@@BrentLandrum this is really my only explanation. I'm used to 101 being U.S. 101 and my brain willfully ignored all other information.
@TheCriminalViolin
Жыл бұрын
@@BrentLandrum And Oregon. And Washington haha. Its just the coast highway.
@eyezak_m
Жыл бұрын
There's a study from the FRA back in 2014 that is an interesting read called the Southwest High Speed Rail study. In it it suggests a HSR network in the southwest should start with LA to Vegas, SF, and possibly Phoenix. Then from there possibly Vegas to Phoenix and SF to Reno. When there's a network it suggests possibly adding Albuquerque or Salt Lake. Coming from Salt Lake, that makes sense since we don't even have an Amtrak route to LA. But in the long term it would be interesting.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
Their growth has slowed, but both metros are still expanding at a 10%/decade clip. Phoenix-Las Vegas would be closer to worth it in 30-40 years if growth were steady. I think adding Albuquerque to anything at speed is a bit unrealistic unless Albuquerque triples in size. Maybe El Paso? Otherwise the terrain or distance is pretty bad. I'm not sure HSR between LV and SLC is possible.
@eyezak_m
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStewAlbuquerque would need to be growing faster than what it is right now. Salt Lake and Vegas are both booming in regards to metro area so I could see that happening if a network exists
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@eyezak_m yeah, the problem is the terrain between the two. The Virgin River Gorge is not an option, so then what? I'll add it to my city pair list as a challenge.
@eyezak_m
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew I would suggest Southern Utah Univerisity's Desert Fast Track Design & Construction High Speed Rail study. It's an interesting read of connecting Cedar City and St. George to Vegas with more direct rail
@wesleycanada3675
Жыл бұрын
Why not Tuscan
@VulcanLogic
Жыл бұрын
If you were to link San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose, the Central Valley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tucson, you'd have an area the size of Spain but with more people who also have more money.
@hkiller57
2 ай бұрын
as a Phoenix resident, i can tell you nobody will miss wickenberg if we have to destroy it for a high speed rail
@cathrynm
Ай бұрын
The thing about LV to Phoenix is that there's also a plan to build an I11 between the two cities. So many the HSR could ride on as an add-on to the freeway? Still, kind of suprised how expensive this one came out myself, actually, as there really is not all that much between the two cities.
@robserrano8971
Жыл бұрын
Brightline West, should make a triangle LA 2 LV 2 PHX 2 LA.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
One leg is a little easier than the other 2. Ultimately if someone is able to take a high speed train from Phoenix to Las Vegas in the future, it would likely end up going through the L.A. area to get there.
@vasquen
2 ай бұрын
Seems to me an HSR link would be more worth the dollar using LA metro as an anchor for both Phoenix and LV. However i do believe a direct intercity regional railway service between LV and PHX would be great. It could run a bit slower to reduce cost
@AMPProf
2 ай бұрын
No waiting is better cause thies cities bout to die like Raiders
@craftergin
Жыл бұрын
This was a great pie-in-the-sky video. Very fun. I've lived in AZ and LA and been to Vegas a lot. There was no way because of the geography. Not to mention that in 30-40 years, those cities may be abandoned because of NO MORE WATER. That being said, I would LOVE for you to do a high speed train from LA to Phoenix with a station in Palm Springs and Quartzite using the I-10 corridor. There isn't any passenger service to Phoenix currently which sucks. Only Tucson and Flagstaff. I wish there was in-state rail between Tucson-Phoenix-Prescott-Sedona-Flagstaff. That would be awesome! But MOUNTAINS. LOL!
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
I kind of liked the idea if Avi Kwa Ame and Mojave Trails National Monuments weren't so unnecessarily vast. There is a pretty good and extremely fast route through that area that hypothetically could have hooked up with Brightline West at Barstow or Primm and killed 2 birds with one stone. Several people have mentioned L.A.-Phoenix now, so it might make a good follow-up video to this one.
@angelcabeza6464
2 ай бұрын
So just like California yet they are still the most populated state
@jaydeeification
Жыл бұрын
Looks like HSR from Phoenix to Rancho would be the best option, even if travel time to Vegas would be on the slow side. Provides more connection options with BLW and eventually California HSR (lol)
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
I'm probably going to do a Phoenix-L.A. video eventually, so we'll see. I have my doubts about the area between San Gorgonio Pass and anywhere west.
@BrentLandrum
Жыл бұрын
Great research on this video. I agree with your conclusion, the direct route between Phoenix and Vegas is just too expensive. Heck, there's a reason there's no interstate between them to date. I'd love to see a high-speed line that connects to a midpoint on Brightline West to give Phoenix high speed access to two metros, but with the land restrictions in southern California, that's a pipe dream. Would love to see a video on potential PHX to LA routes!
@stephanweinberger
Жыл бұрын
I'm always flabbergasted by the cost of HSR in the US. In Europe that line would cost 20-25 billion at most. For comparison: the latest HSR line in Germany (Wendlingen-Ulm) cost ~105 million per mile (but with 50% tunnels!); the Koralm railway line in Austria will cost about 65-70 million per mile when finished (~30% tunnels). So how can a line with just 12% tunnels cost 145+ million per mile? Especially when it would for the most part run on land already owned by the government!
@fischerfys0958
Жыл бұрын
It is such a shame that this route is so expensive , because the is so much NOTHING between the two cities
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
Those national monuments really surprised me. I was not aware either existed. Both cover huge swaths of land by fiat and I think they'd be open to legal challenge if someone really wanted to decide to push it, but I didn't want to base my route on that assumption. I assume LA-Phoenix will be as torturous as LV-Phoenix, but I'll add it to the list. Getting from LA to the San G Pass will be an absolute nightmare, if possible at all.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@stephanweinberger A lot of my estimated cost was getting into and out of the metro areas. When you consider the difference between Europe and the western U.S., you need to remember these cities barely existed 100 years ago and have built up from small towns to enormous, fairly low-density metros all around air and road vehicle transport. The radius of the Phoenix metro is 2/3 the distance of that German line you've cited. There is a lot of infrastructure to work around and alter. We can't just plug into rail here for HSR passenger service. Freight rail owns nearly all of the rail rights of way and they begrudgingly tolerate passenger traffic at best.
