Train Replacing Plane: It's Not Insane

Well-developed high-speed trains could take a lot of domestic travel out of the hands of airlines.

Which has the airlines crying, "That's insane."

British Airlines expressed its skepticism in a Guardian article: "High-speed rail cannot be a complete substitute for flying," the company said. "There are relatively few destinations in continental Europe to which it would be practical to travel and return by rail in a day. Therefore flying will always remain the preferred form of transport for millions of travelers."

We don't need train to be a "complete" substitute. The simplified check-in, security, and city-center to city-center service provided by trains will naturally cause many people to switch.

James Howard Kunstler says Obama's notion for U.S. high-speed rail is trying to sustain the unsustainable, and we should concentrate on fixing the rail system we already have.

Why not do both? Fix the rail we have, plan for more high-speed rail. Lester Brown notes a long list of benefits, the most important one being a move away from the car-centric system that has given us so many woes.

The International Aviation Transport Association (IATA) said that the country (Britain) that took decades to plan a contested third runway at Heathrow would probably take just as long to build a good high-speed net. More reason to start now.

As more people understand the CO2, congestion, and other pollution burdens of flying and driving, it seems that the populace will be willing to trade some time-savings for some climate saving.

Japan has the world's most high-speed rail lines, with France a distant second. And guess which country is the biggest surprise in the high-speed sweepstakes? Spain, once a country reviled for its backward, slow-moving rail system, now has a fabulous Barcelona-Madrid fast train connection, 1,594 kilometers of high-speed rail already built and a whopping 2,219 kilometers under construction.

China has only 394 kilometers currently built but an astounding 3,404 kilometers under construction. If building for high-speed trains was so insane, would China be investing in it?

Read more about high-speed rail at TreeHugger and Planet Green
::5 High Speed Trains That Are Changing the Face of Rail
::Air Travel and Climate Change: Take the Train
::Travel Green and Save Money Without Giving Up Anything (But Your CO2 Footprint)
::Is High-Speed Rail the Answer?
::High-Speed Rail: Richard Florida Weighs In

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Comments

[DCC KC]

03:40 PM on 08/11/2009

>>>James Howard Kunstler says Obama's notion for U.S. high-speed rail is trying to sustain the unsustaina­ble, and we should concentrat­e on fixing the rail system we already have.

[DragonMama]

12:34 PM on 08/06/2009

I have a 5yr old and a 2yr old. There is no way short of a real emergency that I'd take them on a plane anytime soon - just the thought of dealing with them at the airport before the plane even boards, then their squirrelin­ess while waiting for takeoff and fighting over window seats is enough to turn my hair grey. I would LOVE to take them to see family on the other side of the country via train, and the kids would probably really enjoy it too. Hopefully the other passengers would find it less annoying than screaming bored kids on a plane can be.

[joebaggadonuts]

04:58 PM on 08/05/2009

I have traveled high speed rail in two nations. It's pretty cool. NOT doing it here is insane.

[NL207]

11:37 AM on 08/06/2009

Doing it here is insane.

Which two nations? France and Germany? Or Japan? Ever hear the words: 'Personen shaeden am gleis' in Germany?
Did you see any wild animals while you were there? See any wild animals here in America? Were any of these large?
Do any of the high speed rail systems in Europe or Japan make a profit?

The real costs of constructi­ng safe high speed rail over the distances required in America precludes them ever competing with air travel without even considerin­g the time delays.

[Russycle]

02:07 PM on 08/06/2009

Do any airlines make a profit once you take away their tax breaks and subsidies? Considerin­g most have been on the brink of bankruptcy since 9/11, probably not. Does the interstate highway system make a profit?

As far as animals, what's your point? Over a century ago trains crossed the prairie teeming with buffalo, didn't seem to be a problem. I doubt if a moose will have much effect on a bullet train, although it will be bad for the moose.

Regarding distances, of course trains don't make sense for transconti­nental travel. But for LA to SF, Seatlle to Portland, most of the eastern seaboard and chunks of the midwest, they make perfect sense.