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+--- Thread: Why do trains in the US take so long? (/showthread.php?tid=226142)
Why do trains in the US take so long? - M A V I C - 02-26-2019
I've looked at a few Amtrak routes and they always take an incredibly long time. I took a train in Europe this summer, and by comparison the trip was quicker than we could do in a car. That said, the train did do about 200kmh for a while, so I know that helped.
One train in the US I'm looking at takes 27 hours. It's about 900 miles. That means it averages about 33mph. I've read "More than half of Amtrak trains operate at top speeds of 100 mph". Still, that means they spend most of their time stopped or going extra slow.
Re: Why do trains in the US take so long? - mattkime - 02-26-2019
Trains are socialism
er i mean politics.
Re: Why do trains in the US take so long? - S. Pupp - 02-26-2019
My understanding is that our tracks are not in the same condition as theirs, and cannot support such high speeds - apart from the DC to Boston line.
Re: Why do trains in the US take so long? - NewtonMP2100 - 02-26-2019
....even in dreams......when trains are going through tunnels....over.....and over.....and over again........very slow.....what would Freud say.......??
Re: Why do trains in the US take so long? - JoeH - 02-26-2019
Why?, because the infrastructure for passenger rail in this country was largely let go during the '50's and '60's in favor of travel by car or plane. Except in a few dedicated corridors the passenger trains are going over the same tracks as freight trains. Maintenance on those tracks is done to freight standards, not conducive to high speed passenger travel. There are more issues, but basically in the US the rail infrastructure is in no way comparable to that in Europe where passenger travel is concerned
Re: Why do trains in the US take so long? - macphanatic - 02-26-2019
The biggest issue is that a lot of the rail that Amtrak runs on is owned by the freight tail lines. So, their trains have the right of way.
Re: Why do trains in the US take so long? - space-time - 02-26-2019
I live in Princeton Junction and I am surprised how many high speed trains go by at high speed. They do not stop here, I assume they are Acela trains traveling from DC to Boston. During weekends when I take the train to NY or when I go hiking in a park I see then every 10-15 min. I didn’t expect to see so many.
Re: Why do trains in the US take so long? - Paul F. - 02-26-2019
Passenger rail service is an afterthought in this country. They make money by shipping cargo, and maintain passenger service as a loss-leading "lip service" to keep their subsidies coming in.
Except for a few corridors, no one wants to spend 3x longer on a train, when they could take a plane, or drive. In the Western U.S. especially, there is ZERO advantage to a train vs flying or driving.
Re: Why do trains in the US take so long? - C(-)ris - 02-26-2019
Paul F. wrote:
Passenger rail service is an afterthought in this country. They make money by shipping cargo, and maintain passenger service as a loss-leading "lip service" to keep their subsidies coming in.
Except for a few corridors, no one wants to spend 3x longer on a train, when they could take a plane, or drive. In the Western U.S. especially, there is ZERO advantage to a train vs flying or driving.
The only "advantage" is if you are in it for the journey and the experience. Otherwise, it makes zero sense to not take a bus or plane.
Re: Why do trains in the US take so long? - mrbigstuff - 02-26-2019
At 300 miles or under, rail travel is preferable. At 300-600 miles, it is comparable to flying. It is not desirable at over 600 miles. This is a generalization, of course, depending on locality, but is generally true, so it depends on where you live and the proximity of other cities and train infrastructure.