cspwal Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 To be fair, if you live midway between to stations, you'd never use it. But same thing for living under the flight path between two airports, or near a highway that doesn't have exits close by. At least the train will be narrower & quieter than a new highway 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DNAguy Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 15 hours ago, Triton said: Critics say they are in for long haul against $15B bullet train https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/transportation/article/Critics-say-they-are-in-for-long-haul-against-15071336.php#photo-19028824 Oof. Karen is the worst. Of everyone who attended this meeting, what percentage of them do you think own a MAGA hat? No need to answer. I've tabulated the results and present to you the Venn diagram: 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerNut Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 Based on the picture of the crowd, when they say "Boondoggle" are you supposed to respond "OK Boomer"? Asking for a friend... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Some one Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 When I say "Ok" you say "Boomer". OK! 25 minutes ago, DNAguy said: Oof. Karen is the worst. Of everyone who attended this meeting, what percentage of them do you think own a MAGA hat? No need to answer. I've tabulated the results and present to you the Venn diagram: They're probably the same people who believe rail (or any type of public transportation) is "socialism". 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 It's quite sad Anthony Wilford Brimley has taken up a fight in this. 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naviguessor Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 Ok Monty, if we are going to go that route. ...By the looks of it, for the most part, "in it for the long haul" could mean not past 9pm. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 35 minutes ago, Naviguessor said: Ok Monty, if we are going to go that route. ...By the looks of it, for the most part, "in it for the long haul" could mean not past 9pm. Yes, but then they are up at o-dark-thirty while others are sleeping off their netflix binge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 1 hour ago, Some one said: When I say "Ok" you say "Boomer". OK! They're probably the same people who believe rail (or any type of public transportation) is "socialism". More likely they are the same people who believe rail (or any type of public transportation) is of no relevance to their lives. Since they live in the country. It's kind of comparable to people who go to any length to prevent the building of a walmart. Oh, look, a red circle.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougarpad Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 (edited) Please stay away from the politics and bashing voters. I support the current president and also support high speed rail. It should also be noted that Trump is all for using tax dollars on infrastructure. He has also mentioned rail in the past with private public partnerships. It short sighted and very ignorant to label all people a certain certain way just because you dislike a political figure. I am all for Highspeed rail and believe this the best way to do it through capitalism. The 1800s railroads were not built by the government but instead capitalist who saw a good investment. Edited February 22, 2020 by cougarpad 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 11 hours ago, cougarpad said: Please stay away from the politics and bashing voters. I support the current president and also support high speed rail. It should also be noted that Trump is all for using tax dollars on infrastructure. He has also mentioned rail in the past with private public partnerships. It short sighted and very ignorant to label all people a certain certain way just because you dislike a political figure. I am all for Highspeed rail and believe this the best way to do it through capitalism. The 1800s railroads were not built by the government but instead capitalist who saw a good investment. Much of the railroad infrastructure in the 1800's was built by railroads who received huge quantities of free land from the government. Technically, the railroads built the lines, but there was a huge incentive. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 10 hours ago, Ross said: Much of the railroad infrastructure in the 1800's was built by railroads who received huge quantities of free land from the government. Technically, the railroads built the lines, but there was a huge incentive. Here's a library of Congress link that has a map graphically showing just how much land was given to railroads http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/riseind/railroad/grants.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 On 2/21/2020 at 3:15 PM, BeerNut said: Based on the picture of the crowd, when they say "Boondoggle" are you supposed to respond "OK Boomer"? Asking for a friend... Also a reminder that sites like the Chron are going to get a juicier story by covering the supposed "victims" in this predetermined narrative. Its obvious that they are doing this for money and clicks when this is the same type of organization with people that also want mass transit options. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougarpad Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 20 hours ago, Ross said: Much of the railroad infrastructure in the 1800's was built by railroads who received huge quantities of free land from the government. Technically, the railroads built the lines, but there was a huge incentive. It still doesn't take away from the fact that capitalism was involved in the construction of the railroads. It was just not government building by itself. When investors are involved it means that the projects will be built as efficiently as possible so that there is profit. You can look to California as an example for a true boondoggle when a government tries to build on their own using tax dollars with no financial restraints on blowing budgets. Just as in the past with railroads being built with capitalism, it is going to take the same approach if we are going to see highspeed rail in the US. