Karen and Matt talk about the new book Abundance and what it says about high-speed trains. The focus at Train Time is, naturally, how the book covers US passenger rail expansion in general and relates to our region in particular. Karen compares the US to China, where she will be traveling by train again soon, and asks why the California high-speed project has so clearly gone off track. Matt shares stories about travel in the Northeast and how a fresh take on regulation is in order, and they compare notes on the social benefits of traveling by public transit.
They also ask if the focus today be high-speed rail, given the costs and other barriers. China has far more high-speed rail, but the US has nearly twice as much operating rail track. Would it make sense to devote taxpayer dollars to putting passenger rail onto those existing tracks? Listen to learn more, and to meet Matt’s new kitten, Mystic!
Show notes
A review of Abundance in the New York Times offers this quote:
“Imagine boarding a train in the center of a city,” Obama said in April 2009. “No racing to an airport and across a terminal, no delays, no sitting on the tarmac, no lost luggage, no taking off your shoes. Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 miles an hour, walking only a few steps to public transportation, and ending up just blocks from your destination. Imagine what a great project that would be to rebuild America. Now, all of you know this is not some fanciful, pie-in-the-sky vision of the future. It is now. It is happening right now. It’s been happening for decades. The problem is it’s been happening elsewhere, not here.”
Here’s another review of the book by Andrew Leigh, an Australian MP whom Karen has worked with on social capital and community.
Maps showing rail lines of different types, and speeds:
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Previously at Train Time
And a related post from Karen’s newsletter:
PS: While it hasn’t made much real-world difference, the Supreme Court did rule in favor of passenger rail in the ongoing legal battles between Amtrak, the government, and freight railroads over the enforcement of Amtrak's right to priority, according to the Rail Passengers Association. Enforcement as well as proactive negotiation and ongoing oversight will be necessary to make use of the great resource we have in the 180,000 miles of operating rail line we have in the United States. Read more: “Supreme Court Ruling Clips FRA, STB,” Rail Passengers Association, June 28, 2024.
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Credits
Music on the Train Time podcast comes from Two Bit Cowboys.
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