Thread 2049984

Thoughts on this transcontinental rail line proposal put up in preperation for the world cup?

1000x less likely to happen than UP-NS merger.

>>2049995
I hope there isn't another round of railroad mergers, they get worse every time they consolidate.

>>2049996
It's not going to happen. They're just doing this shit to pump the share prices. They know the STB and DOJ will never let it happen because then it will mean that BNSF and CSX will have to merge to be competitive. Then CN will whine that it was left out. Nope, they're not going to let it happen.

>>2049997
I have a more pessimistic view, it's going to happen..m Maybe not this particular time, but within 10-15 years it will. Personally I see UP+CSX and BNSF+NS being how it will go down, with CP/CN just being told to live with their "North American Railroad" as they are.

Hope I'm wrong ofc

>>2049999
Shippers and regulators will all whine. It's not going to happen.

>>2049984 (OP)
cost a couple hundred million for ns to go from 1 up to 2 amtrak trains per day on the pennsylvanian. good luck with getting a third. and why even bother stopping at these random small towns, nobody is going to book a pittsburgh to latrobe ticket when there's a possibility of 16hr plus delays due to the train originating on the pacific

I’m a massive train sperg but there’s not enough foamers, boomers and euro tourists to make this viable, even by Amtrak standards.

>>2049984 (OP)
fake and gay
Trains are never viable over 1000 miles, and the transcontinental rail lines that do exist are only kept alive by pork barrel spending to please the congresspeople the lines go through. If you want actual, useful infrastructure, focus on intra-state transit.

>>2049995
wtf how'd you know

>>2050087
What do you mean? The talk of the UP-NS merger? I've been hearing about the whispers of it going back to early July. Last week or so has been getting loud. It's still not going to happen.

>>2049984 (OP)
fuck yeah Harrisburg

>>2049984 (OP)
I work for the prime doing design-build for the World Cup at the meadowlands, and in the area we have gone from road improvements for miles for bus and shuttle, with fully fleshed out designs, to basically letting busses drive in the shoulder (if it’s not raining) plus some plastic structures to step off the busses more easily

For me the appeal of intercity rail is that I get to see the landscape up close, why do I want to see Kansas? Missouri? Southeastern Colorado? It's just corn and angry illiterate religious maniacs.

>>2052438
Now That's What I Call Edgy!

>>2049984 (OP)
>Thoughts on this transcontinental rail line

Looking at the route for Amtrak, it's no wonder it is a money-losing train system. A transcontinental route that skips many population centers means it will not get regular route usage from casual vacationers and casual travelers. To be useful, an Amtrak transcontinental route should have a stop in each state's population center. Instead, Amtrak skips Phoenix, Arizona for example. Thus even the Tucson, Arizona people find it even harder to use Amtrak as they have to go all the way to Flagstaff to catch the train. Driving that distance they should just commit that distance towards driving to their destination in San Diego or Los Angeles anyways.

>>2052438
Last time I was on the Southwest Chief, there was an abandoned old house along the route in Kansas.
That was neat to see.

>>2049995
>UP-NS merger

>>2052438
>It's just corn and angry illiterate religious maniacs.

So it hasn't changed in 160 years?

>>2052438
hating on christians, 1990 called and they want their edge back

>>2049984 (OP)
>it goes nowhere anyone wants to travel between, at an intolerably low speed, more expensive to the consoomer than taking a plane

>>2049984 (OP)
Anything that comes out of "AmeriStarRail" can be dismissed as retarded schizoposting

>>2049984 (OP)
Taking the route through to Chicago from the west is stupid but reasonable considering the trackage rights out that way.
Passing through Philadelphia to hit Washington is dumb because Chicago to Washington is already an Amtrak route.
>Ending at Hoboken on the Lehigh Line for some fucking reason
No way. I'm not even sure if you can get on the ex-Reading trackage that makes up that side of the freight network from Harrisburg Transportation Center without a wye and some god-forsaken warehouse freight spur.

>>2052440
>>2052540
>>2056268