@stephanweinberger
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew but still: more than _twice_ as much? It might be more expensive in the metro areas (worst case: tunnel under for a few miles; remember Wendlingen-Ulm is literally 50% in tunnels). But then there's >80% of the route which is _not_ in metro areas, but mostly through barely used, government-owned countryside. Here in Central Europe you won't find much of that.
@CJbrinkman602
Жыл бұрын
I’ve done this route in NIMBY Rails (Great game for transit proposals btw) I think it would have been better if you linked up the the Brightline station for useful connections into SoCal. I personally think Phoenix to LA would be the more feasible line in terms of ridership. This is something Brightline has talked about . It’s also worth mentioning the the line should continue down to Tucson as this is a connection the state has talked a lot about in the recent years
@DiamondKingStudios
24 күн бұрын
I see I’m not the only person who plays that.
@Vajamjam
Жыл бұрын
I know you're focusing on U.S. corridors but I would love to see this type of detailed analysis on the Toronto - Montreal corridor! Or the broader Windsor - Quebec City corridor in general. Currently the route is not high speed and goes through Kingston but VIA is looking at an alternate alignment through Peterborough that would not be shared with freight. Keep up the great videos!
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
I'll consider it. I might do a video about a larger hypothetical U.S. - Canada system some time in the future.
@rpf276
Жыл бұрын
If Canada built a HSR from Windsor to Quebec city it should extend to a US Midwest HSR system based in Chicago. This could be the most positive thing that US and Canada could do together for well over a generation.
@counterfit5
Жыл бұрын
@@rpf276could link it to the Empire Corridor too
@robertmeyer6448
5 ай бұрын
Great video and really interesting. Couldn't help but considering routing it to stop in Wickenburg, Kingman and Laughlin/Bullhead City or extending it on both ends to Tucson and Reno. I know the price is pretty high but with how much the population is growing in these cities and the tourism and economic potential of the metro corridors (Phoenix-Las Vegas, Phoenix-Tucson, and Las Vegas-Reno) it could be a worthwhile investment for Nevada and Arizona.
@onetwothreeabc
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for the video. See you in the beautiful airports!
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
As long as it's not DEN, I'm cool with that.
@AutumnBosco
Жыл бұрын
Fantastic as always! Can’t wait for more!
@adamvanpr
Жыл бұрын
As long as we're doing pipe dreams, I would love to see a CAHSR to Cascadia HSR connection!
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
I think I'm going to do corridor connectors as a series after I'm done covering the corridors. I might start that earlier if I run out of city pair ideas.
@user-px8wk9tc5c
Жыл бұрын
You mean AZ Loop 101. U.S.101 is in California, Oregon & Washington State that is shared with I-5 from the Mexican border at San Ysidro to Los Angeles where it splits, U.S.10@ goes along the California Coast & Salinas River Valley through the San Francisco metro area, crosses the Golden Gate Bridge and follows close to the Pacific Ocean and the Redwood forest region.
@jonathanwoods3136
Ай бұрын
Would love to see the monorail that already exist to help connect the airport and this possible HSR. It would need significant expansion but could be cheaper than alternative options I feel.
@TheWolfHowling
2 ай бұрын
09:10 If the train is going to be passing by anyway, I say we build a Hoover Dam/Lake Mead Station. The Hoover Dam is a major tourist attraction in Nevada, with millions of visitors annually. A rail link between Las Vegas & the Dam could take a lot of tour buses off of the road
@tapdancer4327
4 ай бұрын
would love to see a hsr route between Scranton PA and NYC! Perhaps with service continuing on to Buffalo or Pittsburgh!
@brucehain
Жыл бұрын
Was so taken by your plan to run under "the strip" as to be immediately compelled with exploring the idea for an ending with a bang - or several, with a station at about every big casino along the way - for my heroic Anaheim-Vegas linear induction steel wheels-on-rail project - heroic because of the bridge, and the tunnels, which, not counting below-street running to get it out of the way would probably include 20mi. or so of them, but beat that Cucamonga surface bound line by at least an hour. (not counting getting to/from Union Sta. or San Diego)
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
The resorts are so compact, especially on the south strip, you could probably service 4-5 with a single station, each having its own entrance/exit. The dream is aerial down the middle of the strip, though.
@brucehain
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew Yeh so far I've got four on one station. Problem is how to arrange to get over or under the tracks - then to casino-specific underground conveyors. I figure could do skip-a-stop and fill in the rest by making a trip back out returning empty. Since tickets are electronic, or even without people have to state their destination, so probably some stops could be skipped altogether. I'm looking at maybe 5 along the 13 miles from where it goes underground. Intended to stop this days ago.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@brucehain 😂 that's why I didn't bother going to Fremont St. in the video
@MartinHoeckerMartinez
Жыл бұрын
If LV-PHX was a more viable route (and you are right in your analysis that it's a hard sell) it would be worth thinking about how (if) it could share end points with the LA-LV (brightline) plan. I liked your pipe dream to get a series of stations connecting the airport, the southern strip and fremont street. You're actual terminus is more realistic but I'm glad you included both.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
I'd considered connecting to the BLW station site. I'm not saying it impossible, but BLW being elevated or at grade at that station wouldn't make it easy because you have to come into that plot underground from the east. It's a more practical end point, but I really wanted to get past Harry Reid and into the heart of the area. HSR up the strip would be awesome. I'd ride it.
