Amtrak Goes "HOT PIZZA!" Again. - At least two dead in SC two-train collision

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https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/04/us/amtrak-south-carolina-crash/index.html

From the pictures, it would seem the fatalities were the crew of one of the trains, which is a pretty awful way to go. Like being in a plane tumbling from altitude, being on a train when another is coming right at you, and can you can't do anything about it, has got to be one of the most mortally chilling things a human has ever experienced.
 
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Amazing that people are still choosing to ride a giant, ludicrous speed, box of metal that is balanced on two 4 inch bars of steel.
 
It's never going to make money, if you don't mind federal subsidizing for it like a lot of other public transit, then fine. But it's never going to be self-sufficient.

US railroads got out of the passenger business as unprofitable in the 50's and never looked back, and unlike Europe, the US never nationalized it's rail system, so most of the track out there is in private hands, and Amtrak is paying the freight railroads (CSX in this case) to use that track, and much of THAT is legacy right-of-way that's been in use since the 19th and early 20th Centuries, it's not designed for high-speed, so we will never see anything like the passenger systems of European high-speed intercity fame because the infrastructure for it just doesn't exist and would cost a fortune to put in place.

The current state of Amtrak (safety aside) is as good as it's ever going to get barring a MASSIVE Federal expenditure on national rail, with a capital "N" not just paying the existing freight lines to occasionally carry some folks.

And, for the typical US traveler, short-distance is for personal cars, long-distance is by plane, and train occupies this unprofitable nether-realm where it can't compete meaningfully with either, which is why the major railroads dumped it as soon as the freeway system was built.
 
I'd say poor communication on the operators end...how the hell do you miss not telling the train operator that a giant cargo train is ahead on the track?

Edit:

Just in case nobody knows...that's a shit mistake. It takes over 10 football fields to stop a big train like that. Somebody fucked up.
 
Bassomatic said:
Musk and not using tax payer money.

Pick one and carefully.

Other than that I agree. Amtrak is a discracè for so many reasons.
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I don't have to pick one. Amtrak recieves about 1.5 billion a year and I think that Musk and like minded individuals can cut that down or turn a profit.

We've been pissing money away for decades so maybe we should try something else.
 
TowinKarz said:
It's never going to make money, if you don't mind federal subsidizing for it like a lot of other public transit, then fine. But it's never going to be self-sufficient.

US railroads got out of the passenger business as unprofitable in the 50's and never looked back, and unlike Europe, the US never nationalized it's rail system, so most of the track out there is in private hands, and Amtrak is paying the freight railroads (CSX in this case) to use that track, and much of THAT is legacy right-of-way that's been in use since the 19th and early 20th Centuries, it's not designed for high-speed, so we will never see anything like the passenger systems of European high-speed intercity fame because the infrastructure for it just doesn't exist and would cost a fortune to put in place.

The current state of Amtrak (safety aside) is as good as it's ever going to get barring a MASSIVE Federal expenditure on national rail, with a capital "N" not just paying the existing freight lines to occasionally carry some folks.

And, for the typical US traveler, short-distance is for personal cars, long-distance is by plane, and train occupies this unprofitable nether-realm where it can't compete meaningfully with either, which is why the major railroads dumped it as soon as the freeway system was built.
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It might sound weird but I don't care a lot for personal vehicles and would rather have safe, efficient public transport more widespread in the US. I hate cars and they really get in the way of me being a pedestrian. Yesterday I was nearly hit by three separate SUVs and I had the right to cross. It's not the first time either. People just don't give a damn if they hit you or not.

I really wish that the US had better public transport and less of an emphasis on personal vehicles. But that's a pipe dream. I'm tired of the traffic. I really am.

I've taken Amtrak during strikes and it did feel rickety. A bit scary actually. I've never been to a foreign country and probably won't ever go to one. But I envy efficient rail systems. Maybe someday way into the future we'll have something better. Like centuries from now. Who knows. But right now it kind of sucks.
 
Piss Clam said:
I don't have to pick one. Amtrak recieves about 1.5 billion a year and I think that Musk and like minded individuals can cut that down or turn a profit.

We've been pissing money away for decades so maybe we should try something else.
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I wasn't denying amtrak runs at a loss and costs tax payers but you are suggesting someone who does it for a living (musk) would be the person to pull a profit.

You don't replace a fire, with a fire.
 
Bassomatic said:
I wasn't denying amtrak runs at a loss and costs tax payers but you are suggesting someone who does it for a living (musk) would be the person to pull a profit.

You don't replace a fire, with a fire.
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The Elon fire would just get us a subsidized rail system, while the current fire gets us a subsidized rail system + sweet train crashes. So I'll stick with that we've got.
 
TowinKarz said:
And, for the typical US traveler, short-distance is for personal cars, long-distance is by plane, and train occupies this unprofitable nether-realm where it can't compete meaningfully with either, which is why the major railroads dumped it as soon as the freeway system was built.
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It's good in the highly congested Northeastern Corridor, where driving medium distances is utterly hellish. The highways are in about as shitty shape as the rails. Also you can have dinner or even get drunk on a passenger train.
 
Nacho Man Randy Salsa said:
And to think you people gave me negative ratings when I said rail was obsolete and Amtrak should be discontinued. Who's right now?
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Others have said the same but yeah if we privatized the hell out of railways, the tourism industry in America would BOOM and create a ton of opportunity. Want to go to Las Vegas, but you're in LA with no car? No problem! Visit our nation's captial for the day? Go for it. Escape from Cleveland? Can't blame ya.
 
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