tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901123.post6091183060472297199..comments2024-03-15T03:20:38.106-05:00Comments on Brains and Eggs: More on the Texas Central RailwayPDiddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05851660342241127485noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901123.post-36031276017168356972014-03-27T18:38:50.082-05:002014-03-27T18:38:50.082-05:00Per the Wiki link, I am shocked, shocked, I tell y...Per the Wiki link, I am shocked, shocked, I tell you, that the lawyer-founder who litigated Southwest into existence would try to litigate something else out of existence.<br /><br />Another good reason for a carbon tax, maybe?Gadflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13075757287807731373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901123.post-78466335751351214392014-03-27T15:52:22.937-05:002014-03-27T15:52:22.937-05:00All valid considerations, Quentin. Thanks for pos...All valid considerations, Quentin. Thanks for posting.PDiddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05851660342241127485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901123.post-23104211515180173222014-03-27T13:14:53.977-05:002014-03-27T13:14:53.977-05:00I worked as a Freight Brakeman / Conductor for 17 ...I worked as a Freight Brakeman / Conductor for 17 years (1977-1995). The MKT (Katy) and the UP after the UP bought the Katy. The RRs back then did NOT want passenger trains on their tracks. AFAIK, they still don't. The only reason they tolerate Amtrak is because the US Government gives them so much money to allow trackage rights. We freight crews hated Amtrak back then, because oft times we had to wait for Amtrak, and that delayed us getting over the road, thus delayed getting home, or getting to the terminal at the other end of the road, and getting our rest. The one who really hated Amtrak were Maintenance of Way people who could only come out, work for a few hours, then stop working and clear Amtrak one direction, then repeat the process for Amtrak the other direction. <br /><br />In the US we have High-Speed passenger rail traffic in the only places the population density is high enough, which is the Northeast Corridor with multiple main lines. <br /><br />If we want widespread High-Speed passenger rail in this country, then we will have to spend the money to build dedicated High-Speed passenger only rails lines and all that entails. That means no rail crossing at grade. None. No chances of any car / truck and train ever colliding. Ever. Bridges / overpasses everywhere train and surface roads meet. How much will that cost to build per mile? I have seen estimates from $20 million a mile to $2 billion a mile. And that is just the track, no rolling stock. <br /><br />The legal rubbish would be monumental. Everyone would have both hands out thinking they won the Lottery because someone was going to buy their land for rail lines. Politicians would fight tooth and nail to have the train come thought their city or town. There would be the NIMBYs who would try to stop they whole thing because of the noise, or it ruined their quality of life or their view, or some other excuse, just like they do with wind energy. Then the environmentalists would get into the act claiming animals would be driven to extinction or the local ecology would be irreparably damaged, or some other excuse. <br /><br />We can't even build wind turbines to help us become energy self-sufficient without someone complaining about THEIR view being spoiled, birds being slaughtered, the desert ecology being destroyed, someone suffering from nervous complaints because of noise and vibration from wind turbines, or some other excuse, and you think we're going to get widespread High Speed Passenger rail in this country?<br /><br />I would love to see High-Speed rail in Texas. We’ve been hearing about it for 30+ years, so I’ll believe it when I see it.Quentinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15340194546161905912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901123.post-60716177578260683182014-03-27T08:00:24.788-05:002014-03-27T08:00:24.788-05:00I think Waco makes the best sense of any intermedi...I think Waco makes the best sense of any intermediate stop on Houston-Dallas. Indeed, there was an HSR meeting in Waco a few weeks ago that I didn't get to.Gadflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13075757287807731373noreply@blogger.com