I asked Dukakis, What would it take for us to have a rail system that you would consider to be adequate? “One week in Iraq”, Dukakis answered instantly.
“3 billion dollars a year … I'll take 125 miles an hour anywhere in the country, between cities. And by the way, there's not a region in the country that doesn't want this.”
David asked about the conflict of freight trains and passenger trains running on the same rails — usually with the freights having priority. Dukakis says, “I would argue that separating the freight and the passenger trains would be better for the freights.And they would welcome it, believe me … This is a no-brainer.”
I loved it yesterday when Amtrak was mentioned at least six times when Barack announced his selection of Biden.”
I asked him about the possibility of a SUPERTRAIN in the northeast, something that would beat out Acela. Dukakis wants to concentrate on what we have: “The only thing between three hours between Boston to New York, which would effectively eliminate air transportation, is improving that overhead catenary system between New Haven and New York.” What kind of investment is that? “Relatively modest. A couple hundred million dollars.” He thinks we could fairly easily get the New York-Washington trip down to 2.5 hours. He thinks 125 mph is the standard we should try to achieve with Amtrak expansion: “Talk to those states in the Midwest … They'd love 125 miles per hour.”
Finally I asked Dukakis what advice he would give the current administration for how to clean up the MBTA. Is it a financial problem? A management problem? “It's both … Expecting the MBTA to survive on a penny off the sales tax a year was just a great mistake … When I was governor, capital investment in the MBTA was the responsibility of the state government”, just like highways.
But there's a massive problem with construction management, says Dukakis. “It's a legacy of sixteen years of Republican governors who just didn't give a damn.” He bemoans the MBTA's inability to bring in a project on time and under budget, as with Kenmore Square and Arlington Street stations. “Is anybody working at Arlington? Because I don't see it.” He waxes nostalgic for his Secretary of Transportation Fred Salvucci and his old construction manager (Frank Kettle?), who brought major projects like the Red Line extension in on time and on budget, without major construction leaks.
Thanks to the governor for giving of his time. Dukakis gives reasonably high marks to the current administration for trying to turn it all around; let's hope his faith in the current administration's managerial abilities is justified.
Thrilled the Duke is still singing about door to door and about trains, and thrilled that youse guys are asking him about it.
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p>I only hope that Congress will put up more public transit infrastructure money to build this stuff. Let’s crank up Acela. Let’s get it down to Richmond, RTP, and Atlanta. Let’s get the CalTrans SF to LA route built. Rinse and repeat.
125mph trains between all major cities? Yes, please.
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p>If you chat with the Duke again, Charley, tell him Scott Madin from Mo Cunningham’s poli sci class says hi.
… Atlanta. Can you imagine what the volume could reach if they did regular 180mph service from Boston to Miami? I’m still waiting for the rail to continue north to Montreal.
and although Florida’s peninsula would seem quite linear, there’d it’d take a bit of a trick to link up all important cities. In fact, two N-S lines might be even better, with a few cross-lines.
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p>Connecting to Atlanta is so important because of DC. Since the route to DC from Atlanta is far less dense, the train would travel faster than along Boston to DC route, making the two routes require roughly the same amount of time. The key is to help folks who are currently taking flights of 400 miles or less to take the train instead. It’ll do wonders for a reduction of fuel consumption and ease congestion on highways and runways.
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p>The longer routes — like to Miami — aren’t as attractive because even at 180 mph Boston to Miami you’re still looking at an 8 hour trip were it nonstop. With stops, 10 hours or more.
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p>When the time for train and plane travel are close, folks can be convinced to choose the train over the plane, particularly business travelers. When train takes hours more than plane, it’s a much tougher sell, and we’re a long way from 180 mph anywhere on the East Coast. Hell, the Acela train gets to 100 mph exactly once between NYC and Boston. Should Florida have great rail? Sure. But, it won’t have the ridership potential that Atlanta to DC would have, not by a long shot.
… I’d take the train for 10hrs to Miami. At least I’d know when the train was leaving. Hell, if you add security, getting there early, stopovers and such, I might save a small amount of money, get a predictable schedule, and much more comfy seating…. all for the cost of a few hours.
but that’s at 180 mph with limited stops. If it’s got more than a half dozen stops [Bos, NYC, Phil, DC, Charlotte, Jacksonville] it’ll take more.
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p>And, 180 mph between Boston and DC would cost a fortune in infrastructure improvements. Not only do you have to eliminate all at-grade crossings, but the train runs too close to residences — and so you’d have to do loads of sound reduction. 180 mph turbulent wind is loud, even if the engines and wheels were silent.
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p>So yeah, some folks would go for 10 hours Bos-Mia. But, we’re billions of dollars in infrastructure from there. 120 mph on the East coast is far cheaper. That said, no reason why we can’t do 180 mph further from the oceans [and from Chicagoland].
I’ve had that song stuck in my head all day and then I come here and it’s a post title, lol. Thankfully There are worse songs to get stuck on.
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p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…
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p>Before I read this post, I heard the album version on my iPod during my jog. It was sandwiched between Jay-Z’s “Public Service Announcement” and Diplo’s remix of Marlena Shaw’s “California Soul”.
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p>I now expect a Clash-themed title for one post during each day of this convention trip.
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p>On topic, it was interesting to here Governor Dukakis’s perspective on the trains.
Clash themes … Let me work on that.
“You have the right to free speech – as long as youre not dumb enough to actually try it” [outside the Free Speech Zone].
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p>White riot: Police tell Denver protesters to go straight to hell.
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p>I fought the law and the law won.
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p>It’s time to clampdown on message discipline and party unity.
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p>FOR NEXT WEEK:
It turns out Rudy can fail, John McCain got lost in a supermarket, and anti-La Raza groups drop Spanish F-Bombs.
Dukakis would have made a great president, if only because any man who can endure 19 games of Candyland in such a short span of time is a man who can put up with the most asinine aspects of governing in America.
Dude’s hardcore.
I am watching MSNBC’s coverage, and in the background is a beautiful shot of Denver’s Union Station. It’s beautiful.
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p>Travel by train is beautiful in ways that air travel is ugly. It’s spacious, it’s free. It’s the poetry of America, where planes are cramped and abbreviated. A place like Union Station is a temple to the spacious lands of America.
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p>This makes me want to travel to Denver by train.
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Downtown Denver, in fact, is really very lovely, funky, and walkable. Good food, coffee and beer. Terrific.
are thinking of going Boston to Phoenix* on Amtrak in 2009 for the Greenbuild conference. That’s a long trip, but one we think we’d enjoy. Plus, we might do the City of New Orleans run one one way and not the other, allowing us to go down the Mississippi river, go one E-W route through Houston and San Anton, and the other way E-W through Albuquerque and Kansas City. We might make a 4 day conference a 3 week American adventure!
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p> * OK, either Flagstaff or Tucson then car/bus, since Amtrak doesn’t go to Phoenix.