Chicagoist: Chicago Closer to High-Speed Hub Reality?

daveswagon

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:34:40 -0600

I'm an ex-Chicagoan living outside Shanghai (in Hangzhou), and I can say that the maglev referenced in the article is nothing more than a publicity project. The thing runs mostly empty and at a prohibitively high price. On the whole, trains (including the non-maglev bullet trains) work great here, but that's because China has the population (1.3 billion) to justify them and the political power to seize the private property to build them efficiently. America doesn't. It's disappointing that Obama thinks we have to borrow money from the Chinese to try to defy economics and politics to build this thing.

Ward Up

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:56:32 -0600

Why isn't there a proposed line from Cleveland to Pittsburgh?

Stephen

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:31:45 -0600

This won't get off the ground unless Amtrak (or some other - gasp! - competition to Amtrak) manages to get its OWN rails instead of sharing freight lines. One of the biggest issues I have with riding Amtrak is that their trains are constantly having to step aside to give freight trains priority. I'm really interested to see how this all goes down. it would be great to see Amtrak get some competition and also to see America's rail system catch up a bit with the rest of the developed world.

Slaphappy

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:49:40 -0600

It really bugs me the way the GOP talks about San Francisco and Las Vegas as though they're not American cities. Then again, they also think all of this is a waste of money, so there you go.

BuckWild11

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:41:48 -0600

Love for it to happen, probably won't.

Navin

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:06:52 -0600

Amtrak gets almost nothing in comparison to Highway and Air.

jennyblur

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:47:38 -0600

Amtrak is the unfortuante child of subsidy and no market competition which means they don't have to do anything well or even be profitable ever. I hate them. High-speed is a great idea. But Amtrak can't do anything right, ever.