Quote:
Originally Posted by wakamesalad
The first high speed train was built ½ century ago (and the first train over two centuries ago). By the time it's built in California it will be almost a century old technology. Yeah, I'd say, that's pretty antiquated, especially considering the rapid rate of the growth of technology we are now entering. But this is all up to much bigger players than you or me.
Proof? The cost estimate is only $7 billion for a $20 ride from SF to LA. (Queue the "there will be cost overruns!" from somebody defending CA HSR ) I guess your claim above that it is just for the "rich" (while HSR tickets are expected to cost exponentially more) is more hyperbole from somebody claiming to be so full of "truth." Face it- you're a bleeding heart HSR cheerleader with no grounding.
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You really think you're going to build... a pneumatically sealed tube... on pylons... that goes over mountain ranges... and somehow that's going to only cost $7 billion!!!?? I know everyone loves Elon, but that price estimate is astronomically low, anyone with even an inkling of civil engineering experience would tell you that. Also, if you looked at the plans, the hyperloop (as proposed) wouldn't even connect city center to city center (if you're going to drop me off in Union City or something I might as well just drive). Furthermore, the capacity of the hyperloop as it's proposed is pretty low (and the technology makes having more than one capsule moving at a time fairly infeasible), thus making the $20 ticket price also laughably understated. Just do the math, it would never pan out to be that low! You're right, HSR is a bit slower than the (non-existent) hyperloop, but you make up for it in massive volume, and the fact that it connects tons of points in between (not just two points). Furthermore, each station being built for HSR has four tracks to let express trains pass, so the number of stops isn't really a factor (the operator will choose the service pattern that maximizes revenue).
As far as autonomous vehicles... the whole idea that somehow they'll be no traffic congestion because every car will have 8 people and travel 2 inches from the car in front of it is pretty dubious assumptions. They'll change things, but I think people are a little naive in assuming everything will be hunky dory once cars and buses drive themselves. I've never seen a bus that can do 220 mph yet, and I wouldn't hang my hat on widening freeways through urban areas and mountainous terrain in California anytime soon either.
All in all, I find the supposition that we shouldn't build HSR to be lacking in any amount of careful thinking, just knee-jerk technological sensationalism.