@gumbyshrimp2606
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStewa more likely scenario is PHX-LV meets at your station at McCarran airport, then loops around to meet the northern end of the Brightline station in order to go south to LA
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@gumbyshrimp2606 Yeah, just depends how much you want to spend. That UP main line could figure in there somewhere.
@GeoMeridium
Жыл бұрын
I think some sort of rail project is necessary for this corridor. Amtrak could not currently have service from Las Vegas to Phoenix because there are literally no train tracks connecting the two cities (even for freight). Likewise, there are no interstates connecting the two cities, which is pretty absurd, since the city pair is comparable in population and distance to Berlin and Munich. Thus, I think the project should be combined with the proposed Phoenix - Las Vegas I-11 extension. This way, the line could be at ground level, and America's most needed interstate project could also be finished. The train line wouldn't even need to be 200+mph California style project, it'd just need to be a 2 1/2 hour journey that would hold up against air travel and driving. The terrain is relatively flat and wouldn't be that difficult to build on, except near the state border, and it'd likely be a nonstop journey, since the towns in between are too small to justify a station.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
It's unfortunate so much of the interstate highway system was built without consideration for HSR, because that would make things so much easier. They did this with Interstate 4 between Orlando and Tampa in Florida, and once Brightline manages to get to the freeway ROW, they should be able to run pretty quickly. I think there is a strong case to be made that any future interstates should be so designed. However, there are very few left to be built and some of those may never happen.
@GeoMeridium
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew I completely agree, although to be fair, the US Interstate System was already well underway by the time Japan began their experiment with bullet trains.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@GeoMeridium Yeah, its kind of like CAHSR, where maybe the time to make a definitive decision on these things was 40-50 years ago. We missed it and it will be expensive to deal with.
@BillKing3456
5 ай бұрын
For all the reasons you stated I agree with you it’s too expensive. And you have several options to fly between the 2 in an hour 15 to an hour 25, nonstop, for under $100 round trip. Pretty hard to beat. I also wonder whether desert winds blowing sand might take its toll on equipment - can’t ignore that factor either. Fun to watch the way you use Google Studio. Masters Class.
@LucidStew
5 ай бұрын
The Saudis have HSR using Talgo equipment, so its definitely possible in the conditions. It may be that the connection ends up happen through southern California, although this isn't exactly ideal from a travel time aspect. You'd probably be looking at about 4 1/2 hours. Also, few people currently living would be around for it.
@kennixox262
2 ай бұрын
The airport tunnel for cars at the airport has an unused tunnel for trains (of the future) . Not sure if you are aware of it or not, but it's there.
@mccarjl
Жыл бұрын
This was a fun video, as I live in Phoenix and own land in Kingman, but I doubt this will ever happen in my lifetime. Just not that much demand and the terrain getting up there is really rough… just driving from PHX to Kingman is like a roller coaster. That said, two comments about the content. Any rail station in Phoenix will be south of downtown, most likely a refurbished Union Station, which has sat abandoned for some 30 years after Amtrak stopped service. There are already a number of freight rail corridors there. The areas north of downtown are too expensive now to develop. Moreover, there are easier ways in and out of Phoenix for a train via south of downtown. The land south of where those train tracks are currently is either very rough, undeveloped or industrial. Also a huge landfill. Any land seized for a train track would come at a fraction of what it would be by the 10… and if Phoenix continues to develop, I believe this is the next place to get gentrified. The other thing to consider (and you might have mentioned this and I just mentioned), Rt93 is eventually going to become I-11 in Arizona. As that route gets up to interstate grade standards, it will “pave the way” for a potential train route. Again, I don’t see this happening in my lifetime. I think it is much more likely (and I hope) that we get a HSR connecting downtown PHX and Tucson.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
I really did not like the old Union Station site as its kind of off in the corner near a lot of government buildings and had very little potential for development and redevelopment. I also considered the more southerly route. I have maps made up for it, but it was very unsatisfying in terms of serving the Phoenix metro. I think the two combined would be a big mistake. It would be nice for future development of interstates to take HSR into consideration. One problem, however is that the IHS is nearly complete at this point.
@btomimatsucunard
Жыл бұрын
For Kingman, wouldn't it be better to place a station close to the Amtrak station so that there is a transfer between Amtrak and the HSR line? or is that pretty much impossible? I know the route is limited as of now, but Amtrak has proposed running additional trains over the Chief route
@MartinHoeckerMartinez
Жыл бұрын
Thinking about how the two could connect is a worthy concern and (assuming an LV-PHX route is worth building) shifting either the proposed HSR stop or the existing Amtrak station in Kingman should be looked into.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
I don't see the old part of Kingman as being achievable for any reasonable cost.
@FishyAltFishy
Жыл бұрын
Fast train, cool train.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
expensive train :)
@wafford11
Жыл бұрын
Why are there so many stations? Isn’t high speed rail supposed to be intercity with local metros feeding into one or two central stations. In Japan that’s how the Shinkansen runs. Anyways, great video!
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
Because if I only put a couple people ask why there are so few. :D Mainly be we don't have local metros, so the HSR line has to be it. For instance, in this case if I run from Boulder City to Surprise, there's nothing on either end and you would need enormous parking structures.
@qjtvaddict
6 ай бұрын
@@LucidStewno build the damn metros china lacked metros too so they built them
@SeanSL
Жыл бұрын
I’d love to see you do Cascadia!
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
will cover that in a video about the Pacific Northwest Corridor some time in the future.
@edb8064
Жыл бұрын
What would happen if the HSR started in Tucson and went to Phoenix to Flagstaff, then across Interstate 40 to Kingman and then to Vegas?
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
Phoenix to FLAGSTAFF? Man, and I thought I was a sadist going with that U.S. 93 route. XD I do think if some point west, like L.A. connected to Phoenix this way, Tucson would be a foregone conclusion, at least as an extension.
