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1. LS (lain@lain.com)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 13:31:16 JST LS
   what makes people simp for trains so hard? the security theater at airports?
   • Souru (wandering_soul@cdrom.tokyo)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 13:35:17 JST Souru

     in reply to
     Trains are cool, that's it.
     LS likes this.
   • Kerosene :ancapshades: (kerosene@freespeechextremist.com)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 13:37:59 JST Kerosene :ancapshades:

     in reply to

     @lain Because they are cool*. That’s literally it. Rule of cool is prime everywhere including transportation.

     *doesn’t apply to modern dildo-looking trains.

     
     image.png
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   • 🎅 🎄 Festive Dave 🎄 🎅 (dave@gleasonator.com)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 13:38:41 JST 🎅 🎄 Festive Dave 🎄 🎅

     in reply to

     @lain That’s a big part. On a train you just hop on and hop off. Way more chill.

     Not sure it’s the best fit for the US though. Everything is just so far apart

     LS likes this.
   • 防空識別區 (adiz@outerkosm.us)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 13:39:31 JST 防空識別區

     in reply to

     @lain@lain.com They're far more efficient, cheaper, more ecological, and convenient. They can replace a lot of the demand for regional airline routes in a way far more accessible to a larger amount of people while, combined with robust public transportation, reduce North American demand/dependency on automobiles. They're just a fantastically useful transportation infrastructure.

     LS likes this.
   • LS (lain@lain.com)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 13:41:11 JST LS

     in reply to

     • Kerosene :ancapshades:
     @kerosene bring back cool trains
   • TZL (timezoneless@mstdn.social)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 13:41:54 JST TZL

     in reply to

     @lain OpenTTD?

     LS likes this.
   • Lady Satsuki (fearisfreedom@noagendasocial.com)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 13:44:52 JST Lady Satsuki

     in reply to

     @lain Trains are cool. There are Thomas the Tank engine trains is Japan. I've seen it. Also, no one harasses you on trains like on plane, and I mean, actually on the plane. It's a fucking madhouse, if you don't fly first class.

     LS likes this.
   • lait accompli (genmaicha@stereophonic.space)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 13:46:09 JST lait accompli

     in reply to
     @lain most people (US) have never experienced it or dealt with its consequences, so it's easier to idealize... the rest are just urbanites
     LS likes this.
   • 防空識別區 (adiz@outerkosm.us)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 13:50:06 JST 防空識別區

     in reply to

     @lain@lain.com A single HSR line can transport up to 20,000 passengers per hourThe California HSR project estimates:7,500 people per direction per hourThe entire Atlanta airport handles 11,458 passengers per hour, for reference. And, it's one of the largest and busiest airports in the country. Most airplanes only carry around 150 people per aircraft, as a rough average. The most popular HSR train configuration in China, for example, can carry up to 622 people per train.

     LS likes this.
   • LS (lain@lain.com)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 13:54:26 JST LS

     in reply to

     • 防空識別區
     @adiz this can all be true, but it doesn't say anything about efficiency, just about how much can fit on a train. an a380 has 500+ seats, so replacing all crj-700s with a380s would already be nearly the same passenger capacity.
   • 防空識別區 (adiz@outerkosm.us)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 13:54:27 JST 防空識別區

     in reply to

     @lain@lain.com The CRJ-700 is one of the most popular regional airline jets in North America. It would take approximately 8 CRJs to cover the capacity that a single train could deliver. So a single train could, in theory, replace 8 airline flights on a single route. It'd be safe to assume similar demand in return trips, so that's 16 flights, now. If that same capacity or demand was served let's say twice a day, that's 32 jets. Now you start extrapolating that to other destinations---let's say 4 destinations, for thought experiment. 4 trains going to 4 destinations with full service (there and back return trips) could cover the same capacity as 128 regional airline jets.

   • Lady Satsuki (fearisfreedom@noagendasocial.com)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 13:56:02 JST Lady Satsuki

     in reply to

     • PoalackJokes88

     @PoalackJokes88 @lain Most autistic thing I've seen all day. THanks for this.