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 21 hours ago, cougarpad said: It still doesn't take away from the fact that capitalism was involved in the construction of the railroads. It was just not government building by itself. When investors are involved it means that the projects will be built as efficiently as possible so that there is profit. You can look to California as an example for a true boondoggle when a government tries to build on their own using tax dollars with no financial restraints on blowing budgets. Just as in the past with railroads being built with capitalism, it is going to take the same approach if we are going to see highspeed rail in the US. The California project was a lot different from this one too. It was supposed to traverse extreme terrain with tunnels dozens of miles long. It was also supposed to go through some of the most expensive real estate in the world. And California has a well entrenched NIMBY force which was set out from the start to sue the project into the ground. Assuming Texas Central can get off the ground, it will have a much easier time building an at-grade route with no major bridges or tunnels across sparsely populated rural areas. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 (edited) 21 hours ago, zaphod said: The California project was a lot different from this one too. It was supposed to traverse extreme terrain with tunnels dozens of miles long. It was also supposed to go through some of the most expensive real estate in the world. And California has a well entrenched NIMBY force which was set out from the start to sue the project into the ground. Assuming Texas Central can get off the ground, it will have a much easier time building an at-grade route with no major bridges or tunnels across sparsely populated rural areas. Yeah, but thats also precisely the point on why for such a grand project, private enterprise works because it better understands these risks because if they don't heed these risks then they go out of business whereas a government does not. While California does have its own challenges its not impossible. It does have some really expensive real estate, but it doesn't necessarily have to be traversed. There are ways around it, but a big problem with government projects such as this is a terrible combination of stubbornness, naivety, and because of all the money involved, corruption. They stubbornly refused to adapt to the needs of the area, naively assumed that because they are the government they have all the answers, and because how government projects normally work its rife with corruption by those who want a stable check. The sad part about their HSR attempt was that the fault was their own doing, and they have no one else to blame, but themselves. Edited February 25, 2020 by Luminare 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DNAguy Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 On 2/24/2020 at 5:44 PM, zaphod said: The California project was a lot different from this one too. It was supposed to traverse extreme terrain with tunnels dozens of miles long. It was also supposed to go through some of the most expensive real estate in the world. And California has a well entrenched NIMBY force which was set out from the start to sue the project into the ground. Assuming Texas Central can get off the ground, it will have a much easier time building an at-grade route with no major bridges or tunnels across sparsely populated rural areas. The Texas project is also ~ 1/2 the length of the California system as well. That helps a lot. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerNut Posted March 13, 2020 Share Posted March 13, 2020 Texas Central Railroad High-Speed Rail Safety Standards Quote SUMMARY: FRA is proposing a rule of particular applicability (RPA) to establish safety standards for the Texas Central Railroad (TCRR or the railroad) high speed rail system. The proposed standards are not intended for general application in the railroad industry, but would apply only to the TCRR system planned for development in the State of Texas. The proposed RPA takes a systemsapproach to safety, and so includes standards that address all aspects of the TCRR high-speed system, including signal and trainset control, track, rolling stock, operating practices, system qualifications, and maintenance. The TCRR system is planned to operate from Houston to Dallas, on dedicated track, with no grade crossings, at speeds not to exceed 330 km/h (205 mph). The TCRR rolling stock, track, and core systems will replicate the Central Japan Railway Company (JRC), Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed rail system, and will be used exclusively for revenue passenger service. DATES: Written comments must be received by May 11, 2020. Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent possible without incurring additional expense or delay. FRA anticipates holding three public hearings to receive oral comment on this NPRM, and that proceedings will also be necessary under 49 U.S.C. 20306. FRA will publish a separate announcement in the Federal Register to inform interested parties of the date, time, and location of these hearings. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxConcrete Posted March 29, 2020 Author Share Posted March 29, 2020 https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2020/03/28/future-of-dallas-houston-bullet-train-uncertain-after-company-lays-off-more-than-two-dozen-employees-due-to-coronavirus/ Quote The timetable for the highly anticipated bullet train between Dallas and Houston is uncertain after Texas Central — the company building the project — laid off 28 employees Friday because of the coronavirus outbreak. Texas Central CEO Carlos Aguilar said in a news release that the project is facing delays because of the toll inflicted by the pandemic in Italy, Spain and Japan, nations where the company has partners. I think the key word is "uncertain". With capital markets disrupted and investors probably more conscious of the risks of investments which pack people closely together, it may become difficult to raise the 15+ billion needed for the project. It's also unclear how the situation will affect interest rates for higher-risk bonds like Texas Central. If interest rates go up, the project may become economically infeasible. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerNut Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 Bullet train company Texas Central hails appeals court ruling declaring it a railroad Quote Writing for the 13th Texas Court of Appeals, Judge Nora Longoria said a Leon County judge who sided with landowners erred when he said the lack of current operations or equipment meant Texas Central was not a railroad, and therefore had no claim to survey land or acquire it through eminent domain. