thumb tacks, thumb tech

Musings and rantings about...EVERYTHING.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Will a trans-state railway work in the US ? - Part II

Anyway, back to building a well-connected infrastructure in the United States, called the train or rail. All the documentaries I watched about amazing engineering feats and engineering structures, buildings and bridges - I am VERY SURE the rail-technology is not a limiting issue here. BUT, it would still have never gone through. The only thought or reason that came to my mind is....THERE IS A CONSPIRACY! OK. I am biased. Maybe it does not make economic sense to build a better rail system. Because if they build one, the auto-industry will suffer. Because if they build one, the aviation industry will suffer. These two, are the key pillar industries of America. They can't be building something that will "kill" themselves.

But air traffic in the US has never improved. Read latest article here. In fact, each year...the traffic delays in major airports are getting longer and longer. Aren't they looking for alternatives or looking to solve this problem? (Rail might be a solution). And more and more wild forest fires due to the dry hot weather and high level of pollutants in the air (pollutants partially from driving your vehicles on the road). That's why they have SPARE THE AIR days in California during hottest days in summer to encourage people to take commute to work via BART, VTA, Caltrain and buses - to reduce the number of moving vehicles on the road during a dry hot weather and reduce the possibility of forest wild fires. And once again, FREE transport but nobody is making use of it :O
They always talk about being green, being green (isn't rail - a good rail system, a possible solution to reducing the vehicles on the road, and reduce carbon emission?). If me, a ordinary individual can ponder about this, why not them? It's just avoided on purpose (for OBVIOUS reasons I have stated above).

Anyhow, something to look forward to in many years to come in Asia, and since I will be back at home in Asia one day. The leadership in the committee that advocates the SE Asian railway feels that the railway will facilitate greater travel and people-to-people contact. It will contribute to a freer flow of people across borders. By then, Asean will convert itself into an EU-style economic community. Wow! London to Paris. Paris to Brussels. China to Singapore. Singapore to Manila - all by rail.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home