@edb8064
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew The mountainous section is currently being upgraded on I-17. added lanes and reversible lanes.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@edb8064 I haven't looked at it, but just from an energy standpoint its really inefficient. Phoenix is at about 1000ft. elevation. Las Vegas is at about 2000ft. Best case scenario is an even grade from 1000ft to 2000ft. over the ~300miles. Climbing to 7000ft. in the middle is closer to worst-case scenario.
@TimothyLipinski
2 ай бұрын
Great Video ! Any Routes for Denver to ABQ ? And down from ABQ to T and C (Spaceport America) and continue to Los Cruses ! And maybe later connect the Gateway to Mars ! tjl
@WELVAS.
2 ай бұрын
El paso is also near Las Cruces. Maybe lol
@commorevpenguin9602
Жыл бұрын
PNW corridor would make a great video
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
I'll be covering it eventually as part of my FRA HSR corridors series.
@gregory596
Жыл бұрын
Would like to see your dreams for HSR south from Atlanta into Central Florida. Would be most interested in the route to know which intermediate stops you would select.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
Something like ATL to Jacksonville? or are you talking more like Orlando?
@gregory596
Жыл бұрын
@LucidStew my route would go south to Macon, then WEST to Columbus, south to Tallahassee, and southeast to Orlando. Someone else my prefer going from Macon southeast to Savanah, then south to Jacksonville and Orlando. Directly south-southeast from Atlanta (thru Macon) to Orlando is the most direct route but misses all those other cities.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@gregory596 Most of that will be covered in the Southeast Corridor video when I get around to it. With the amount of cities and possible connections, that might be a fairly long video.
@selwrynn6702
12 күн бұрын
It might take a bit longer but it seems like it might be easier to cross from Arizona to Nevada down around Lake Mohave and Searchlight allowing you to avoid all the rough terrain by traveling up 95 instead of 93 for that last stretch, you can then either terminate in Boulder City or Henderson (As this is a fantasy world my vote is Henderson because Las Vegas has decided to build out their own metro system which terminates there).
@Noisy_Cricket
11 ай бұрын
5:47 I don't think East SOCAL is "off limits for development" in a scenario where the government is building HSR lines of this magnitude. Congress will allow it. After all, as you just said, there are already highways like US 95 running through these preserves.
@LucidStew
11 ай бұрын
There are stipulations in the creation of the various preserves, wilderness areas, monuments, and parks that dictate existing infrastructure can be maintained, but new cannot be built. As you say, it would take an act of Congress, which is not exactly a low standard. As it stands, you really can't run development through that area. Something would need to be changed. I wasn't willing to assume that would occur for the sake of the video.
@richardmoore899
Жыл бұрын
I feel you chose the route as the bird flies. Not one that is sensible in utilizing routes for otber high speed networks. It would be better to build off a La via san bernardo/ san deigo route. Using i10 corridor. Cut through (with stop at lake havasu join the I95 and cross country to bright line west. Ruling run of 250mph (which covers train improvements) prob end up cruising at 220mph. Turn bright line station into a large transit hub. And force them to run a line at 200 mph Or as you put it a tunnel under las vegas. ( however i would if your building such a tunnel have it capable of accepting amtrak superliners for added connectivity with long distance trains. With onward comnection to salt lake
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
Not sure what you mean by "cut through Lake Havasu", but that area is not tenable. There is no through route in that entire area thanks to a combination of national parks, national reserves, wilderness areas, and national monuments. You have only 2 options. U.S. 93 or I-10 to I-15.
@richardmoore899
Жыл бұрын
@LucidStew I did mean the town/ city on the lake. From Google maps it seemed there was a route that would be sniping the middle of each route just but will have a deeper look at it as i was doing it off my phone. Basically follow the I 95 corridor and at around "searchlight" it would peel of to join brightline west on I 15. If you can link some of the major towns in the area with out too much issue you can improve public transport in those areas. With phoenix I still feel using the old union station is better. They're mostly all well suited. They just all need some rebuilding and messing with to improve other facilities around them. Connecting the airport up is a good idea mainly as its a useful link when expanding east.
@qjtvaddict
6 ай бұрын
At that point build maglev
@johnmckeon4498
2 ай бұрын
The other issue with this route is that both Phoenix and Tucson airports already have good flight connections to Las Vegas. At least one or two per day for Tucson and many per day for Phoenix. There's just not a big enough demand for a train to get there.
@danielportillo9266
Жыл бұрын
This sounds so cool 😎
@walkertheweaver
Жыл бұрын
What is your process for estimating costs? Your numbers always seem very realistic and I'm curious as to how you land on them.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
I have 3 land categories: rural, suburban, urban. Those get exponentially more expensive toward density. The land categories have three building types: at-grade, aerial, underground. Same thing toward technological expense. Lastly, is the ROW existing or new? New has extra cost due to land acquisition and additional prep. The base price for a rural, at-grade, existing right of way is derived from Brightline West's cost estimate. I then applied the formula to BLW and CAHSR, got satisfactory amounts, and felt ok about it. The main thing for me is that it allows me to likely get within 20% of a more sophisticated estimate for a 300 mile+ route in only about 15 minutes using nothing more than Google Maps and a calculator.
@D-Harb
23 күн бұрын
I would like to see Las Vegas to Denver and Las Vegas to Reno! Please Please!!
@RVail623
Жыл бұрын
You may have forgotten that Brightline West recently purchased land for their new Las Vegas train station at the SW corner of Harry Reid Airport & Interstate 15. Plus: there already exists freight line tracks which have been in use since being built by AT&SF in 1908 between downtown Phoenix & Parker, on the AZ/CA border at the Colorado River. Which could serve as a substantial portion of a new "higher speed" train route connecting Phoenix & Las Vegas. Would require ~120 miles of new right-of-way between Parker & Boulder City, Nevada. Using a 12 mile section of BNSF's Transcon between Topock, AZ & Needles, CA, traversed daily by Amtrak's SW Chief. Also providing passenger service to Lake Havasu City & the Laughlin, NV/Bullhead City, AZ metro area.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
I don't like the BLW site and I avoided it on purpose. BLW can connect to my system, not the other way around. 😁 I looked at the BNSF route intensely. I actually have graphics made up for it, but changed my mind, deciding it did not offer adequate benefit on the way out of the metro.
