President-Elect Joe Biden's Dedication to Trains Could Transform Domestic Travel

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

As a Senator, now president-elect Joe Biden famously commuted 110 miles daily on Amtrak, from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, to Washington, D.C., for the entirety of his 36 years in office. Biden estimates he’s traveled back and forth on that route more than 7,000 times, amounting to some 770,000 miles total—enough rail traveled to theoretically circumnavigate the earth almost 31 times.

But his support for travel by train goes beyond the personal, too: As vice president to Barack Obama, Biden was largely responsible for directing funds toward California’s high-speed rail project, 150 miles of which are currently completed. He even published a 2010 op-ed in Arrive Magazine titled “Why America Needs Trains.” In it, Biden wrote that “support for Amtrak must be strong—not because it is a cherished American institution, which it is—but because it is a powerful and indispensable way to carry us all into a leaner, cleaner, greener 21st Century.”

As he prepares to enter office, Biden has promised his own administration will usher in “the second great railroad revolution” in the U.S. While the president-elect himself has yet to release any concrete plans, rail advocates around the country are hopeful for a potential Biden boom. A rail-forward president, they say, has the potential to transform domestic travel by train.

“If you look back at the original rail revolution, it became such a big, important national project—hundreds of companies got involved, millions of jobs were created, businesses popped up to help it,” says Andy Kunz, president and CEO of the U.S. High Speed Rail Association (USHSR). “It was this massive stimulus that layers and layers of our society participated in and benefited from. [A second rail revolution] would stimulate travel and tourism.”

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/president-elect-joe-bidens-dedication-to-trains-could-transform-domestic-travel

Expanded rail makes sense in certain corridors like say Boston to DC, Vancouver BC to Eugene OR and San Diego to the SF Bay area and Sacramento. But we're not too likely to get this funded with Moscow Mitch in the way.

[woodsprite]

1. I hope so! We are woefully behind many other countries. nt

[RKP5637]

2. In this and sadly most things. And Moscow Mitch will try to stop the trains, as

well as any progress with anything for the US. And as he rips off Kentucky, it's amazing they are still stupid enough to vote him back in.

[jimfields33]

6. I wish the LA to San Francisco high speed train would work

So many steps need to be in place for anything to get done.

[Withywindle]

3. Rail makes sense in the Great Lakes area too

Would love a network connecting Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, Toledo, Cleveland, Detroit....


And shoring up existing networks too. My favorite ride ever is the Cardinal from Chicago to Virginia. The New River Gorge part of it in West Virginia is just stunning for the scenic views and history.

[SWBTATTReg]

4. It'll take years and years to upgrade/update our infrastructure to fully optimize train travel...

an expensive task...but a doable one. It'll take decades to fully implement.

[mitch96]

5. I would love a bullet train or hyperloop but the powers that be won't allow it.

It would hurt the airline and trucking industry. Those lobby's are strong. Florida passed it TWICE. and Scott and his repuke buddies dragged their feet with "feasibility studies" spending millions. It just sorta fell by the way side. I alway thought a elevated hyperlink or bullet train in the median between two highways would be neat. Here in Fla a pocket rocket from Miami to Orlando I think would make money....
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[Klaralven]

10. It wouldn't hurt trucking -- High-speed passenger rail and rail freight are two different systems.

The optimal speed for freight trains is around 45 mph. The cars are really heavy and rail wear and roadbed maintenance becomes a real problem at higher speeds. The tracks need to have very gentle grades due to the drawing forces needed to pull freight cars up hill and the braking forces needed to slow them going downhill. Since speeds are low, curves can be reasonable so gentle grades can be implemented by following river valleys, etc. Also, given the slow speeds, grade crossings of roadways are possible with only crossing signs or crossing gates depending on the situation.

High-speed rail operates on a different roadbed. Curves must be very gentle considering the centrifugal forces going around curves at 250 mph. On the other hand, the cars are lighter and the traction motors powerful, so grades can be steeper to implement the straighter routes. At high-speed collisions between trains and heavy trucks cannot be permitted, so grade separation of road and rail is required with bridges and tunnels.

Collisions between freight and high-speed passenger trains are also something to be avoided. The end-to-end crush requirements make the passenger cars excessively heavy due to the necessary structural members.

Finally, high-speed passenger trains are electric powered from an overhead catenary. Freight trains are generally diesel electric and there are real problems with electrifying freight railroads, since the catenary has to allow clearance for double-stacked freight containers in well cars.

[Sneederbunk]

7. All aboard!

[CTyankee]

8. I curated an art by train tour around Brussels a few years back for a friend and myself.

We had our base in Brussels but took their wonderful trains to Ghent, Bruges and the outstanding collection at Brussel's Royal Museum of Fine Arts. Those trains were terrific. Obviously, the Belgians are deeply invested in both their heritage and their great transportation system. We also had spectacular cuisine (French, tho it was) there. Not cheap, tho.

I had no prior knowledge of Belgium except for the art and architecture. We had a great time.

[Wounded Bear]

9. Wish that comes true, but...

the time to do that was back in the 50's, but they went with roads instead.

Now, just getting right of ways would be prohibitively expensive and time consuming. Which means we'd have to upgrade existing rail lines, which would involve shutting them down for months or years at a time.

We really should have a large network of high speed rail connecting major cities, but I don't see it happening.

[Metatron]

11. So much of our infrastructure is in dire need of repair, across the country.

Upgrading while working on a new high-speed rail system seems feasible.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

12. Add a railcar with little electric city cars.