China tests 300 mph train.

[mongers]

Lets get back to talking about trains.

I think model railroaders are a bit weird. Especially those N scale fucks.

HO HO OO , Money won't fall for that.

[Zanza]

I think some of those trains may be safety hazards with the way people squeeze in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0A9-oUoMug

[Ed Anger]

HO HO OO

I see what you did there.

[Zanza]

When I travel back to my hometown from where I live now, it's probably about 5 hours total for a flight and about 7 hours total by train - door-to-door. The train never costs me more than 67 Euro oneway, even if I stop halfway inbetween at friends or relatives and go on the next day. I can book the train just before I board it, if necessary via smartphone. Or I pay on the train, which adds 5 Euro or so. Flights can be a bit cheaper (20-25%), but you have to plan months ahead and they often leave at strange times whereas the trains leave every hour.

[MadImmortalMan]

When I travel back to my hometown from where I live now, it's probably about 5 hours total for a flight and about 7 hours total by train - door-to-door. The train never costs me more than 67 Euro oneway, even if I stop halfway inbetween at friends or relatives and go on the next day. I can book the train just before I board it, if necessary via smartphone. Or I pay on the train, which adds 5 Euro or so. Flights can be a bit cheaper (20-25%), but you have to plan months ahead and they often leave at strange times whereas the trains leave every hour.

Sounds very nice. Every hour between cities? Even I wouldn't mind doing that.

[Josquius]

Supposedly we don't have to worry about that now that pilots are safely locked away.

Which has spoiled air travel for a generation of kids

[DGuller]

Supposedly we don't have to worry about that now that pilots are safely locked away.

Which has spoiled air travel for a generation of kids

In Russia, back in the days, kids could even fly the planes (although not very well, and not for very long).

[The Brain]

Grown man... movies about gladiators...

[Zanza]

Sounds very nice. Every hour between cities? Even I wouldn't mind doing that.

Here is the network of InterCityExpress trains. There are further InterCity trains that will run at up to 200 kph and complement that main network.


The trains from Frankfurt Airport to Cologne and Stuttgart are so fast that Lufthansa has mostly stopped to fly those routes and rather cooperates with the train company to deliver their passengers there in a code-share agreement.

[alfred russel]

Germany is slightly smaller than the dakotas (combined, not individually). But it has over 80 million people.

[Zanza]

Yes.

The only areas that seem suitable to me for high speed trains in the USA are the area between Boston and DC (maybe Richmond and Norfolk) and Texas (Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Austin, perhaps Oklahoma City). Of course Texas won't have much public transport, so you would end up without a car in your destination.

[Josquius]

Trains are the future.
With rising fuel costs we're going to see a big move back towards trains. Could be interesting for settlement patterns, towns away from the railways shrinking whilst civilization hugs the lines.

[The Minsky Moment]

Fast trains are great but the Chinese need to nail down rail operations and safety before adding more speed.  Otherwise there are just building a very expensive manned unguided missile and firing it at themselves.

[frunk]

I think the track guides it pretty well, they just aren't sure when it will explode.

[The Minsky Moment]

I think the track guides it pretty well,

Not all the time, that's the problem.