@RVail623
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew Who decided it's "High Speed Rail, or nothing"? "Higher speed rail", as Brightline Florida has opted for, is certainly better than "No soup (train) for you". Another route option would involve using a further portion of BNSF's "peavine" freight line north of Wickenburg, then angling off towards Las Vegas. The route via Parker would be least costly: a small fraction of the cost of a full "high speed rail" solution shown in your video.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@RVail623 Are you talking about using freight tracks to convey a passenger train like Amtrak would?
@RVail623
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew Something similar to Brightline Florida: some route portions grade separated, some not. The segment between Cocoa & Orlando can go up 125 MPH. Could they have done a true "High Speed Rail" in Florida? Yes, but way more expensive. Note: both of those (currently) freight routes via Wickenburg were once passenger routes, as well as for freight. AT&SF used to provide sleeper car service to PHX, branching off from their Chicago - L.A. "Super Chief".
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@RVail623 Also, sorry, I said I looked at the BNSF route intensely(well I did that, too), but I meant the UP route further to the south.
@PuNicAdbo
Жыл бұрын
Very cool videos. Greetings from Germany
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
Thank you! Greetings from the U.S. :)
@thesquirrelthatwentupurass7920
Жыл бұрын
Lmao "nothing" ...Also, thank you for mentioning Cascadia in last weeks episode. Looking forward to your monthly updates as a new subscriber. Cheers!!!🍻
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
I'm guessing some trucker added that to Google Maps. There's nothing out there for miles except a pull out that long-haul uses to sleep. I'm thinking about doing a more thorough analysis of that Cascadia review and hopefully that review dropping will put it in the news for at least a little bit. and thanks for the sub!
@bartsimho1192
Жыл бұрын
As a thing. It would be interesting to look at some projects elsewhere in the world to see how they are doing things in regards to High Speed Rail
@TomBTerrific
Жыл бұрын
The US has been trying to get a rapid train in California. They contracted with a European company who has successfully constructed rapid rails in other countries. Unfortunately the bureaucracy in California was so restrictive the European company pulled out and sad no thanks then went to another country and built one there while the US continues playing politics and inflates the cost.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
I mean, surely politics is involved in this idea all around the world. It just seems like we have an extra, heaping helping.
@TomBTerrific
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew absolutely and unfortunately for the greater good never seems to be allowed to participate.
@stevenroshni1228
Жыл бұрын
I would go for a cross platform transfer to a monorail that would go down The Strip. Checked luggage would transfer onto this. But I agree this plan is a nope!
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
It would be so awesome. I wish it could happen.
@JohnDB9009
Жыл бұрын
Would there be merit in utilizing the existing light rail line out of the airport in Phoenix. It already connects to downtown via the Sky Harbor tram station.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
The purpose of the proposed airport connection is more to benefit people coming from the Glendale and Surprise stations than the downtown area that's already connected by the light rail line
@gumbyshrimp2606
Жыл бұрын
Do Omaha,NE to Lincoln,NE next
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
They're only 40 miles apart!
@gumbyshrimp2606
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStewit would be very quick!
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@gumbyshrimp2606 quick train or quick video? 😂 you might be onto something there...🤔
@Perich29
Жыл бұрын
when you get to vegas lets connect the rail line to the brightline west station where it would meet.
@tonywalters7298
Жыл бұрын
How about the Ohio Hub connecting Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland?
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
I mostly cover that in the Chicago Hub Network video. This is city pairs, not whole systems as this idea is already a lot of work. The Wikipedia page for Ohio Hub has a lot of information if you include the cited sources that are still accessible.
@tonywalters7298
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew thank you.
@Rebles
Жыл бұрын
This was a fun exercise, though, I did not understand why you didn't put the Henderson Station on the SW side of I-11 after realigning Union Pacific ROW between I-11 and the proposed route. It seems cheaper as you can go parallel with Union Pacific. Or did you have concerns about going under I-564?
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
If I understand you correctly, my assumption #1 is that the freight ROWs are immutable and that the freight companies would be generally unwilling to do anything beyond accommodate new track in widths of ROW they're not using if there is reasonable separation between the two services. I avoided that UP ROW there because it has a nasty, very slow speed jog and at-grade intersection just west of the freeway junction. Like I said in the video, I don't really love the idea of a station there. My initial instinct was to go underground on the west side of I-11 and avoid that whole mess.
@Perich29
Жыл бұрын
we could also have it run down south from Phoenix to Tucson with a stop in Casa Grande.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@Perich29 I was sticking with the city pair concept for the video, but at a glance, any HSR line that gets to Phoenix seems to have a relatively easy extension to Tucson on its hands. I might do a series on intrastate lines after the corridors series, so might be a Phoenix-Tucson video in the future.
@alexisdespland4939
Жыл бұрын
why not start in estern gater phenoix in mesa and north to end in the city of nort los vefas if not all the way to reno. that will probably benessaru if either nevada or arazonia are like calafotnia and have project legaly need to be voted on by the state,
@puckgold4956
2 ай бұрын
Finishing I-11 from Wickenburg AZ and Kingman AZ is way more important and cost effective then rail between Phoenix and Vegas. Airlines are only charging $40-$75 for that route. Rail makes no sense from a fiscal viewpoint.
