Won't this create more urban sprawl?
I'm also not convinced they won't have security screening for the high speed rail. I wonder if they do in Spain because of 911 + 912.
I'm also not convinced they won't have security screening for the high speed rail. I wonder if they do in Spain because of 911 + 912.
Also, I just returned from backpacking in Europe, where we used rail as our primary mode of transport. Security is minimal; among my three trips on rail in Spain, we never had our passports checked and our bags were only scanned once in Barcelona.
No, because train stations are usually in or very close to inner city centers (airports are noisy, generate loads of waste and need enormous amounts of space so you have to get them out and far). In fact if done correctly it would probably bring americans back to city centers, closer to the stations and better able to hop onto a train and ride to the next town, 200 miles and an hour away.
> I'm also not convinced they won't have security screening for the high speed rail.
I don't know of any european nation with anything even remotely close to airport security in train stations. In France, you can literally arrive a minute before departure and hop on your high-speed train (it's not recommended because the risk of missing your train is high, but it's possible).
Same in Germany. And in Switzerland the risk of lateness is even lower.
Trains contribute to sprawl, but differently than cars. American-style sprawl is the result of individuals using cars for all transportation. Communities that don't rely on cars and use trains for distance travel/commuting clump around stations as more people walk and bike when going short distances. Less wasted space.