No need to speculate about birth rates. It varies a lot between cities and regions. Does not appear the be a rural vs suburban vs core city sort of thing.
You seem to forget that after you land your 500 mph jet you still need to 1. wait for aisle in front of you to clear so you can get off the plane, 2. walk through the airport to baggage claim and/or ground transportation, 3. wait for your taxi/Uber, rental car or bus, 4. sit in traffic till you get from the airport to your final destination. If you are going to the plane remember to also allow time to get through TSA, which may take longer if the secretary of transportation slashes the workforce.
And, you, apparently, do not recognize or appreciate the “value” of getting commuters, other travelers off of short- and medium-distance flights and riding onboard trains, high-speed or otherwise, instead. This aspect it seems has been lost on you. Peter Richmond discussed this aspect in his “A Better Way To Travel?” Nov. 4, 2007 “Parade” magazine feature.
And, get this: The Cadence consortium which is behind the effort to build a high-speed-train system connecting Quebec City and Toronto in Canada, a distance of 620 miles (1,000 kilometers), has as one of its participating partners/supporters, Air Canada, an aviation concern. Air Canada apparently does not see this high-speed-train endeavor as the competition and, instead, it would appear, sees such as an ally.
Money is a proxy for resources. Look at the costs involved. There's far less resources to fly someone from Minneapolis to Chicago than it is to build a 60 billion dollar high speed rail. You have a religion. Let's stick with data and science.
Landing slots at airports are not free. Every time you assign one to a short haul flight one less long haul flight can land. Eventually you need to build bigger airport terminals and more runways. Also with more planes flying the risk of mid-flight collisions increases, as we witnessed in Washington recently.
In Europe the shift in travel on short and mid-range trips from air to rail allows both modes to be used more efficiently.
I expect them to defund Amtrak any minute now and sell off the remains.
Someone should ask Duffy how many miles of Hyperloop have been built.
No need to speculate about birth rates. It varies a lot between cities and regions. Does not appear the be a rural vs suburban vs core city sort of thing.
https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/which-cities-highest-and-lowest-birth-rates/
“It is also just over one percent of Elon Mush’s net worth.“
Indeed!
"
We have let our railroads devolve from the world’s best to on par with a third world nation
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Nothing could be further from the truth. We have the best railroads in the world.
(This comment is intended to be in response to Dollyflopper’s comment.)
I believe America, at one time, did have the world’s best railroads!
I would strongly recommend reading the following:
First. “How America Led, and Lost, the High-Speed Rail Race” by Mark Reutter at the Progressive Policy Institute.
Second. “A Better Way To Travel?” by Peter Richmond in the Nov. 4, 2007 “Parade” magazine issue.
America __HAS__ the best railroads.
You're so smitten with putting people on trains that you forget your so-called high speed train goes 70% SLOWer than a jet.
You seem to forget that after you land your 500 mph jet you still need to 1. wait for aisle in front of you to clear so you can get off the plane, 2. walk through the airport to baggage claim and/or ground transportation, 3. wait for your taxi/Uber, rental car or bus, 4. sit in traffic till you get from the airport to your final destination. If you are going to the plane remember to also allow time to get through TSA, which may take longer if the secretary of transportation slashes the workforce.
And, you, apparently, do not recognize or appreciate the “value” of getting commuters, other travelers off of short- and medium-distance flights and riding onboard trains, high-speed or otherwise, instead. This aspect it seems has been lost on you. Peter Richmond discussed this aspect in his “A Better Way To Travel?” Nov. 4, 2007 “Parade” magazine feature.
And, get this: The Cadence consortium which is behind the effort to build a high-speed-train system connecting Quebec City and Toronto in Canada, a distance of 620 miles (1,000 kilometers), has as one of its participating partners/supporters, Air Canada, an aviation concern. Air Canada apparently does not see this high-speed-train endeavor as the competition and, instead, it would appear, sees such as an ally.
Money is a proxy for resources. Look at the costs involved. There's far less resources to fly someone from Minneapolis to Chicago than it is to build a 60 billion dollar high speed rail. You have a religion. Let's stick with data and science.
Landing slots at airports are not free. Every time you assign one to a short haul flight one less long haul flight can land. Eventually you need to build bigger airport terminals and more runways. Also with more planes flying the risk of mid-flight collisions increases, as we witnessed in Washington recently.
In Europe the shift in travel on short and mid-range trips from air to rail allows both modes to be used more efficiently.
Great piece Ellis!