Trans U.S. Maglev Train

[Suave]

I'd like there to be a magnetic levitation railway system that'd run coast to coast in the U.S. from New York City to Washington D.C., Chicago, St.Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Mag-lev trains can travel up to 275 m.p.h. If a train could travel continuously go at this speed, it'd take 12 hours to go from coast to coast via the aforementioned coast to coast route. Mag-lev trains would reduce our nation's carbon foot-priint by reducing carbon fuel emitting airline travel. Based on the construction cost of Shanghai's mag-lev railway system (Edit A), (Reference A): Shanghai maglev train the cost would be approximately 120 million dollars per mile (Edit B) , a 3.200 mile mag-lev railway system should cost nearly $400 billion to build. (Edit C) If this railway system were to accommodate 200,000 passengers per day with each passenger paying on average a fare of merely $150 (Edit D), this would generate $400 billion of revenue over the course of less than 35 years in order to pay off the cost of having this Trans-U.S. Railway system built. (Edit E) There would be many high paying jobs created by having a mag-lev railway system running coast to coast via New York City to Washington D.C., Chicago, St.Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. In my environmentally friendly opinion, we should build back our nation better with this clean green energy mode of transportation.

Edit A - edited to based on the construction cost Shanghai's mag-lev railway system, edited from based on the cost of mag-lev railway systems built in China and Europe.
Edit B - edited to 120 million dollars per mile from 40 million dollars per mile
Edit C - edited to $400 billion from $128 billion cost to build
Edit D - edited to each passenger paying on average a fare of $150 from each passenger paying on average a fare of $50
Edit E - edited to $400 billion from $128 billion of revenue over the course of less than 35 years in order to pay off the cost of having this Trans-Us Railway system built.

Reference A: Shanghai maglev train

 

[Revoltingest]

I'd ride both a trans train & a cis train.

 

[Secret Chief]

I prefer a non-binary bicycle.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

I'd ride both a trans train & a cis train.

I can't see worrying about it's LGBTQ orientation or status. Will its physical orientation remain upright? That's what concerns me!

 

[sun rise]

Sure. It would be nice to be a developed nation like Europe and China. I'd take advantage of the technology. The only problem is that the route is not personally good for me. I'd have to fly down to LA for starters so it's not practical for us Northern CA types.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I'm old fashioned.

Trebuchet with a parachute.

 

[Shaul]

I'd like there to be a magnetic levitation railway system that'd run coast to coast in the U.S. from New York City to Washington D.C., Chicago, St.Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Maglev trains can travel up to 275 m.p.h. If a train could travel continuously go at this speed, it'd take 12 hours to go from coast to coast via the aforementioned coast to coast route. Maglev trains would reduce our nation's carbon footpriint by reducing carbon fuel emitting airline travel. Based on the cost of maglev railway systems built in China and Europe, the cost would be approximately $40 million per mile, a 3.200 mile maglev railway system should cost just $128 billion to build. If this railway system accomodated 200,000 passengers per day with each passanger paying on average a fare of merely $50, this would generate $128 billion of revenue over the course of less than 35 years in order to pay off the cost of having this Trans-U.S. Railway system built. There'd be many high paying jobs created by having a maglev railway system running coast to coast via New York City to Washington D.C., Chicago, St.Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. In my environmentally friendly opinion, we should build back our nation better with this clean green energy mode of transportation.

They couldn’t even build California’s high speed rail for $128 billion. High Costs & Construction Delays Plague Cali. High Speed Rail
Your numbers are not credible.

 

[Twilight Hue]

They couldn’t even build California’s high speed rail for $128 billion. High Costs & Construction Delays Plague Cali. High Speed Rail
Your numbers are not credible.

California might as well buy a rail hand cart powered by solar panels and call it a day.

