by lpetrich
Organizers line up big names to push new high-speed rail line linking D.C. to N.Y. - The Washington Post
It will be using JR Central's maglev technology, but I couldn't find further details. That's what will be used in the upcoming Chuo Shinkansen line.
Although it will be stopping at NYC - DC Northeast Corridor stops, there is nothing on some important additional issues.
The right-of-way will be a big problem. It must be *very* straight, otherwise the trains won't be able to travel at full speed. Acquiring it in a built-up area like the NEC seems like it will be *very* difficult, even if one decides to use viaducts for much of the route. Tunnels may avoid it outright, but they are even more expensive than viaducts.
How will the project be financed? US investors are not exactly accustomed to financing high-speed-rail projects, let alone HSR projects with unproven technologies. Investors from elsewhere may be more willing to cough up the necessary money, especially investors from nations with lots of HSR lines. Government money? It would be too much for the states along the way, and the Federal Government would have a problem with blowing a lot of money on a project that benefits only one small part of the nation. At least not without similar big spending elsewhere. Even worse is the attitude that certain politicians are likely to have, as is evidenced by the recent government shutdown.
The Northeast Maglev, the 25-employee company founded in 2010, is looking to develop a high-speed magnetic levitation system that would bring passengers from Washington to Baltimore in 15 minutes and to New York in 60 minutes, at speeds of 311 miles an hour.The project's home page: TNEM | The Northeast Maglev
It will be using JR Central's maglev technology, but I couldn't find further details. That's what will be used in the upcoming Chuo Shinkansen line.
Although it will be stopping at NYC - DC Northeast Corridor stops, there is nothing on some important additional issues.
The right-of-way will be a big problem. It must be *very* straight, otherwise the trains won't be able to travel at full speed. Acquiring it in a built-up area like the NEC seems like it will be *very* difficult, even if one decides to use viaducts for much of the route. Tunnels may avoid it outright, but they are even more expensive than viaducts.
How will the project be financed? US investors are not exactly accustomed to financing high-speed-rail projects, let alone HSR projects with unproven technologies. Investors from elsewhere may be more willing to cough up the necessary money, especially investors from nations with lots of HSR lines. Government money? It would be too much for the states along the way, and the Federal Government would have a problem with blowing a lot of money on a project that benefits only one small part of the nation. At least not without similar big spending elsewhere. Even worse is the attitude that certain politicians are likely to have, as is evidenced by the recent government shutdown.