tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861605.post1970788485827458078..comments2024-03-24T11:01:27.668-04:00Comments on Resource Insights: James McCommons' year-long train rideKurt Cobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05330759091950742285noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861605.post-70753724435169476502010-08-25T23:20:01.850-04:002010-08-25T23:20:01.850-04:00Once past Hubbert's peak for petroleum, the au...Once past Hubbert's peak for petroleum, the automobile and its freeways will decline - unless Amory Lovins is right and James Howard Kunstler is wrong. With the energy decline will come a decline in the <i>united</i> States, as suggested by Dimitry Orlov and John Michael Greer. The railroads then will become regional once again, as they were at the time of their inception.<br /><br />Maybe then the railroad system will be again widely useful: one might be able to find a route from Fresno to Dallas without having to go to San Franscisce or switch to a bus for a section of the route.Robin Dattahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15358491380192365005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861605.post-45086686225380312762010-08-18T12:04:41.779-04:002010-08-18T12:04:41.779-04:00You're right in your comment about being a rea...You're right in your comment about being a realist. As a trained economist, I must admit we all talk in theory all the time - or historical data. But where the rubber meets the road, so to speak, is in the attempt to implement ANY good economic idea - it has to go thru Congress first. <br /><br />THAT is like trying to get a cute young boy through a few years as an Altar Boy - it may not come out totally perverted, but will NOT be the same at the end as it was at the start, no matter what you do. And THEN some agency gets hold of it and starts writing policy regulations and your idea is suddenly an unrecognizable distortion of the original, but with the same name.Rev. Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861605.post-26981354569882725342010-08-16T15:16:56.400-04:002010-08-16T15:16:56.400-04:00I started a new job this spring that requires week...I started a new job this spring that requires weekly trips into the nearby big city, and have been taking the train to do it, when I can. I noticed this summer that I have been unable to get tickets, because of all of the riders on the Empire Builder route. That's a good sign. I've also had some frustrations with Amtrak and how they handle ticketing. Amtrak still requires a physical ticket to get on a train. Try to buy a ticket a week before and they stick you with a $15 fee to Fed-Ex overnight you your ticket. But if you get a ticket online or over the phone two days before, you can pay the conductor on the train (IF you can get tickets!) I am an enthusiastic train rider, especially in winter when my town is snow-bound and riding is easier than driving. I do think that more people would try riding the train if it were easier to buy tickets, however.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10010810645730451273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861605.post-74415362784703806912010-08-16T09:17:10.929-04:002010-08-16T09:17:10.929-04:00Good post, Kurt.
I don't really know how you ...Good post, Kurt.<br /><br />I don't really know how you make train travel more attractive without making car travel less attractive.<br /><br />For people who choose the car, it's about convenience, comfort and (still) cost.<br /><br />I am speaking from a Canadian perspective, but taking the train on a 400km trip is borderline break-even for one person. If you are travelling in a group of 2 or more, the car is clearly cheaper.<br /><br />I would still take the train, though, because it is less stressful and you can do other things with your time besides driving. But for people who enjoy the notion of freedom associated with driving, and don't mind driving (or can share it with others), the train is a hard sell.<br /><br />I think some European countries have the right idea, where they are using high-speed rail to replace certain types of air travel -- taking advantage of the severe inconvenience and significant discomfort of air travel.<br /><br />Unfortunately, with the rock-solid property rights in North America, NIMBYism will always get in the way of doing anything new. In my area of Canada, for example, they couldn't even run a railway line from downtown Toronto to the airport without some serious, sustained opposition from residents along the way.<br /><br />As Kunstler keeps saying, we need to bring the North American railway system up to Bulgarian standards before we worry about bringing it up to the best European standards :)mattbghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00531548248683577666noreply@blogger.com