 

[Heyo]

I'd like there to be a magnetic levitation railway system that'd run coast to coast in the U.S. from New York City to Washington D.C., Chicago, St.Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Maglev trains can travel up to 275 m.p.h. If a train could travel continuously go at this speed, it'd take 12 hours to go from coast to coast via the aforementioned coast to coast route. Maglev trains would reduce our nation's carbon footpriint by reducing carbon fuel emitting airline travel. Based on the cost of maglev railway systems built in China and Europe, the cost would be approximately $40 million per mile, a 3.200 mile maglev railway system should cost just $128 billion to build. If this railway system accomodated 200,000 passengers per day with each passanger paying on average a fare of merely $50, this would generate $128 billion of revenue over the course of less than 35 years in order to pay off the cost of having this Trans-U.S. Railway system built. There'd be many high paying jobs created by having a maglev railway system running coast to coast via New York City to Washington D.C., Chicago, St.Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. In my environmentally friendly opinion, we should build back our nation better with this clean green energy mode of transportation.

Maglev trains function in Europe, China and Japan because trains function here. You can step out of your house and get to any destination with bus, train, bus in an acceptable time for an acceptable fare.
In the US the car and tire industry destroyed public transportation. Without that underlying structure I question if that could be economically viable. (And car manufacturers, Greyhound and the airlines will not stand idly by but try to sabotage the project.)

 

[Dan From Smithville]

I'd ride both a trans train & a cis train.

I bet you would.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

I'd like there to be a magnetic levitation railway system that'd run coast to coast in the U.S. from New York City to Washington D.C., Chicago, St.Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Maglev trains can travel up to 275 m.p.h. If a train could travel continuously go at this speed, it'd take 12 hours to go from coast to coast via the aforementioned coast to coast route. Maglev trains would reduce our nation's carbon footpriint by reducing carbon fuel emitting airline travel. Based on the cost of maglev railway systems built in China and Europe, the cost would be approximately $40 million per mile, a 3.200 mile maglev railway system should cost just $128 billion to build. If this railway system accomodated 200,000 passengers per day with each passanger paying on average a fare of merely $50, this would generate $128 billion of revenue over the course of less than 35 years in order to pay off the cost of having this Trans-U.S. Railway system built. There'd be many high paying jobs created by having a maglev railway system running coast to coast via New York City to Washington D.C., Chicago, St.Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. In my environmentally friendly opinion, we should build back our nation better with this clean green energy mode of transportation.

I would be on board. What are the operating costs?

 

[Mock Turtle]

It's always been a problem of safety - ensuring the track is safe and not liable to third-party damage - not so severe in most countries and if the track is raised (unlike normal railways) then perhaps the maglevs are just as safe, but the speed tends to be the factor making any accidents much more severe so as to necessitate no such scenarios. In many countries we are not likely to see such accidents but unless terrorism can always be thwarted, then this is still a worry. But I would probably travel on one as the chances are rather small, just as for most transport systems.

 

[exchemist]

I'd like there to be a magnetic levitation railway system that'd run coast to coast in the U.S. from New York City to Washington D.C., Chicago, St.Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Maglev trains can travel up to 275 m.p.h. If a train could travel continuously go at this speed, it'd take 12 hours to go from coast to coast via the aforementioned coast to coast route. Maglev trains would reduce our nation's carbon footpriint by reducing carbon fuel emitting airline travel. Based on the cost of maglev railway systems built in China and Europe, the cost would be approximately $40 million per mile, a 3.200 mile maglev railway system should cost just $128 billion to build. If this railway system accomodated 200,000 passengers per day with each passanger paying on average a fare of merely $50, this would generate $128 billion of revenue over the course of less than 35 years in order to pay off the cost of having this Trans-U.S. Railway system built. There'd be many high paying jobs created by having a maglev railway system running coast to coast via New York City to Washington D.C., Chicago, St.Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. In my environmentally friendly opinion, we should build back our nation better with this clean green energy mode of transportation.

I wasn't aware there were any Maglev systems in Europe. What Europe does have is an extensive network of TGV, which run on standard gauge rails and can therefore share track with conventional trains, e.g. at stations, to get in and out of cities, and to run on to end destinations on track that has not been upgraded. These operate at up to 200mph.

It was my understanding that the only operational Maglev systems today are in China. I have ridden the short one from the airport at Shanghai (which, alarmingly, has the rather onomatopoeic name of PUDONG! )

 

[Revoltingest]

I bet you would.