@victorhernandez1857
Жыл бұрын
I always thought this particular corridor would be the begining of a "Back range" corridor(as opposed to the proposed Cheyenne-El Paso Front range corridor). Connecting Phoenix-Vegas-Carson City/Lake Tahoe/Reno area/Sacramento-Oakland-SF with Vegas as a hub and primarily in western Nevada would be the easiest to build geographically and regulations-wise.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
I know Nevada has this idea of a Vegas-Reno corridor, but I cant see that ever happening.
@brucemaliga791
Жыл бұрын
you should do OKC to Lincoln NE
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
Lincoln's metro area only has about 360k people. It would have to cost less than $2 billion to be worth it and it would be at least that much just to get out of OKC.
@gumbyshrimp2606
Жыл бұрын
That just isn’t realistic for the population sizes and distance. Lincoln -> Omaha -> Kansas City, however would be epic! 😎
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@gumbyshrimp2606 I'm very slowly becoming convinced...
@brucemaliga791
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew yea its definitely not realistic, but i know a surprising amount of people trying to go from OKC to KC and people wanting to go from KC to Lincoln. so i men might as well connect it all together 🤷♂
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@brucemaliga791 In my Chicago Hub Network video I was pretty down on Kansas City and points west, but who knows maybe I'm wrong. I'm doing videos about all the FRA HSR corridors, but I think an interesting topic after that would be the connectors between corridors, like KC to OKC.
@notarotomwithhair5637
Жыл бұрын
Would be cool to do Columbus-Chicago/St. Louis
@AL5520
Жыл бұрын
You make great videos. It seems to me, as someone not from the states, that the main problem you have with public transport is the incredible fragmentation of your political system and the lack of a central planing process. It wasn't like this in the past which is how you've managed to build the current rail system and the highway system. Even in your suggestions things are fragmented as each line is on it's own disconnected from other lines and systems. A high speed line from Phoenix to Las Vegas is not something that should connect the airport to the city or the nearby suburbs, that the job of a more local system. As for Las Vegas, it should connect to the same station as the planned Brightlin West, not to another, different and disconnected, station and both should have urban connection to other parts of the city. A big city can have more than one high speed station but not multiple. One central station is fine, two is great but, in the end, this is a long distance line and other local areas should connect to the main stations with local transport. I'm all for high speed trains, I live in Spain, with the second largest system in the world and it's great, but before we built it we had a regular passenger rail system and urban and regional systems so maybe you need to start with building and improving those systems. But any thing the US decides to do it will require massive investments by the federal governments. In any case, you'll need to work on those extreme construction costs. The cost of the Madrid Barcelona high speed line, which is ~385mi with ~20mi of tunnels and 20mi of viaducts/bridges, was ~9B Euros (a bit more than 10B adjusted to inflation) and the entire current network (~2500mi) cost is ~75B USD, and Spain is the second most mountainous country in Europe *after Switzerland).
@LucidFL
Жыл бұрын
Rail systems were always built with fragmentation. Parallel lines were quite common between competing companies.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
Yes, a lot of it is politics. But they are our politics and we must deal with them accordingly. To defend myself, local transit does indeed connect to the airport in Phoenix, however, it is slow and only connects to the far outer edge of the property on the northeast side. From there, you can grab the airport tram. I wanted a more express option and chose it because it was not a terribly expensive extension. For BLW, their station is not in the greatest spot. To get full use, the train needs to get to the Strip because there is NO public transportation beyond buses in LV. The only links between that station and where you want to go in Vegas are I-15 and Las Vegas Blvd. and both are nightmares. That was another reason to connect the airport to the Strip. One of the reasons the Las Vegas monorail is doomed is because its connection to the airport was lobbied into the ground by taxi and limo interests. With the argument against multiple stations, again there is no "local" transport beyond the road network. It's interesting to me that I get criticism from both side on this. Some people say I don't have enough stations. Upgrading existing passenger rail is what's happening now. It will take many decades. By then the suburbs will have expanded further, chocking more areas off from easy access and making true HSR even more difficult. When considering cost, please consider that we are talking about vastly different densities. Madrid and Phoenix metros are similar in population, Madrid a bit more. The Madrid metro is ~20 miles across. Phoenix is closer to 50. I'm from southern California. I live 70 miles from the coast and if I chose to drive to the beach I would NEVER be out of a city. And the thing is, civilization continues for another 20 miles in the other direction. We're dealing with a different paradigm here.
@TheCriminalViolin
Жыл бұрын
Your end summary of why you'd avoid doing this one indicates its not true HSR, but rather ICE service you prefer and are speaking of implementing as routes. I think its always best to combine each mode if and when possible, so in example, ICE & HSR go hand in hand and really bolster each other heavily. ICE to do what you're purposing as the best option, and not only go point to point serving two major metro areas and cities, but also larger towns and cities in-between, while my head is usually focused on true HSR point to point to the main cities of metros when people are talking of HSR. When I go into imagining and thus planning out HSR routes, it always winds up a full system of HSR, ICE & local/regional rail services to feed the big two modes.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
My viewpoint is that since we're not likely to build an entire system from scratch, we have to start somewhere, and that somewhere is looking at city pairs. I could describe a full system, but that's not really what these city pair videos are about. Let's say, for instance, we're talking about connecting to a system with this: different set of circumstances, possibly different conclusion.
@TheCriminalViolin
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew That's fair. My head is always in the clouds with this kind of thing so I'm not usually focused wholly on realism, but a balance between the imagined idealistic scenario and networks, and the realism. The realism part with me is mainly focused on the cities/metros themselves, their size, likely ridership and of course distances.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@TheCriminalViolin I'll likely get around to covering various greater viewpoints eventually. At the moment, I'm trying to cover ideas I can fit into 15-20 minutes of video. And also, the focus of my content shifts as I receive feedback. I probably also need to start working ridership into the equation, since I'm currently missing that.