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 On 5/12/2020 at 1:56 PM, BeerNut said: Bullet train company Texas Central hails appeals court ruling declaring it a railroad I find this statement by the opposition hilarious: Quote Texans Against High-Speed Rail, a group critical of the project who helped the Miles with their challenge, released a statement saying the couple intends to appeal to the state supreme court. “Based on this ruling, anybody with $300 and a computer can immediately obtain the extraordinary power of eminent domain by simply filing papers with the Texas Secretary of State self-declaring to be a railroad,” the group wrote. Simple answer, no it is not that easy. This displays just how little they know. I'm not going to pretend that I know the process in-depth, but if it has taken TCR this long to get operations going, and get all the paper work in, I would assume that is opposite of "easy". This reminds me of those stories of reporters who thought it was easy to get a firearm in places like Walmart and actually found out that it was a more in-depth process to get a firearm than it initially appeared. I really wish people wouldn't make such ill-informed assumptions about complicated processes such as the one TCR is undertaking. Just because you don't like something, or you don't understand it doesn't mean its simple or easy or not complicated, and just because you learned a tiny amount of info from some blog somewhere doesn't mean you now know everything about it, but apparently its a thing because its why the Dunning-Kruger Effect is a thing. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 On 5/12/2020 at 1:56 PM, BeerNut said: Bullet train company Texas Central hails appeals court ruling declaring it a railroad I thought I recognized that name from somewhere... https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/there-is-video-of-the-dwi-stop-of-district-appeals-court-judge-nora-longoria-after-all/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 (edited) 18 minutes ago, gmac said: I thought I recognized that name from somewhere... https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/there-is-video-of-the-dwi-stop-of-district-appeals-court-judge-nora-longoria-after-all/ Wow dude that was all the way back in 2014. I'm sure the Judge at this point has atoned and rectified what she did. Nobody is perfect in this world, and if that person committed a crime and payed for that crime then they should be done with that crime and they can move on. Has this person done it again? Everyone makes mistakes. Are your hands clean as well? Besides what does this have to do with this case. If this was a case where she handed down a particular sentence for drunk driving due to her past which colored the situation then that is one thing, but her past DWI has nothing to do with this. What is the point of bring this up other than the fact you can't let something go from the past or you are implying in same way that she must have been drunk while in court to make this decision. Either way you just come off as a spiteful prick. Edited May 14, 2020 by Luminare 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 3 hours ago, Luminare said: Wow dude that was all the way back in 2014. I'm sure the Judge at this point has atoned and rectified what she did. Nobody is perfect in this world, and if that person committed a crime and payed for that crime then they should be done with that crime and they can move on. Has this person done it again? Everyone makes mistakes. Are your hands clean as well? Besides what does this have to do with this case. If this was a case where she handed down a particular sentence for drunk driving due to her past which colored the situation then that is one thing, but her past DWI has nothing to do with this. What is the point of bring this up other than the fact you can't let something go from the past or you are implying in same way that she must have been drunk while in court to make this decision. Either way you just come off as a spiteful prick. A little bit touchy, are we? I'm not real fond of our government employees using their positions to get favorable treatment, which is what happened in her case. But if you're OK with it, great. Rock on. You do you, hoss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Of course, one way to cut down on DWIs is... more trains 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 (edited) 8 hours ago, gmac said: A little bit touchy, are we? I'm not real fond of our government employees using their positions to get favorable treatment, which is what happened in her case. But if you're OK with it, great. Rock on. You do you, hoss. m e h I've said what I've wanted to say. If you want to sit there and act like some armchair tough guy. Your loss moss. She definitely can be criticized for her past. Never said she shouldn't, but there is a time and place. At the same time I don't think people should be haunted by there past. But you do you. Edited May 14, 2020 by Luminare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 16 hours ago, Texasota said: Of course, one way to cut down on DWIs is... more trains 🤣 Touché Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbleweed_Tx Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 On 5/14/2020 at 7:09 AM, Texasota said: Of course, one way to cut down on DWIs is... more trains Uber is more efficient. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 (edited) Maybe for the individual passenger. Definitely not overall. And obviously not for this specific trip. Not a lot of Uber drivers taking you between Houston and Dallas at 200mph. Edited May 16, 2020 by Texasota 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 On 5/14/2020 at 7:09 AM, Texasota said: Of course, one way to cut down on DWIs is... more trains Except if you're in Europe... https://metro.co.uk/2019/08/08/driver-crashed-train-while-drunk-then-fled-to-buy-wine-to-cover-it-up-10538385/ https://www.thelocal.de/20190110/drunk-ice-train-driver-heavily-over-the-limit-misses-stop-at-wittenberg https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/boozed-up-train-driver-caught-9032907 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8528842.stm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 10 hours ago, august948 said: Except if you're in Europe... https://metro.co.uk/2019/08/08/driver-crashed-train-while-drunk-then-fled-to-buy-wine-to-cover-it-up-10538385/ https://www.thelocal.de/20190110/drunk-ice-train-driver-heavily-over-the-limit-misses-stop-at-wittenberg https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/boozed-up-train-driver-caught-9032907 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8528842.stm 3 of those are from the UK, where it is apparently a requirement to drink while driving a train. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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