China tests 300 mph train.

[Maladict]

I took the 18-hour overnight trip from DC to Chicago, which turned into a 28-hour trip.
All things considered, though, I'd rather be stuck on a train for a few extra hours than on a plane.

Wasn't a lot of that extra time spent getting to and from the airports, though?  Wouldn't that be a similar problem with getting to and from the train station?  The airports mostly have to be outside the city centers for saftey reasons, true, while the train stations don't have to be, but a lot of Amtrack stations are in, well, odd places (though I don't think that's as true of DC and Chicago as it is in a lot of places serviced by Amtrack).

What airports? 
The train stations in both DC and Chicago are located quite conveniently. In fact, in none of the American cities I visited by train (Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, SC, Chicago and Detroit) did I have any need for additional transportation, except for Detroit.

[Capetan Mihali]

It's about 800 miles, which is a lot. A flight between the two cities probably takes a bit more than 2 hours. Add another hour at origin and destination to get to the airport, check in and get your luggage back. If the train takes more than 5 hours, it can't compete, so it will have to average 160 mph, which is a lot. If you build tracks for a train going that fast, you'll never be able to compete price-wise with the aircraft...

I just did a search for a round trip flight from Chcago to NYC in 2 weeks: there was a ticket for $123. Flight time was 2 hours. I don't think a train can beat that.

I take Amtrak from Boston to Philadelphia pretty frequently, and I think it is sort of instructive about the advantages of train travel.

The trip takes about 7 hours.  The bus is cheaper, but interminably long, unpredictable due to traffic, and difficult to get any work done on. 

US Airways has direct flights that take a little over 1 hour in the air and cost only a little more, but I never take them.  I don't like flying itself, and I think there is a decent number of people in that group in the US.  To fly from Boston, I have to take the T downtown, then transfer to the dedicated bus line to get to the airport an hour early, go through security, etc.  When it lands, I have to get a regional rail train into Philadelphia then transfer to the subway or bus line that takes me where I'm going.  From where I live, you need to leave an hour to get to the airport, an hour for security, and an hour+ to get from PHL to the city.  I would estimate it takes about 5 hours door to door. 

By train, I take one T ride to South Station, get there 15 minutes before departure, and arrive at 30th Street Station, where I can walk to Center City or West Philly, or get the El almost anywhere with ease.  Probably 8 hours door to door, with no security hassle, much less weather uncertainty, and a lot of comforts -- the "quiet car" if you need to work without people yakking on their cellphones, the rest of the train if you want to yak on your phone the whole way, the cafe car, scenery to look at, etc.

If NY to Chicago could get down to 8-10 hours with a comparable cost to air travel, I would definitely take it rather than fly.  I don't claim to know if enough people would feel the same way to make it worthwhile.

[Eddie Teach]

Washington DC is a disaster of urban planning.

I don't think it's fair to expect the planners to foresee that the city would be home to more people than the entire country was at the time.

[alfred russel]

I took the 18-hour overnight trip from DC to Chicago, which turned into a 28-hour trip.
All things considered, though, I'd rather be stuck on a train for a few extra hours than on a plane.

Wasn't a lot of that extra time spent getting to and from the airports, though?  Wouldn't that be a similar problem with getting to and from the train station?  The airports mostly have to be outside the city centers for saftey reasons, true, while the train stations don't have to be, but a lot of Amtrack stations are in, well, odd places (though I don't think that's as true of DC and Chicago as it is in a lot of places serviced by Amtrack).

What airports? 
The train stations in both DC and Chicago are located quite conveniently. In fact, in none of the American cities I visited by train (Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, SC, Chicago and Detroit) did I have any need for additional transportation, except for Detroit.

I think you managed to hit every major american city with a good public transportation system.

[alfred russel]

Washington DC is a disaster of urban planning.

I don't think it's fair to expect the planners to foresee that the city would be home to more people than the entire country was at the time.

For starters, they could allow high rise buildings, so that people can work in the core of the city rather than sprawling everywhere.

[Eddie Teach]

Washington DC is a disaster of urban planning.

I don't think it's fair to expect the planners to foresee that the city would be home to more people than the entire country was at the time.

For starters, they could allow high rise buildings, so that people can work in the core of the city rather than sprawling everywhere.

Yeah, I don't think they were privy to the possibilities opened by steel-skeletoned skyscrapers either.

[alfred russel]

Washington DC is a disaster of urban planning.

I don't think it's fair to expect the planners to foresee that the city would be home to more people than the entire country was at the time.

For starters, they could allow high rise buildings, so that people can work in the core of the city rather than sprawling everywhere.

Yeah, I don't think they were privy to the possibilities opened by steel-skeletoned skyscrapers either.

They have been privy to such possibilities for a century.

Washington would be more honest if the Capitol, Washington Monument, etc, were no longer visible on the skyline due to defense contractor buildings towering over them.

[Capetan Mihali]

I think you managed to hit every major american city with a good public transportation system.

SF, Seattle, and Portland all have pretty good systems, even if they aren't quite as "major."

[Maladict]

I think you managed to hit every major american city with a good public transportation system.

Well yes, probably. But I didn't have much use for them either.
Used the subway in DC to get to Arlington, and I may have used it once or twice in New York.
Everything else could be done on foot. The only time I needed a taxi was to get to Vancouver Airport and go home.

[Sheilbh]

Washington DC is a disaster of urban planning.

Don't they have really strict rules on how tall buildings can be, so it just sprawls and sprawls?

[Admiral Yi]

Don't they have really strict rules on how tall buildings can be, so it just sprawls and sprawls?

There are height limits on buildings, but DC can't sprawl because its borders are tiny.

The massive expansion of the DC metro area is better explained by growth of the federal budget and lobbying rather than building restrictions.

[dps]

What airports? 

Oops.  Somehow mis-read your post as saying that you flew.

Washington DC is a disaster of urban planning.

Don't they have really strict rules on how tall buildings can be, so it just sprawls and sprawls?

I think that was his point.  They've put preserving the view of the famous landmarks of the city's skyline above practical concerns.

Similarly, Philadelphia apparantly used to have an ordance that no building could be taller than the bell tower on top of Independence Hall.  They didn't drop that until the mid-1970s IIRC.

[alfred russel]

Don't they have really strict rules on how tall buildings can be, so it just sprawls and sprawls?

There are height limits on buildings, but DC can't sprawl because its borders are tiny.

The massive expansion of the DC metro area is better explained by growth of the federal budget and lobbying rather than building restrictions.

Certainly, but it could be a lot more dense than it is.

[dps]

Don't they have really strict rules on how tall buildings can be, so it just sprawls and sprawls?

There are height limits on buildings, but DC can't sprawl because its borders are tiny.

The massive expansion of the DC metro area is better explained by growth of the federal budget and lobbying rather than building restrictions.

Certainly, but it could be a lot more dense than it is.

Not just the lack of skyscrappers, either.  For its size, the city has a lot of open plazas and park-type areas.

[lustindarkness]

So, instead of trains the US needs the cars from Minority Report? So you can drive it to and from the maglev rail and the "car" itself is the "train".
Meanwhile, if the rail system was better, more people would use the "drive onto the train" service.



Also, if we had the flying cars we were promised we would not need the trains either. Yesterday's tomorrow is not what it used to be.