My Vision for the South
I like the South. It's not too cold. It's pretty. And there are some pretty interesting people and some pretty interesting buildings. Some of the people are pretty friendly too. But I don't get out much. I don't travel as much as I'd like to and I don't take full advantage of all the interesting places that are a car ride away. Places like Atlanta, Memphis and Nashville have much to offer and make for a great weekend trip. Even Louisville is worth the drive if you know where to go. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of options. I can drive or I can take a bus. Bus fare isn't bad, but buses are subject to the same speed limits and traffic patterns as any other vehicle on the highway. There's really no benefit. My vision for the South is to see major cities connected by high-speed rail.
I've been weighing the possibilities. Gas prices are up. There are fewer airplanes in the sky. People are travelling less. It seems like there should be more of a demand for cheap transportation. But maybe high-speed rail isn't cheap to operate on the scale that I'm thinking of. Maybe entrepreneurs look at companies like Amtrak and see a dead market, or a niche market.
Rail travel is very much a forgotten part of America's heritage. Alex and I had this discussion. I've travelled across-country on Amtrak before and I can see why it's not so popular. The Routes are dictated by existing infrastructure, which is presumably better at accommodating freight than passengers. States like Tennessee and Kentucky are barely represented. High-speed rail coverage is virtually non-existant this side of Atlanta (the eastern seaboard is already covered by CSX). The truth is, rail travel hasn't evolved and I think it's time to take a fresh look at the idea and the technologies that are available. Start from scratch. Look at the passenger market. Identify target regions that would benefit from increased connectivity. Get the cities talking to one another and excited about the idea. Wouldn't it be nice to take the bullet train to Birmingham for the afternoon? I'd even be willing to throw some tax dollars at the idea.
Some suggested routes:
Chicago-Indianapolis-Louisville-Nashville-Huntsville-Birmingham-Mobile
Nashville-Atlanta
Memphis-Nashville
Birmingham-Atlanta
Maybe it's asking too much. People like driving cars. People like the independence that comes from rolling down windows and cranking up the car stereo. But I'm excited about the idea and I'd like to see more Americans entertain the possibilities.
Selected reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_rail
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_High_Speed_Rail_Corridor
http://maps.howstuffworks.com/united-states-population-density-map.htm
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/Page/Routes_Index_Page&c=Page&cid=1080072922209&ssid=4
I've been weighing the possibilities. Gas prices are up. There are fewer airplanes in the sky. People are travelling less. It seems like there should be more of a demand for cheap transportation. But maybe high-speed rail isn't cheap to operate on the scale that I'm thinking of. Maybe entrepreneurs look at companies like Amtrak and see a dead market, or a niche market.
Rail travel is very much a forgotten part of America's heritage. Alex and I had this discussion. I've travelled across-country on Amtrak before and I can see why it's not so popular. The Routes are dictated by existing infrastructure, which is presumably better at accommodating freight than passengers. States like Tennessee and Kentucky are barely represented. High-speed rail coverage is virtually non-existant this side of Atlanta (the eastern seaboard is already covered by CSX). The truth is, rail travel hasn't evolved and I think it's time to take a fresh look at the idea and the technologies that are available. Start from scratch. Look at the passenger market. Identify target regions that would benefit from increased connectivity. Get the cities talking to one another and excited about the idea. Wouldn't it be nice to take the bullet train to Birmingham for the afternoon? I'd even be willing to throw some tax dollars at the idea.
Some suggested routes:
Chicago-Indianapolis-Louisville-Nashville-Huntsville-Birmingham-Mobile
Nashville-Atlanta
Memphis-Nashville
Birmingham-Atlanta
Maybe it's asking too much. People like driving cars. People like the independence that comes from rolling down windows and cranking up the car stereo. But I'm excited about the idea and I'd like to see more Americans entertain the possibilities.
Selected reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_rail
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_High_Speed_Rail_Corridor
http://maps.howstuffworks.com/united-states-population-density-map.htm
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/Page/Routes_Index_Page&c=Page&cid=1080072922209&ssid=4