UK rapidly expands high speed rail network

[2dimes]

I don’t get on a train for speed. Put me in the dining car or next to a big window and I’ll stay there all day.

Sure but most people are interested in getting to their destination as fast as possible.

I don’t understand why CHSR and Brightline West don’t, build the overpasses, lay the tracks, build simple platforms and run some trains. Even regular speed trains should be able to run a fair bit faster than vehicle traffic on the same routes. Especially if they’re on reasonably straight dedicated tracks that don’t require waiting for the freight trains.

Plus like you wrote, some of us like the leasure of relaxing with snacks and beverages in the dining car.

That could bring in revenue which could be applied to the cost.

[Apatheist]

Apologies. Let's get this thread back on track
No-one needs to save a relatively short amount of time on a relatively short journey, and for the cost involved, it simply isn't worth it. So you get to spend an extra hour in Birmingham - whoopee. I live on the HS1 line, and other than an alternative when it snows because it uses overhead cables, there's really no benefit on the journey into London, certainly not worth the extra cost - which was not only borne by those using the service, but all users of SouthEastern Trains. I didn't use it more than a handful of times in the 15 years it was available while I was commuting, but my ticket price still went up.
With the increasing debt in the UK, it's a luxury that we can't afford. Get up an hour earlier.
What would bring the cost of travel down is the replacement of vastly overpaid drivers by driverless trains. Maybe we'll lose a few idiots who think it's a good idea to play on the tracks or ignore the warnings at a level crossing, but we're better off without them anyway.

If it really is an hour extra, and that is a daily commute to work, then that is two hours a day, 10 hours a week, 500 hours a year. That's a lot.

Britain is pretty small, so I suppose the overall demand for high-speed trains is moderate, but even a few situations like that would be enough to make it worthwhile. If even 2,000 people save 500 hours a year, that a million hours.

Apparently the average commute in the UK is 10-20 miles. My commute into London was about 45 minutes when it ran to time. Very few commute for 2 hours each way daily, although I do recall one exec who lived in Scotland and flew down to London, but that was very much the exception.
Remember what they say: in Europe, 100 miles in a long way; in the USA, 100 years is a long time.

[2dimes]

That’s about right.

The current train ride from LA to Sanfransico takes longer than driving. If they ever get a train running at 150 miles an hour or faster. It would be pretty convenient.

[jonesthecurl]

In the USA, in my experience, the passenger trains (AMTRAK) give the right of way to the railroads that own the track. Freight trains go first. So, you could be waiting a lot.

Spoiler

Does amtrak own any railroad tracks?

Amtrak owns a small portion of railroad tracks, primarily in the Northeast Corridor, where it manages about 730 miles of track. However, the majority of its trains operate on tracks owned by private freight companies, which complicates its operations and scheduling.

Yeah. The U.S. is still an automobile society.

It would have a lot to gain from real high-speed trains.

Unfortunately, Amtrak don't own the actual tracks. Hence ceding priority to freight.

[Apatheist]

Any chance the companies are still nervous about the train robberies that used to happen back in the day? Or, indeed, the passengers? Obviously at 150mph (or more, if you let Musk play with it) they won't be riding up on horseback and jumping on the guard's van, but it would be tricky to police the whole length of the track with so much of it out in the desert.