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Old January 18th 19, 11:02 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Mike Collins[_4_]
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Default CERN plans to build what the U.S. should have 23 years ago

Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha wrote:
Mike Collins wrote in

rnal-september.org:

wrote:
On Friday, January 18, 2019 at 9:12:12 AM UTC-5, Mike Collins
wrote:
wrote:
On Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 11:12:57 AM UTC-5, RichA
wrote:
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46862486

And the US could still build such a thing, except for all the
wasteful projects such as the "bullet train," for example:

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fed...oming-for-cali
fornias-over-budget-bullet-train

It would save a few hours over driving on a trip from LA to
SF but won't go from San Diego to Phoenix. If you're in THAT
much of a hurry, you can fly, at a cost to the environment,
but not your conscience, if you are a hypocritical greenie.



Travelling by high speed train is a much more pleasant
experience than flying or driving.

[anecdotal opinions deleted]

Absolutely not. Flying is faster for long hauls, and for short
or medium hauls driving gives great flexibility along the route
and at the destination. Trains have the inflexibility of flying
and the time savings are only somewhat better than what a car
can manage if the train doesn't go to your destination.

That train is going to cost each Californian $2500 even if they
never have reason to ride it at all.



Have you ever travelled by high speed train in Europe? Have you
even been on the ridiculously slow trains in the USA? Flying is
not a good experience and the waiting to fly, even in a first
class lounge is tedious. If you haven’t been on a high speed
train in Europe you can’t have any idea of how the journey
goes. If an aircraft doesn’t go to your destination you need
transfers from the airport. This could be train, bus, tram,
underground, hired car, taxi. You have one less option if you go
by train.

A friend of mine took the train from San Franciso to Los Angeles a
few years back, about 400 miles. The published schedule said eight
hours. It took well over 12 hours, and part of it was by bus.

The US does not have the ability to build passenger trains, largely
because nobody wants them. That's what makes them so attractive as
pork. The unions get billions in dollars, nothing is actually
completed, and everybody is relieved when it's cancelled.


London - Paris by train 2h 34min. 234 miles
By car 5h 43 minutes - this does however mean travel across the channel on
a train through the tunnel. By ferry very much longer. But that’s starting
now at 22:45 GMT and 23:35 Paris time. In the daytime a car journey would
be much longer.

You may say that’s not fair because of the channel crossing so:

Paris - Milan by train 7h 24 minutes, by car 8h 34 minutes 528 miles

And you just get on the train with the ticket in your pocket. No
formalities just show your ticket on the train if required. All seats
reserved.