South Florida now has the Brightline rail service from Orlando ti Miami. It has been doing test runs for months now, and by one report, has killed 88 people so far. I guess the testing has been successful, as the service had its first operational run this past week and killed another person on the initial run. Practice makes perfect. Now to sit back and watch the government money pour in to support this service that no one except Orland and Miami wanted.
185 MPH and traveling backwards
- Thread starter raljr1
- Start date
From KPBS :
"New cost figures issued in an update report from the California High-Speed Rail Authority show that the plan to build the 171-mile initial segment has shot up to a high of $35 billion, exceeding secured funding by $10 billion.
The cost of that partial system is now higher than the $33 billion estimate for the entire 500-mile Los Angeles to San Francisco system when voters approved a bond in 2008.
What's worse, that full system cost is set at up to $128 billion in the update, leaving a total funding gap of more than $100 billion for politicians to ponder.
"New cost figures issued in an update report from the California High-Speed Rail Authority show that the plan to build the 171-mile initial segment has shot up to a high of $35 billion, exceeding secured funding by $10 billion.
The cost of that partial system is now higher than the $33 billion estimate for the entire 500-mile Los Angeles to San Francisco system when voters approved a bond in 2008.
What's worse, that full system cost is set at up to $128 billion in the update, leaving a total funding gap of more than $100 billion for politicians to ponder.
LVSteve
Member
So there are a substantial number of people in Florida who are too dumb to stay away from railroads. Color me not exactly shocked.
LVSteve
Member
I find it both puzzling and worrying that it appears to be impossible for Western world engineering to come up with a remotely accurate estimate on the costs of transport infrastructure. It seems that such projects have now resorted to the defense industry game of coming up with a number the treasury might swallow and then steadily adding "extras". It's nothing less than fraud involving taxpayer funds.
I don't know how the French do it. Somebody in government says, "Build a high-speed railroad between ______ and _____ " and it happens. They must have very different and streamlined processes that I suspect would be described as environmentally unsound and disrespectful of local wishes in the Anglo-Saxon world.
Other countries don't spend millions of $$ trying to find out if the train will affect the Tit mouse or something like that. On the other hand, they don't care that much that windmills kill thousands of birds every year.......
Go figure.
LVSteve
Member
Other countries don't spend millions of $$ trying to find out if the train will affect the Tit mouse or something like that. On the other hand, they don't care that much that windmills kill thousands of birds every year.......
Go figure.
Actually, I forgot to post that the UK is going through the exact same "How much?!?!?" issue with a high speed rail project called HS2. Chunks of the project have been axed along the way simply because of cost. What I am wondering is how much of the increased cost is inflation, and how much is down to faulty/fake cost estimates at the beginning.
HS2: '''Crazy''' not to review project over soaring costs - Shapps - BBC News
mckenney99
Member
I would be willing to bet that most European countries don't spend years and years in court over (eminent domain) property seized for the right of way needed for the rail lines either. After all, in America, we have to give rich politicians with inside information on what lands are to be seized, a chance to buy the property from the poor little guy cheap first so that the rich politician can then turn around and get top dollar for the land from the state/feds.
My son once travelled from Pittsburgh to Bismark ND by train. Though it wasn't designed to be a multi day excursion, that is what it turned out to be. A break down caused a 40 hour trip instead of an 16 hour one.
Other countries don't spend millions of $$ trying to find out if the train will affect the Tit mouse or something like that. On the other hand, they don't care that much that windmills kill thousands of birds every year.......
Go figure.
I once read where the maintenance department of a single high rise building in one of the big cities, (I want to say Chicago..) Saved all the dead birds that had been killed by flying into the building for a year. It was 32,000. Birds die. They run into things and they die. Because they have bird brains. Are we to build everything below ground? Or are we going to at least try to find a way to power all those electric cars that are gonna be needing to use the same grids that are struggling to keep up right now?
You need to understand that the length of all the high-speed train lines in Europe would not get you out of the state of Florida. Anyone can build a line that runs a couple hundred miles from Point A to Point B.
LVSteve
Member
It's not the total cost that is under discussion, it's the fact that accurate estimates for a line of any length in the US or UK seem to be impossible to obtain, either because of incompetence or fraud.
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2021
- Messages
- 5,210
- Reaction score
- 9,020
Be sure and bring back some wine….
Just France will get you out of Florida, easily.
France has 1740 miles of high speed line and Spain has 2388 miles. Then there is the rest...............
Stu
Uh Huh. I do know for a fact that the Chicago streetcar system was replaced by busses courtesy of good deal of "grease" from GM.
I'd hadly call CBS a credible source.
Frank46
US Veteran
If they are still operating, East Broad Top RR might be the one you mentioned. Frank
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
Your wife thinks trains are bad, try taking the Hound or Conteniental Trailways!
She is a blond and knows better that that!
She was in NC and in fact got back yesterday at 6PM, her and her friends drove. That's it in a nutshell drive or fly!
(Crazy Red Hats)
Brightline, a commuter rail between Miami and West Palm Bch, began service past Friday to Orlando after repeated delays pushed back the start date several weeks. A pedestrian was promptly struck and killed in Delray bringing the total number of deaths in Palm Beach Co. alone to 28 since it's inaugural run Jan. '18.
$158 one way saves 30 minutes drive time.
$158 one way saves 30 minutes drive time.
Okay, okay, enough with the horror stories...
Back in May, my girlfriend and I rode the Amtrak Vermonter from Union Station in Washington, D.C., to St. Alban's, Vermont, where we spent four days enjoying the New England Spring.
The train was clean and comfortable, the trip took about 12 hours, and the round-trip fare for two (ahem!) "senior citizens" was far less than what it would have cost to drive there...highly recommended!
Back in May, my girlfriend and I rode the Amtrak Vermonter from Union Station in Washington, D.C., to St. Alban's, Vermont, where we spent four days enjoying the New England Spring.
The train was clean and comfortable, the trip took about 12 hours, and the round-trip fare for two (ahem!) "senior citizens" was far less than what it would have cost to drive there...highly recommended!
Here in California, the Brown Streak was never intended to be a high speed rail system. It may have been advertised as such but to the political people involved, it was a funding source for many other transportation jobs.
I've said enough.
