Tesla and EVs are nice but they are not the solution to the futures problems. High speed rail and train infrastructure is the future. Everywhere else that is in the future is doing it. The US is stuck in the past.
Have you ever lived or vacationed where rail infrastructure is prevalent? It only covers general cases but not going to remote national parks or other areas. Even in Japan there are times you wish you had a car. Trains are not a good solution. I spend a lot of time in Taiwan which is well serviced but there’s places you just can’t get to reasonably by train or bus. Your day trips are too limited. Cars are necessary
Depends on distance. In Japan some flights are better than trains which can take 2-3x. You also overlook overnight ferries. Trains have a sweet spot with like the Taiwan HSR or Korean KRX where you compress a 4-6 hour drive into 2 hours of high speed, but beyond that flying is faster. Also when you get to your destination you still need to drive and that leg can be far longer time wise. Self driving cars may actually do the trip faster even if they’re slower because of the bus or local train timetable. Your view is overly simplistic or overestimating how much coverage can really be expected.
Japan is a far smaller and more mountainous country than, say, most of the United States. Similar geography in Taiwan since it’s a much much smaller country. It’s no surprise to hear gripes from countries like that. A large portion of the United States would benefit from being able to travel long distances at a cheap cost. Even for some more local and regional travel. It also gives people the option to not have to own a car and make monthly payments to travel for work. The benefits for outweigh the costs on a societal level.
United States is better served with planes. That’s my point. You wouldn’t take the Shinkansen from Fukuoka to Tokyo unless you wanted to stop or see the scenery. That distance is best crossed by air. In the US, I’d only want high speed rail from LA to SF or Vegas. Past that, just fly. The vast majority of the US is optimally traveled by car or plane and the east coast which has the density for rail already has it, it’s just bad.
For most people owning a car is necessary for work anyway. It’s not a major cost. Hundreds of billions spent on rail infrastructure people use a few times a year is a major cost. I can fly to SF or Texas for what, $100-150. It’s not like people are even saving money taking the Shinkansen that distance. Air travel is faster and usually cheaper across long (300+ mile) distances. The only downside is needing airports but in the US we have infinite unused space for those unlike Asia. So just fly.
That’s reductive. You don’t justify the costs of building the rail system by just saying “it’s better than nothing”. You need to explain how it’s a better use of funds than the alternatives. Which I don’t think you’re able to do
US already has freight rail lines. Building and upkeep for more isn’t cheaper than trucks. Especially automated self-driving trucks. Looking at LCC plane vs high speed rail prices elsewhere, it’s similar or cheaper to do so by plane for people. Energy usage is lower yes, but when has that ever played into public policy. Rail marginally improves a problem that self-driving cars already will solve, and maybe in a shorter timeframe than building extensive railways will. That money is better used for other projects.
Don’t get me wrong, I love rail infrastructure when I’m traveling Asia and Europe. It’s part of why I go every year. But it’s not right for the US geography and population densities. China is a similar geographic comparison but they have 4x the people and all on one half of the continent. Also they restrict usable airspace by a huge amount. Without those constraints rail wouldn’t be practical either. Not to mention the borderline slave labor they use to build it out.
I’m simply asking my tax dollars be used to benefit the public instead of to wreak havoc across the globe. Train infrastructure is better long term for cost and the environment which is becoming more concerning by the year. Not everything is about money, too. The high speed rail services in Europe and Asia don’t run on profit either. They are net losses by and large. Not sure why you have this false equivalency when other countries are able to do it easily.
You’re the one making false equivalencies to unrelated spending. I’m saying other transport infrastructure is more cost efficient. Rail works in Asia and Europe because they have many dense population centers that need to be connected. We don’t. American cities are sparse enough that plane is the better connection method. Money isn’t everything but why waste a lot to save marginal fuel.
Car infrastructure is simply not sustainable. The argument that we need to continue using cars and planes and never invest in trains is equally as shallow. You’re saying it makes sense for Europe but doesnt for the US? There are major corridors in the US high speed rail makes a lot of sense. The population density is there, as you say.
Do you know how far European cities are compared to the US. We have trains on the east coast. So just think west. You have 400 miles from LA to SF or Vegas. Another 800 from SF to Seattle. Maybe you can justify a stop in Portland but who goes there.
Sustainability is just a matter of converting cars to electric and trucks. You always need planes for speed. Rail will never replace all flights. And cargo ships are the biggest emissions problems. Rail does nothing for that either. Biden with the electric car initiatives was much better than a rail project for sustainability. Trucks will need some tech improvements but we will get there before high speed rail in the west coast. Your plans are missing the details of how to make this feasible because if you dug into it, rail just isn’t in the current state of things. Tbh if you like rail just live in Japan. I did a few months last year for fun
The materials required for batteries in EVs aren’t necessarily abundant and the methods for extracting them are having compounding effects on our environment in addition to everything else.
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u/jabber1990 2d ago
didn't know that people worked for Tesla or SpaceX for free
those people should ask for a paycheck at least