Hacker News Reader

Comment by dajohnson89 | Hacker News Reader

Let's add in the BWI airport too. And while we're at it add Baltimore too. But that's it!

This is why we can’t have nice things

We can’t have nice things because people in the US live in an almost continuous band of mid-density urban agglomeration from Boston to DC, and it’s hard to reach most of the population through just a few stations.

The most noticeable thing about European cities, to my American eyes, is how they just... end. Drive from Munich airport to the city, and it’s farmland in between. Drive from Dulles to DC, and it’s strip malls and suburbs the whole way.

I noticed that on the Eurostar from Paris to London. Less than 30 minutes after leaving Gare du Nord it looked like I was in the Tennessee countryside. Except for the bend through Lille, it stayed that way until we entered the tunnel.

Urban planning...green belt laws.

Land value tax and carbon tax!

Baltimore and BWI together have 1.7 million NEC boarding per year, only modestly less than BBY and BOS’s combined 2.1 million. Philly has over 3 million.

The issue is the rest of the nation though.

Yes, it's obviously a winner for the North East. You guys can put as many cities as you like on the link list because you have the geography and the density.

Awesome!

Good for you.

What about everyone else?

The layout of the Midwest is actually more Europe-like than the Northeast, and arguably a better fit for Euro-style high speed rail. Unfortunately, the will and determination required to build it doesn't seem to exist.

move to a higher density area? i moved to the east coast, from the south.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com