to LA.
I agree we are SO behind in our train infrastructure (passenger rail having to share tracks with cargo is crazy) but I am optimistic it is getting better. Finally, money is going back into Amtrak, as well. Upgrades are happening and routes are being restored. As a very committed train traveler (I stopped flying 5 years ago to reduce my carbon footprint) I am feeling more hopeful about our train systems recently! My last two cross country train trips would have arrived early, had it not been for the unhoused population that slowed us down outside of Berkeley, California. Sadly, the lack of housing has forced so many people to live along the tracks, causing the train to slow down and stop a bunch. As a South Lincoln resident I would be thrilled to see more dense, net zero energy housing centered around the train stop and Lincoln Station. I think it would attract more people and families that care about the land, their carbon footprint and make Lincoln a more vibrant, ecologically sound, inclusive and interesting place to live! Best, Staci Montori Codman Road On Thu, Apr 20, 2023 at 10:10 PM Rich Rosenbaum <[email protected]> wrote: > Regarding catching up to Europe's mass transit. > > I've admired and been envious of Europe's (well, northern Europe's) > intercity mass transit since I traveled on a Eurail pass in the 70's. I > thought, maybe the U.S. will catch up some day. > > It's been almost 50 years and one could argue U.S. intercity mass transit > is worse than it was then. Amtrak's Acela doesn't go particularly fast > along most of its route; California's high speed rail project is going > nowhere slowly > <https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-11/new-cost-estimate-for-high-speed-rail-puts-california-bullet-train-100-billion-in-the-red> > . > > Perhaps it is better to plan based on today's reality than on a wished for > future (self-driving cars, electrified train service to Boston, etc.). > > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to [email protected]. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ > . > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > >
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