@TheCriminalViolin
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew I really enjoy and appreciate your videos no matter how different they are or how much some may consider them to miss. I've just been giving you the way my mind works with the topic haha.
@rwdavidoff
Жыл бұрын
Did you look at all at Tuscon - Phoenix in the course of doing this video? Also, on the LV airport/strip connections, seems like another option to consider might be swinging south to the potential Brightline site, and then proposing a Monorail extension or something (musk carholes?) to the airport and the new "Union HSR" terminal.
@rwdavidoff
Жыл бұрын
Basically, from the Tucson airport north on the UP Nogales subdivision to Tucson downtown, turn onto I-10, I-10 at something like a 0.5% average grade and nice corners to Phoenix airport, into town as you propose, optionally extend through to the western suburbs as you propose to set up future LV connectivity if justified. The only tunnels needed are in Phoenix itself, I think, and though it's 150 miles or so it's probably a lot cheaper per mile--something like the $10-12b estimate for Brightline West? Lower tourism, but tighter regional connections, so the ridership is...interesting to consider.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
Yes on both accounts. Tucson is a logical extension, but breaks the city pair theme. Phoenix-Tucson might make an interesting video, too. Probably something Arizona could do on its own. I do not like the Brightline West Las Vegas station site. Since I had the ability to go for it, I really wanted to get north of Harry Reid to service the Strip area directly. Part of the problem with Vegas is its poor public transportation and terrible congestion on Las Vegas Blvd., which the BLW station will contribute to. They really need something to change the conversation out there. As I said in another comment, Brightline could hook up to my system. :)
@yixnorb5971
2 ай бұрын
Makes it easier to get the hell out of Phoenix.
@D-Harb
23 күн бұрын
The lack of cities in between the 2 cities is what I thought was good for a bullet train! Why have a bullet train that stops all the time.
@johnmckeon4498
2 ай бұрын
A route including Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Tucson would be more useful I think. For the moment anyway.
@Perich29
Жыл бұрын
well need to adress this vid to Gov Katie Hobbs
@johnmckeon4498
2 ай бұрын
Compared with this a route between Phoenix and Tucson would be much cheaper to build. It's all open desert you don't have to have any tunnels or weird Bridges
@PatrickBaldwin1
2 ай бұрын
Those are canals not drainage. They are there to move water and you would not be able to put rail over them.
@J3scribe
Жыл бұрын
I've driven your route between the two cities and wouldn't even consider a rail line through it. Crossing the Colorado at Black Canyon is just plain silly. Kingman is close enough to Vegas that making the drive is no big deal. Traffic between Kingman and Phoenix isn't terribly heavy, so I would just skip Kingman altogether. From Vegas I would take US95 south to Needles and cross the Colorado at Topock where there is a natural pass along I40 east of the river. Once through the pass you turn southeast through a wide, empty valley, at the end of which there's some geography to tackle. But once across you head for Wickenberg and follow the BNSF corridor into Phoenix. It's a lot more direct and avoids a great deal of rough terrain.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
You cant use the area around U.S. 95 between roughly I-40 and I-11 due to 2 national monuments and several wilderness areas. This is covered in the video.
@J3scribe
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew Perhaps. But you'd never be allowed to build a viaduct down the center of Las Vegas Blvd to accommodate your train, either. That's just a non-starter. You'd obstruct the views. Better to build your viaduct down the median of Boulder Highway to downtown.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@J3scribe that suggestion was meant to be tongue-in-cheek
@onetwothreeabc
Жыл бұрын
1:35 Based on you list, Cal HSR fits all of the criteria except #2. Brightline (despite speed) has everything except #1. China's HSR does not meet #4, #5, and #7.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
CAHSR also has a problem with #4. Brightline only mixes with freight rail for the first mile or so. I'd say BLW has some issue with everything but #1,2,4. For China, #4 has made their system pretty expensive, #7 is somewhat dependent on #5 and I've received some criticism for that based on models for other countries. The reason for #5 in the U.S., however, is to encourage density because we do not currently have it except for a few notable exceptions. Meanwhile, places like China and Europe DO have it, so they don't need to encourage it.
@DesertDwight
Жыл бұрын
I’d love high speed rail from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas. Perfect for weekend trips
@strangehobbyist
Жыл бұрын
US HSR plans are constantly delayed but that doesn’t necessarily make them doomed, just long term. We should probably not hold our breath until Congress shuffles its rail representation again after the next couple elections.😂
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
I think its probably going to be a generation before the federal side aligns properly one way or the other.
@rpf276
Жыл бұрын
IIf yoy really get this thing into Las Vegas then it should also provide a route from Brightline West into Las Vegas proper North of the planned Brightline West Terminal so HSR rail service could go North to Salt Lake city. If you spend this much money you should tie this all all together
@michaeljones7927
Жыл бұрын
Salt Lake City to Las Vegas is not a viable HSR market for many reasons, including population and Mormon ethics.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
Like it says in the video, this route isn't really worth the money, let alone worth extending northward.
@D4NKN3SS
3 ай бұрын
KZitemrs today out here doing all the actual hard work of surveying the lands and coming up with proposed routes, yet somehow we still can't get this shit built xD. Maybe one day we'll live in a more connected country..........
@LucidStew
3 ай бұрын
It's not like I was out there with a tripod and a level. :D
@D4NKN3SS
3 ай бұрын
@@LucidStew You've already done more work than any state or local government has done haha.
@jamescooley5744
2 ай бұрын
Have this person ever driven between Vegas & Phoenix? Too many mountain ranges for high speed rail. Better to convert US 93 to I-11
@LucidStew
2 ай бұрын
This person has driven between Las Vegas and Phoenix and pretty much everywhere else in the general area. I say its not worth it at the end. Guessing you didn't bother to get that far.
