China invests in America's high-speed rail

[GennGreymane]

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulli...likely-saviour

XI JINPING, China’s president (pictured left), is visiting America this week. He has brought plenty of baggage: the controversy surrounding the manipulation of China’s struggling economy, alleged cyberattacks on American government and businesses, and aggressive construction in contested parts of the South China Sea that has infuriated American allies. One Chinese observer told the New York Times, “Xi is obsessed with strategic rivalry with the United States.”

But in one important area, that obsession seems to be working to America’s benefit. Last week brought news of a big Chinese investment in what could become the first high-speed rail line in America. Construction on a 230-mile line between Los Angeles and Las Vegas will begin as early as next autumn, announced a Chinese Communist Party official. China Railway International USA, a consortium led by China’s national railroad, will provide an initial capital investment of $100m for the line, which will first run from Las Vegas to the town of Victorville, about 80 miles from Los Angeles, and which officials hope will later connect to the city’s downtown.

High-speed rail has many advocates in America. But the country that once thrived on its transcontinental railways has fallen hopelessly behind Europe and Asia following years of disinvestment and closures. The trouble is that the government has demonstrated a stubborn unwillingness to bring the network into the 21st—or even mid-20th—century. In his 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama proclaimed: “Within 25 years, our goal is to give 80% of Americans access to high-speed rail.” But Republican governors of three states slated for big rail projects cancelled those plans and returned the money to the federal government. Jeff Denham, the chairman of the House of Representatives subcommittee in charge of railroads said last year: “High-speed rail can be a good idea; I just think it should be left up to the private sector.” Even states that stand to benefit most from such investment seem ambivalent. Kevin McCarthy, the House Majority Leader, who represents perpetually congested California, told the Wall Street Journal: "I will do all that I can to ensure not one dollar of federal funding goes to boondoggles like California's high-speed rail."

Enter China. After XpressWest, the firm which had led the Los Angeles-Las Vegas rail project, couldn’t secure a federal loan to build the line, China Railway International USA stepped in. The pair have now set up a joint venture. “It definitely speaks to the fact that our government is dragging their feet,” says Andy Kunz, head of the US High Speed Rail Association.

Mr Kunz is happy to take the money where he can get it. And the American economy will benefit from improved transportation infrastructure, regardless of funding source. Commuters, too, will appreciate the convenience of an 80-minute train ride from Victorville to Las Vegas, considering the drive can take up to four hours. Still, American industry is missing out. No one thinks the investment in the rail line will be a big money spinner for China Railway International USA. “Transportation isn’t supposed to make money,” says Mr Kunz. Instead, China is taking a strategic step to boost its own industry. After investing in more miles of new high-speed rail than any other country in the world, it has developed the engineering know-how to build tracks and trains—which it now hopes to export to overseas markets. The United States is one of more than 20 countries where China aims to build a market for its rail industry.

Right-wing critics in America have long charged that government funding of public transit is akin to socialism. They can’t be much happier to see the funding for a big American rail line coming from—in name, at least—a communist government.

[Wells]

Friends are hella pissed right now about downtown Seattle being pretty much shut down tomorrow.

[Kellhound]

Well, thats one way to get China to flush 100 million down the drain....

[Garnier Fructis]

I still think it's stupid to build a high speed rail network in bits and pieces. We should have a coherent national plan from the start.

But I guess efficiency and coherence is out of the picture because government involvement is ERMAGERD BAD.

[Kellhound]

I still think it's stupid to build a high speed rail network in bits and pieces. We should have a coherent national plan from the start.

But I guess efficiency and coherence is out of the picture because government involvement is ERMAGERD BAD.

There just isn't the demand for an integrated high speed rail network in the US. Plus, there are only certain routes that are practical to build.
The issue is high speed rail just isn't fast compared to the Boeing 737 (200mph vs 470mph). Even LA to LV will have to be faster than flying and/or cheaper to not fall on its face, and it is one of the better places for it.

[Independent voter]

What's that thing Elan Musk, the founder of Tesla, working on? Some kind of subway inside of a vacuum tube, supposed to be hella fast.

[imabanana]

Well, the US definitely has lots to learn from China on the topic of trains...

