High Speed Rail in the USA - Freight Train Use of People Movers.
Freight Lines using High Speed Rail..
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High-Speed Rail and OUR Freight Line Industry:
I got into a comment period discussion with someone that 'hates trains' and favors '18-wheel trucks' for the transport of goods throughout the U.S.A... So here is my response..
Do you know what a 'People Mover'
is, and not the one in downtown Detroit or at the Denver airport. I am speaking of the one that Ford Motor Company designed decades ago. It is a single self-propelled car that can be called like an elevator, it does not move until called, and it takes the person to the place he or she desired to go to, thus using little to no fuel, except when it is called to do so.
I helped build the working concept model for this system in Detroit at a company called
AlScott Service, which I owned at the time (It was the old Ampex Service
Company, Detroit Division).
Cargo Containers:
So, here is the thing, railroads carry millions of 'Cargo' containers from coast to coast and all over the nation, and this is economical from a
'fuel'
standpoint due to a single engine being able to move up to a hundred cars, two hundred containers in some areas and a few gallons of fuel. Trucks on the other hand move one or two containers at about 8 to 15 MPG of fuel. But, here is the difference, the trains must be loaded and then taken to a
'Route Switching (Hump)Yard' where the train is broken into several smaller trains that head off in various directions, and when nearing the final destination have to once again be broken into local destination trains. Trains also travel at an average speed of about 70 MPH, which is about the same as a truck. Thus it can take up to four days for a container to travel from say San Diego to New York by truck and maybe the same
or longer by train, depending on the number of times it must be delayed at
crossings, for Route Switching, etc...
Proposal:
So my proposal is to use Single Self-propelled People Mover & Freight Mover vehicles that can be programmed to pick up a person or a container, move at up to 300 MPH, and deliver that person or container at the intended location without major delays or stops. The high-speed (Mag Lev or close to it) rail or channel system can move hundreds of times more goods and people than trucks or multi-car passenger or freight as each unit can with computer and radar controls be maintained at very close vicinity to each other, just as newer cars can.
Benefits:
The benefits of this type of system is that we can get 18-wheeler trucks off our super highways
(It is estimated that there will be twice as many on our deteriorating roads by
2050) , thus saving wear and tear and accidents; we can move goods up to ten times faster and directly to intended locations; and the entire thing not only will create American jobs, but cut pollution and insurance cost, which are into the trillions of dollars at present.
Other Articles to Read and from which to learn about HSR
Why does the USA need High Speed Rail
Amtrak History and Rider ship Cost
Taxpayer Cost of Transportation Systems
Amtrak has always needed a money train.
USA Advantages to Developing High Speed Rail
California and HSR - Needed or NOT..
Florida's Need for HSR
Where are the USA jobs?
Commercial Hauling of Materials
Mag Lev
Why is President Obama so obsessed with high speed rail?
Needed personnel and trades
Where do we get the money?
Where else do we get the money?
The Future of the HSR in the Americas
Information on External Websites
Amtrak Info Menu....
Guide books, Amtrak reform, RR pictures
National Gateway
Project... CSX and Union Pacific work with the USA Taxpayer's
TIGER - Transportation Investment
Generating Economic Recovery Grants
Links to More Information on Amtrak and High Speed Rail in the USA
Federal Railroad Administration Website
High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program
http://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0089
http://www.fra.dot.gov/search?q=downloads+for+intercity+high+speed+rail+plan
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
www.amtrak.com/
Northeast Corridor (NEC) Improvement Project
http://www.fra.dot.gov/search?q=Northeast+Corridor+%28NEC%29+Improvement+Project
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
www.fta.dot.gov/index_9118.html
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
www.recovery.gov/
www.irs.gov/recovery
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA)
ntl.bts.gov/DOCS/istea.html
Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA).
www.highspeed-rail.org/Pages/ReportsandTestimony.aspx
www.fra.dot.gov › Passenger Rail
http://www.fra.dot.gov/search?q=Passenger+Rail+Investment+and+Improvement+Act+of+2008+%28PRIIA%29
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
www.dot.gov/
Definitions
http://www.fra.dot.gov/search?q=downloads+for+intercity+high+speed+rail+plan
Fact Sheets - How High Speed Rail helps the economy
http://www.highspeed-rail.org/Pages/BasicFacts.aspx
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