China will produce the world's fastest train

[C4Racer]

Of course it's government run. Why else would it provide such great service and value?

 

But Don... In China the government does run the rails... What's the difference???

 

Simple.

 

In China, the government runs it for their profit and I do mean their profit. So if something makes sense, should make a profit and is cheaper to maintain, they build it. They will buy a new engine when the old one is done. No one questions why.

 

In the US, the government runs it for maybe a profit. If it loses money they just use our taxes so they don't need to manage it well. No one wants to start something new. If it doesn't make money they worry about their job. So can't dare try something innovative. Someone has to prove it can be done and make a profit. So leading nations like China will build it first. Then later maybe the US will catch on. They can't buy a new engine when the old one is dead, because it isn't in the budget. So instead they will spend three times as much to maintain the old one.

Edited September 2, 2008 by C4Racer (see edit history)

[Corbin]

Of course it's government run. Why else would it provide such great service and value?

 

But Don... In China the government does run the rails... What's the difference???

 

Simple.

 

In China, the government runs it for their profit and I do mean their profit. So if something makes sense, should make a profit and is cheaper to maintain, they build it. They will buy a new engine when the old one is done. No one questions why.

 

In the US, the government runs it for maybe a profit. If it loses money they just use our taxes so they don't need to manage it well. No one wants to start something new. If it doesn't make money they worry about their job. So can't dare try something innovative. Someone has to prove it can be done and make a profit. So leading nations like China will build it first. Then later maybe the US will catch on. They can't buy a new engine when the old one is dead, because it isn't in the budget. So instead they will spend three times as much to maintain the old one.

Boy if this ain't some truth..... There once was a time when companies in our country would risk much, but now it is more along the lines are you sure it will make money......

[Yuanyang]

China ... Why can't the US do this? .....

Why? It's called the Aviation Industry. They want you to fly, packed inside those winged cattlecars.

For example the Texas Golden Triangle (Dallas-Houston-San Antonio) was primed for high speed rail and here's that story (From our friends at Wikipedia)

 

"In 1991 the Texas High Speed Rail Authority awarded a 50-year high speed rail franchise to the Texas TGV Corporation - a consortium of Morrison Knudsen (USA), Bombardier (Canada), Alstom (France/UK), Crédit Lyonnais (France), Banque IndoSuez (France), Merrill Lynch (USA), and others. Texas TGV won the franchise after more than two years of litigation instigated by a rival consortium backing German ICE technology.

The plan was to connect the "Texas Triangle" (Houston - Dallas/Fort Worth - San Antonio) with a privately financed high speed train system which would quickly take passengers from one city to the next at prices designed to compete with or beat other transport options. This was the same model Southwest Airlines used 20 years earlier to break in to the Texas market where it served exactly the same three cities.

Funding for the project was to come entirely from private sources, since Texas did not allow the use of public money. The original estimated cost was $5.6 billion, but the task of securing the necessary private funds proved extremely difficult.

Southwest Airlines, with the help of lobbyists, created legal barriers to prohibit the consortium from moving forward and the entire project was eventually scuttled in 1994, when the State of Texas withdrew the franchise."

Edited September 3, 2008 by Yuanyang (see edit history)

[Stepbrow]

In California, we have been trying for years to get a high speed rail between SF and LA . It goes on the ballot in November. Guess who's paying?

[Dennis143]

In California, we have been trying for years to get a high speed rail between SF and LA . It goes on the ballot in November. Guess who's paying?

I'd bet it won't happen. Good idea or not, there's bound to be some bug that would be impacted and the lawsuits would run for years. Besides, it would have to pass within a mile of someone's home and they won't stand for it. All that noise and such.

Besides, we don't cotton well to those northerners invading our hood.

[Corbin]

In California, we have been trying for years to get a high speed rail between SF and LA . It goes on the ballot in November. Guess who's paying?

I'd bet it won't happen. Good idea or not, there's bound to be some bug that would be impacted and the lawsuits would run for years. Besides, it would have to pass within a mile of someone's home and they won't stand for it. All that noise and such.

Ahhh, but the sound of the click clack who doesn't love the sound of the rails as the train goes by. Soon you learn to turn the TV up and down as it passes by. Can't get enough of it. The blaring horn from the engine as it comes to a rail road cross to warn the fool in the little sports car that is about to try and beat the train.

[Jeikun]

I think Joanne's reason is equally if not more a part of it than the more cynical view the rest of you are putting forward. US population is just not that dense. Where I lived a a boy it was 20 minutes by car to any restaurant or store or place to work (unless you worked on a farm). While our more densely populated cities have reasonably sucessful mass transit it's just not feasable in the majority of the country. Also, of course the affordability of fuel and personal transportation here just makes it a less attractive option.

 

Yuanyang's post is likely a big factor too (airlines).

 

No need to turn it into it being due to us "blowing our tax dollars on policing the world" lol It's not a political issue, just differing social and geographical realities. Europe and much of Asia is compressed and crowded... makes sence. The US is largely not, so it often doesn't make sense.

[IllinoisDave]

I think Joanne's reason is equally if not more a part of it than the more cynical view the rest of you are putting forward. US population is just not that dense. Where I lived a a boy it was 20 minutes by car to any restaurant or store or place to work (unless you worked on a farm). While our more densely populated cities have reasonably sucessful mass transit it's just not feasable in the majority of the country. Also, of course the affordability of fuel and personal transportation here just makes it a less attractive option.

 

Yuanyang's post is likely a big factor too (airlines).

 

No need to turn it into it being due to us "blowing our tax dollars on policing the world" lol It's not a political issue, just differing social and geographical realities. Europe and much of Asia is compressed and crowded... makes sence. The US is largely not, so it often doesn't make sense.

Sounds pretty reasonable.

[shadeOgray]

Hmmm with the corruption in China maybe train fail so now you can go splat! that much faster...LOL joke joke.

Yes reasonable and true, Americans also in general dont have the patience to use a train especially when they charge you almost as much as a airport would anyway. We like our cars to much also...