What's that thing Elan Musk, the founder of Tesla, working on? Some kind of subway inside of a vacuum tube, supposed to be hella fast.

Science fiction for now.

[Haibara]

There just isn't the demand for an integrated high speed rail network in the US. Plus, there are only certain routes that are practical to build.
The issue is high speed rail just isn't fast compared to the Boeing 737 (200mph vs 470mph). Even LA to LV will have to be faster than flying and/or cheaper to not fall on its face, and it is one of the better places for it.

Environmental concerns are a thing, you can live with another hour in transit >3>

[Gheld]

Well, the US definitely has lots to learn from China on the topic of trains...



Science fiction for now.

A full vacuum mag-lev tube train could theoretically go from New York to London in an hour and a half! And that's only because the acceleration would have to be limited to 1g to avoid causing the occupants significant discomfort.

[Lancer]

HSR feels like a pipe-dream in the US. Maybe I'm being too much of a pessimist but probably by the time the US gets "good" HSR, countries like Japan will be using Maglev as the default and what not only for us to be left in the dust yet again. :/

[Nadiru]

According to Google Maps, the drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas takes 3 hours & 49 minutes to travel 269 miles. For a shuttle bus from downtown LA to Victorville, that takes 1 hour & 24 minutes to travel 84 miles. The proposed stretch of rail line from Victorville to Las Vegas would be 185 miles long, which probably means that the rail trip would take at least an hour and possibly longer. And finally, it takes 1 hour to fly from Los Angeles to Las Vegas at a cost starting at $87, one-way. Draw your own conclusions.

It's telling that HSR is so uncompetitive in the US that even Mother Jones can't get behind these plans.

[Theodarzna]

HSR feels like a pipe-dream in the US. Maybe I'm being too much of a pessimist but probably by the time the US gets "good" HSR, countries like Japan will be using Maglev as the default and what not only for us to be left in the dust yet again. :/

The USA is heavily built around a car based infrastructure.

I think the advantage of HSR and railroads isn't so much the speed but the cheap cost for an individual to get somewhere that gas/driving/ect wouldn't allow. Getting from Sacramento to say Monterrey Bay is in theory not a long trip, 2 hours ish by car, BUT once we factor in traffic delays thats like 4 hours on the road.

[tylenol]

This was attempted with the Japanese years ago and nothing came of it, pretty sure the Japanese even offered to either give us half the shit needed or pay for half of the project cost and it still didn't go down so this will probably fall through...


The secret though is to somehow link HSR to the military where cost is no object...just like what went down with the interstate highway system in this country back in the Eisenhower days, it cost almost $430 billion dollars (2006 dollars) to build 47,000 miles of roads for military use


Now days there are bases all over the country, loaded with everything they need and they have jets that can travel at over 1000mph so who needs roads anymore? plus all the military aircraft that can carry a ton of shit and travel at over 400mph makes roads pointless, right so linking HSR to the military doesn't seem possible

[haxartus]

Once you start running out of fossil fuels, you will need alternatives and it will be too late to start constructing a high-speed rail.

[prwraith]

Yes God forbid the government pay for public transport. Idiots are so afraid of anything that can be perceived as socialism.

[imabanana]

The secret though is to somehow link HSR to the military where cost is no object...just like what went down with the interstate highway system in this country back in the Eisenhower days, it cost almost $430 billion dollars (2006 dollars) to build 47,000 miles of roads for military use

Add some of those laser guns on all trains, and cover the country with trains. Global anti missile / anti air shield all over the country \o/

[prwraith]

Add some of those laser guns on all trains, and cover the country with trains. Global anti missile / anti air shield all over the country \o/

ONLY if we can model it after the FF8 doomtrain

[Kellhound]

Environmental concerns are a thing, you can live with another hour in transit >3>

The US only provides lip service to the environment as a whole.

[Herecius]

Not exactly an opinion shared by most, but hell yes. I love the idea of being able to just take a day trip to San Francisco.

[Deleted]

Yes God forbid the government pay for public transport. Idiots are so afraid of anything that can be perceived as socialism.

especially considering that almost all government expdenitures are just that lol