On Friday, 12 March 2021 at 18:55:01 UTC-4, wrote:
On Fri, 12 Mar 2021 19:04:48 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:

Keyser Söze wrote:
On 3/12/21 10:50 AM, wrote:
On Fri, 12 Mar 2021 09:41:44 -0500, Keyser Söze
wrote:


https://ibb.co/nLVG10W

With trains, you don't have to deal with airports or long rides to and
from the airport to your eventual destination. With trains, you usually
don't have to deal with long lines. With trains, you don't have to deal
with crappy seats, even the crappy seats in first class. With trains,
you don't have to contort yourself to pee standing up in the rest room.
With trains, if the engine fails, the train simply comes to a stop.

As long as you don't mind a 20 hour ride plus the trip to and from the
station. The train makes sense if you can take the Metroliner to NY
from DC but I am not taking the milk train from Florida to DC and I
would have to drive to Sanford to get it (4 hours or more each way).
Where do you catch the train south? Union Station? Somewhere in
Virginia?
RSW is 15 minutes from here.
You are also one bomb threat away from full TSA screening on the
train.
There are no long lines in 1st class. They have an express line
through TSA, the ticket counter/baggage check and you board first.

I would drive before I took a train. It is faster.



The "photo" compared the time it takes to go similar distances on
China's modern passenger rail system and our ****ty, outmoded, ancient
passenger rail system.

The last time we took the train to Jax, we boarded at Union Station in
DC, but it does make a brief stop in Alexandria, Virginia. We did that
once. Parking there was free...within sight of the Masonic tower.

We usually take the train to NYC, New Haven, and even Boston. Took it to
Providence about a decade ago.



And if there is a freight train, they have priority over the passenger
train. Admittedly the train system here sucks. Even for freight. We
tried to build a high speed system here. $33 billion they told us and we
voted yes. Now we are pushing $100 billion for a system between two
Central Valley towns. As to freight. Buddy use to own a rebar company.
They trucked the rebar from Salt Lake City area to the bay area. Asked why
not train? He said, 15 hours via truck, 1-3 months for cars get switched
around and may sit in a yard for a month or more. Passenger trains and
even freight were victims of unreasonable union demands. Go from steam to
diesel and the Union demanded you still have a fireman, etc. also, the
population density in lots of the world supports HSR. Not here in lots of
the area.
We had freight service here, mostly for aggregates, steel and paper
for the Snooze Press. They are phasing it out because trucking it is
cheaper. I think all the trains south of Ft Myers are shut down. I
never hear the whistles anymore. I suppose I could go up and see how
rusty the track is.
The problem is it used to run through cow pastures. Now it is gated
communities with megabuck houses.
NIMBY means something when you are talking about rich people.
We haven't had passenger service here since the 50s or early 60s.
(except for a round trip dinner train ride to South Punta Gorda)


Still have passenger train service to Montreal 3 times a week...down from twice a day a couple dozen years ago.
Lots of freight, especially container trains thanks to our still busy port..