     LS likes this.
   • PoalackJokes88 (poalackjokes88@poa.st)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 13:56:03 JST PoalackJokes88

     in reply to

     • Lady Satsuki
     @fearisfreedom @lain Have I got a series for you!
     dailyrake.ca/2023/02/21/psa-deboonking-the-traffic-soyboys-part-19-heres-how-trains-having-no-grip-is-ackshually-a-good-thing/
   • orekix@shitposter.club's status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 13:58:42 JST orekix

     in reply to
     @lain
     
     Not owning a vehicle
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   • 防空識別區 (adiz@outerkosm.us)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 14:07:12 JST 防空識別區

     in reply to

     @lain@lain.com Sure. But, it'd still be far more costly to operate and much less ecological and less accessible and many airports would have to be totally renovated to meet demand and the A380 isn't built anymore, nor is it built to handle short haul routes. HSR can run off the electrical grid vs. burning Jet-A. Even if giant aircraft are capable of marching similar levels of capacity, they still do not match the efficiency of rail solutions.
     
     Air travel does have a place. There is a depreciating benefit to HSR as distances increase. But, in the US, for example: JFK > BOS, ATL > CLT, ATL > MCO, MCO > MIA, SFO > LAX, PHX > LAS, PDX > SEA.. all of these types of trips are far better suited to rail vs. air travel. You're probably not going to want to take a train from LAX > JFK, for example. Or PHX > PDX. It makes a lot more sense to go by air for trips like that. But a 3-hour HSR train from PHX > LAS, for example? It's about a 1.3 hour flight, and you have to arrive at least 1 hour early to make your flight anyway. And probably 0.5 at least after arrival to taxi to the gate and deplane and get to ground transportation. You add that all together and you're already at around 2.7 hours total travel. Even adding time at the beginning and end of the hypothetical rail journey, with those margins, it still makes more sense.

     LS likes this.
   • 防空識別區 (adiz@outerkosm.us)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 14:10:20 JST 防空識別區

     in reply to

     @lain@lain.com Because of the dramatic increases in efficiency of rail vs. air, too, fares are usually 1/2 to 1/3 what they are for air travel. This isn't a made-up number or hypothetical---looking at global fares in Japan, Europe, and China, HSR fares come out to be generally 1/2 or 1/3 what you'd pay for a comparable airline ticket to the same destination.

     LS likes this.
   • 防空識別區 (adiz@outerkosm.us)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 14:12:16 JST 防空識別區

     in reply to

     @lain@lain.com Is a premium of $133 worth getting to your destination an hour earlier sitting in the back of a regional jet in economy class? For some people it might be, and for those people there would still probably be regional airline routes available---just not as many and not as often.

     LS likes this.
   • LS (lain@lain.com)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 14:49:45 JST LS

     in reply to

     • 🐦ulon :blobshp:
     • 防空識別區
     @birdulon @adiz i checked the paris-berlin route and the prices were essentially the same, which also fits with my experience. Although those weren't all high speed trains.
   • 🐦ulon :blobshp: (birdulon@shpposter.club)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 14:49:46 JST 🐦ulon :blobshp:

     in reply to

     • 防空識別區
     @adiz @lain >This isn't a made-up number or hypothetical---looking at global fares in Japan
     Ok, I took a quick look at the original shinkansen corridor or Tokyo-Osaka. The ~9hr low-speed rail ticket is marginally cheaper than the one-way ~2hr flight, which is barely over half the price of the ~3hr high-speed rail ticket.
     I don't doubt that you can find counterexamples in europe and china which have unapologetic government intervention in stamping out air travel for potential rail routes.
     
     I love trains but people live in absolute fantasy land when they think that maintaining regional rail at passenger speeds is more efficient than regional airlines, the fixed infra costs are just too high for the ridership to most of these places.
   • Tard (tard@miss.mouse.services)'s status on Monday, 27-Feb-2023 16:21:42 JST Tard

     in reply to

     @lain@lain.com
     They're on rails, and so have one degree of freedom which makes crashing more difficult, and also are therefore on something solid and not 40 km above the ground or ocean. They are also much slower, and not 50% fuel by mass. Just feels safer tbh. Whenever I sleep on a plane I have short dreams of the plane breaking apart mid-air and falling into the ocean or ground below.

     LS likes this.
   • Tard (tard@miss.mouse.services)'s status on Thursday, 02-Mar-2023 13:35:15 JST Tard

     in reply to

     @lain@lain.com
     I feel guilty for thinking trains are unlikely to crash head on now.