I'm woke, ya know.

 

[Suave]

They couldn’t even build California’s high speed rail for $128 billion. High Costs & Construction Delays Plague Cali. High Speed Rail
Your numbers are not credible.

Dear RF comrade, I very much appreciate you correcting me. Shanghai's maglev train railway construction cost in 2002 was nearly $40 million per kilometer, not the $40 million per mile cost in present day dollars I had mistakenly thought. Shanghai maglev train

Thank you for helping me realize the trans-U.S. maglev railway system would cost nearly $400 billion to build. Perhaps this could be partly subsidized with increased excise taxes on fossil fuels in addition to being funded by user fees.

 

[exchemist]

Dear RF comrade, I very much appreciate you correcting me. Shanghai's maglev train railway construction cost in 2002 was nearly $40 million per kilometer, not the $40 million per mile cost in present day dollars I had mistakenly thought. Shanghai maglev train

Thank you for helping me realize the trans-U.S. maglev railway system would cost nearly $400 billion to build. Perhaps this could be partly subsidized with increased excise taxes on fossil fuels in addition to being funded by user fees.

I'm sure a longer track would less per km, since a lot of the stuff one has to provide will be done once-off, rather than on a per km basis. But it would be costly, no doubt. I suppose the interesting question is how it might compare with an electric, or hydrogen-powered, aircraft. Both are being considered, I understand.

 

[Suave]

I wasn't aware there were any Maglev systems in Europe. What Europe does have is an extensive network of TGV, which run on standard gauge rails and can therefore share track with conventional trains, e.g. at stations, to get in and out of cities, and to run on to end destinations on track that has not been upgraded. These operate at up to 200mph.

It was my understanding that the only operational Maglev systems today are in China. I have ridden the short one from the airport at Shanghai (which, alarmingly, has the rather onomatopoeic name of PUDONG! )

Dear RF comrade, thank you for correcting me, there actually aren't any Maglev systems yet in Europe. I have revised my original post from having stated "based on the cost of mag-lev railway systems built in China and Europe" to the edited version of my post now stating "based on the construction cost of Shanghai's mag-lev railway system".

 

[Suave]

Sure. It would be nice to be a developed nation like Europe and China. I'd take advantage of the technology. The only problem is that the route is not personally good for me. I'd have to fly down to LA for starters so it's not practical for us Northern CA types.

I suppose there should also be a mag-lev railway track by the Pacific coast from Seattle to Portland, San Francisco to Los Angeles. Perhaps this would be very useful and convenient for travelers from northern California.

 

[Revoltingest]

Dear RF comrade, I very much appreciate you correcting me. Shanghai's maglev train railway construction cost in 2002 was nearly $40 million per kilometer, not the $40 million per mile cost in present day dollars I had mistakenly thought. Shanghai maglev train

Thank you for helping me realize the trans-U.S. maglev railway system would cost nearly $400 billion to build. Perhaps this could be partly subsidized with increased excise taxes on fossil fuels in addition to being funded by user fees.

Is it really cost effective to spend that kind of money just
to move people around a little faster than rail trains?
Yes, faster is nice. But those of us who don't use it
will have to pay for it. Flying is a cheaper & faster
alternative.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Is it really cost effective to spend that kind of money just
to move people around a little faster than rail trains?
Yes, faster is nice. But those of us who don't use it
will have to pay for it. Flying is a cheaper & faster
alternative.

as it stands now, everyone is already paying for roads, rails, airports and seaports, and all the vehicles that use them. Some are more subsidized than others, but the costs are included in the price of, well, everything.

If governments from the local to the national hadn't spent the last 80 years underwriting automobiles and the trucking industry, as well as the aviation industry, then we'd likely have a reasonable passenger train system and mass transit systems in the US

"Individual choice" for the freedom of the automobile was heavily subsidized and the competitors eliminated, forcing everyone but the very poor to play along. For the urban poor, mostly ineffective mass transit has been underwritten as an afterthought.