@GreywindLina
Жыл бұрын
I hope this happens! We need HSR lines between all major cities. And then intercity metro lines. More robust metro bus systems even in rural areas and cheaper taxi fares.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
Maybe if both metros grow more? If I made a list in order of utility and cost, this route wouldn't be near the top.
@markdavid7013
Жыл бұрын
These two metro areas are likely to be depopulated in the next 2-3 decades due to water issues. (lack of that is)
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
That's doubtful. I'd buy that population growth will stagnate, though, much like California.
@basedoz5745
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew Vegas could stagnate, their allotment from the Colorado River is tiny. Phoenix is nearly 10 times the allotment tho.
@sarurita4928
8 ай бұрын
hummm, I think this is not the best way to do this , with the techknowledge of drone taxi's I think it would be something to consider , or the technologies that will transform aviation such as hydrogen and electric flying, air taxis a.k.a. eVTOLs futuristic airships .Air travel will become more sustainable soon. my other thought is to start digging tunnels is one of the most hazardous projects in engineering and most expensive. your looking at possible collapse and dealing with earthquake shaking not to mention there is fault lines all around AZ and NV It's just not practical.
@manny85382
2 ай бұрын
This is stupid... A train ticket would probably cost the same if not more than a flight.... I'd rather take a 40 minute flight than be on a train. The only way the train makes sense is if the train ticket costs like $5 each way otherwise I'm getting a $60 dollar SW flight
@christopherbradley5575
Жыл бұрын
Ok, but why the Hell would anyone want to go to Phoenix or Vegas? The only advantage I can see is that when you lose your ass in Vegas, you might need to resort to public transportation back to Phoenix.
@basedoz5745
Жыл бұрын
Tons of people from Phoenix visit Vegas for weekend get aways, and a lot of Vegas people end up going to ASU for school. The drive on 93 is fast and dangerous with a lot of people for the condition it is in.
@landtuna3469
2 ай бұрын
Complete BS. Never gonna happen.
@davezobeljr9025
2 ай бұрын
WAY WAY TO expensive. Never will happen. Brightline is still not a sure thing either
@michaeljones7927
Жыл бұрын
This HSR video is a worthless fantasy. There is no analysis of ridership potential. Who would finance such a project? Why are you wasting your time and talent exploring something that's unnecessary, and is never going to happen? LA to Phoenix and Tucson makes sense for several reasons, one of which is that the LA-SAN BERNARDINO segment of the CAHSR Inland Empire route could be the first segment of a HSR route to Phoenix and Tucson. That segment would be far costlier than the rural San Bernardino-Phoenix segment. Sharing that segment with CAHSR makes economic sense and helps to justify the Inland Empire route for the HSR line to San Diego.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
It's inferred by the population and tourist draw of Las Vegas. I suppose I could look into ridership estimation methods, but I don't currently know anything about that. I am "wasting my time" because I thought it was fun and occasionally humans like to enjoy themselves. Also, I solicited city pairs from my audience and this was suggested. I like to interact with my audience and give them things to watch that they will enjoy. I will probably also do L.A.-Phoenix eventually since I've satisfactorily established for myself that Phoenix-Las Vegas direct is not a good idea. Not all scientific endeavor leads to the answer. Getting it wrong is just as viable a means of getting closer to truth by establishing what is not true. I've lived in the Inland Empire region of California nearly my entire life. I know the area pretty well. Once you hit the San Gorgonio Pass, you have about 80 miles of hell to annihilate your way through until you're at L.A. Union Station. It is a big assumption that can be electrified all the way for any price that anyone would be willing to pay. If you look at the CAHSR proposed Phase 2 routes, they make what's described in this video look like the best ideas ever. It's essentially connect the dots from east L.A. to Murrieta.
@michaeljones7927
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew I've ridden the Sunset Limited from San Antonio to LA many times over the years, going all the way back to 1963 (my first trip to CA), and I never noticed the SP line from Palm Springs to Redlands, up "Beaumont Hill", being particularly challenging, like the Cajon, Grapevine, and Tehachapi passes. What I don't understand is how the CAHSRA plans to go from LA Union Station to San Bernardino before turning southwest to San Diego. It seems to me that traversing that fifty plus miles of urban sprawl is going to be very costly and very disruptive. I think you should focus on problems like these in your videos instead of spending so much time and energy trying to formulate specific routes by just looking at maps on a computer screen. You reached the right conclusion regarding the feasibility of a Phoenix to Las Vegas HSR project. It was just a disappointment for me because I was very impressed with your Chicago-Indianapolis and Empire Corridor videos, and your excellent two part BL West video, where you drove the route to Vegas.
@LucidStew
Жыл бұрын
@@michaeljones7927 It's not a problem with the pass. It's a problem with what is between the pass and L.A. Union. as you point out. I appreciate your feedback. I am unable to please everyone, so I must please myself, as the Rick Nelson song goes. I like the map aspect. I enjoy it. There is plenty of time to address every issue there is with HSR in the U.S. At one a week, I will be able to produce at least 250 videos before Brightline West or CAHSR carry a paying passenger. There are only so many viable city pairs. It's a means of keeping the conversation going in a way that the audience is finding enjoyable. I get very good feedback on these city pair videos.
@michaeljones7927
Жыл бұрын
@@LucidStew Your feedback is very good, so you're definitely doing something right. You and CityNerd are the only ones doing HSR videos in depth. Both of you are making a valuable contribution to Intelligent HSR dialogue on the internet. Please don't neglect California as you plan new videos. CAHSRA needs help in finding a path forward.
@tonywalters7298
Жыл бұрын
I believe PHX to LV is the largest city pair without an interstate highway connecting them, at least until interstate 11 is completed
@AMPProf
2 ай бұрын
VER BADLY.. IT Will not happen Both cities core Crashing.
@nathanbeaner928
2 ай бұрын
I think I was just starting in Glendale and not the airport. Follow the 10 to quartzite and take 95 north.
Пікірлер: 214