DBR96A
06-23-2008, 12:06 PM
Pittsburgh is located within 500 miles of half the country's population. Should Maglev trains become a reality soon, I believe Pittsburgh would make for a perfect hub. Consider Maglev lines from Pittsburgh to the following cities:
- New York
- Philadelphia
- Washington D.C.
- St. Louis (via Indianapolis and Columbus)
- Chicago (via Toledo and Cleveland)
- Buffalo
- Atlanta (via Charlotte)
To give you an idea: The New York track would roughly follow U.S. 22. The Philadelphia track would roughly follow the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The D.C. track would roughly follow U.S. 40. The St. Louis track would roughly follow I-70. The Chicago track would roughly follow the Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana Turnpikes. The Buffalo track would roughly follow I-79 and I-90. The Atlanta track would roughly follow I-85, I-77, U.S. 19 and I-79.
Those would not be the only Maglev lines in the country, of course, and there would be a few other "primary" hubs in the U.S. as well. (Judging by a map, cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas and Los Angeles would be good primary hubs as well.) However, a Pittsburgh hub would help funnel travelers from the Midwest to their "megalopolis" cities of choice, disperse travelers from the Northeast off to destinations to the south and west, give Canadian travelers a central operating point to work from in the eastern U.S., and provide a link to the cities in the "new South," where many ex-Pittsburghers currently live. With location becoming a critical factor in economic forces in the U.S. again, it all makes sense to me.
So what'chu think?
- New York
- Philadelphia
- Washington D.C.
- St. Louis (via Indianapolis and Columbus)
- Chicago (via Toledo and Cleveland)
- Buffalo
- Atlanta (via Charlotte)
To give you an idea: The New York track would roughly follow U.S. 22. The Philadelphia track would roughly follow the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The D.C. track would roughly follow U.S. 40. The St. Louis track would roughly follow I-70. The Chicago track would roughly follow the Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana Turnpikes. The Buffalo track would roughly follow I-79 and I-90. The Atlanta track would roughly follow I-85, I-77, U.S. 19 and I-79.
Those would not be the only Maglev lines in the country, of course, and there would be a few other "primary" hubs in the U.S. as well. (Judging by a map, cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas and Los Angeles would be good primary hubs as well.) However, a Pittsburgh hub would help funnel travelers from the Midwest to their "megalopolis" cities of choice, disperse travelers from the Northeast off to destinations to the south and west, give Canadian travelers a central operating point to work from in the eastern U.S., and provide a link to the cities in the "new South," where many ex-Pittsburghers currently live. With location becoming a critical factor in economic forces in the U.S. again, it all makes sense to me.
So what'chu think?
