Comments on: High-Speed Rail Grants Announced; California, Florida, and Illinois Are Lucky Recipients

By: Clarence

Clarence — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 04:28:31 +0000

Thanks, Don Kirk. The high speed Maglev Monorail system is the passenger train of the future. One that can be improved over the coming years as technology improves. A high speed Maglev train system would connect the cities in this country in ways that the airlines cannot.

If we build a National Maglev Monorail Train System and put low cost rechargable electric rental cars at every station, we would have a new world class transportation system. A system that would transport hundreds of thousands of people each day. A system that would create tens of thousands of career jobs and at the same time have almost no carbon footprint.

By: Adirondacker12800

Adirondacker12800 — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 01:31:20 +0000

The Pennsylvania Railroad did 175 MPH tests back in the 60s… Even Amtrak does 150 now and then in Rhode Island.

By: Max Wyss

Max Wyss — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:30:00 +0000

… definitely 40 years ol Popular Mechanics… or, actually, more 50 years old…

The 200 mph record with a dedicated test train occurred 55 years ago, between Bordeaux and Dax, in the Landes…

nevertheless, those posts give me a chuckle…

By: Don Kirk

Don Kirk — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 19:47:24 +0000

High Speed Maglev is Monorail; and it’s quitier than steel to steel rail, climbs steeper grades and by far the fastest way to travel. Maglev Monorails also use less power than (HSR) High Speed Rail; and requires “NO” helper locomotives to get over steep climbs.

There’s a place for every type of Transportation Mode; and neither the LV – LA route, nor the SF – LA route would be best served by steel wheel to steel rail HSR

A new public transportation speakers bureau was recently formed; and it’s members “all” believe that there are places for LR, Monorail, HSR and Maglev; but when climbing over steep mountains, of the ones we asked, almost everone agrees that Maglev would best serve those two routes.

By: Adirondacker12800

Adirondacker12800 — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:20:53 +0000

and trains run at 186 MPH all over the world in regular revenue service. Some of them at 220 in regular revenue service. Just like a conventional train that attains 220 won’t average 220 the vaporware 300 MPH monorail won’t average 300 MPH either. Put down the antique magazines…

By: Adirondacker12800

Adirondacker12800 — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:14:33 +0000

Again, put down the 40 year old Popular Mechanix. Monorails have been just around the corner of attaining higher speeds since the 60s. They’ve been putting birail trains on elevated since the 1860s has all the advantages of elevated monorails and it’s a mature technology.

By: Clarence

Clarence — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:00:12 +0000

Adirondacker,what have you been smoking? Just because a high speed ground train reaches 200+ mph in a test run does not mean that it will average 200 mph. The modern monorail has the potential for even greater speeds. Once our scientists and engineers began to seriously consider such a system, the monorail will reach speeds of 300+ mph. Also, the elevated monorail reduces the possibility for railroad crossing accidents, animals on the tracks and weather delays caused by snow and floods.

By: John W

John W — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 11:29:04 +0000

Damn. And I was going to suggest that these monorail trains could be designed so that they can transform into giant robots. Robots that can fight! And then we wouldn’t need the DOT to eventually scrounge up funding as the Army would throw money at the project.

By: Adirondacker12800

Adirondacker12800 — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 03:15:50 +0000

Clarence, put down the 40 year old Popular Mechanix. New HSR lines are being build to 200 or 225 MPH speeds as you read this. They’ve never built monorails that go faster than streetcars. Streetcars are 125 year old technology.

By: Clarence

Clarence — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 02:47:31 +0000

Why are we so worried about the rest of the world? We don’t live in the rest of the world. We live in the USA. What are the needs of our country? Let the rest of the world have their “standard scale” HSR system. Our trains are not going to hook-up with theirs.
Once we build our monorail system with constant speeds of 150+ mph, we will have delivered what we need. If the rest of the world has something different,lets give them our blessings and be happy for them. We don’t need to be envious and try to copy what they have, especially when that is not what we need.