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Old 02-18-2011, 04:03 PM
Don H Don H is offline
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I would like to see high speed rail from the NY area (New Jersey) to southern Florida. I don't know if a high speed auto-train would work. There are a number of problems with the current auto-train. It only goes to Virginia because it won't make the tunnels in the DC area with the larger car carriers. It operates on old rights of way which are not conducive to high speeds and the rights of way are ( I believe ) owned by CSX. Passenger traffic always has to give way to freight traffic which slows things down. The eastern corridor would be the perfect site for a high speed auto-train with limited stops. I suppose the cars would have to be placed in car carriers that could be simply uncoupled at such stops since on-loading and off-loading would take lots of time. It's something that could be done but with lots of changes to the existing system which means lots of cash. The tremendous distances in this country sounded the death knell to long distance trains with the advent of air travel. But, they certainly do have their place in regional and coastal service. The trouble is we are very far behind in taking rail seriously and now it may be way too expensive to catch up.