USA spends 15 billion on rail lines?

[Simon]

The other day I heard a very short news snippet (in another news story about the US economy) that the USA is investing 15 billions (I dont know if that is billion in Swedish or US currency) in rail ways.

Anyone from the USA who got more info about this? I can't seem to find any news about it...

Thanks!

[Steve_Barker]

Do not know about the USA, but there are proposals for five new high speed lines in the UK.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7467203.stm

I have mixed feelings about these proposals:

:crazyhappy: I comute two stops midway along the East Coast Mainline, and it is expensive because there is not enough capacity to do the big comutes into London, so they do not really want people like me to do a few stops - extra capacity should make my comute easier (and cheeper)

:sceptical: The big problem with the trains in the UK is that they all focus into London, we need to open new lines accross the country in order to make a rail network - at present to travel to Milton Keynes, approx 30 miles, I have to travel into London, and back out again, roughly 150 miles - hence time and cost make this prohibitive.

[Simon]

Do not know about the USA, but there are proposals for five new high speed lines in the UK.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7467203.stm

I have mixed feelings about these proposals:

:crazyhappy: I comute two stops midway along the East Coast Mainline, and it is expensive because there is not enough capacity to do the big comutes into London, so they do not really want people like me to do a few stops - extra capacity should make my comute easier (and cheeper)

:sceptical: The big problem with the trains in the UK is that they all focus into London, we need to open new lines accross the country in order to make a rail network - at present to travel to Milton Keynes, approx 30 miles, I have to travel into London, and back out again, roughly 150 miles - hence time and cost make this prohibitive.

Yes, I read about that today. Interesting indeed.

We have the same problems here in Sweden.

We need to build more rail lines, improve the ones we already have, invest in more passenger capacity and faster trains.

If I were to go to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, from my place I would have to take a detour with the train to Malmö at the other end of Sweden and my home, before we could start the journey up to Stockholm. That is just insane stupidty!

And dont even get me started on the prices!

[Steve_Barker]

We have the same problems here in Sweden.

I had always imagined that Sweden would be the sort of sensible place where there was a great train service.

[j_evenstar]

I think developed countries do need to spend quite a sum of money for that, knowing that a huge population of people use it. My country is also seeking assistance from the Japanese government on exploring the viability of installing subways.

[Carsten]

Yet still no high speed rail to speak of which is a serious let down... I would give anything to see high speed rail in Australia, it would make commuting in a state like Queensland feasible where towns can be hundreds of kilometers apart.

 

I feel it would also be a boon for cities too, if people could live in regional areas but work in a city with a 40 minute commute on a high speed train it could easily remove much of the traffic of the roads in big cities.