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Looks like 1.6 trillion yen in tunnel costs, if I’m reading that right? So, if we don’t account for overruns (which may or may not be tunnel related), we’re looking at about 33% of the construction costs and 29% of the total cost. Very interesting. I’m not surprised that it is so large (I...

Probably not the best thread for this, but it certainly is 'other people's rail. I meant to share this video when I first saw it, because it has an interesting take on how to connect two disparate train systems (basically how to get the NSRL done). I don't think it is particularly applicable for...

Any chance you've got any good materials on the cost breakdown on the Shinkansen line? Basically, the question I'm interested in, in this case, is what percent of the cost is the tunneling, and what percent is everything else (and, as an ancillary question, how important reducing the cost of...

I'm aware of those other problems, which is why I'm just focused on ROW here. I think it is a very non-negligible problem for any network that is effectively going to be entirely isolated and built from scratch from the existing rail network.

Assume that, by the year 20XX, we've got practical maglev trains (if you really want to indulge me, they could also be vacuum trains). I don't mean just technically feasible, we obviously have that already. I mean we've gotten so good at building maglevs that performance has gone up enough and...

I was listening to a podcast that covered parking this morning, and I figured everyone here might appreciate it: https://www.econtalk.org/donald-shoup-on-the-economics-of-parking/ Preaching to the choir on a forum like this, but you might find it useful in discussing this with others.

I’m not sure what I’m not seeing. The lack of new trains? I see that. The continual problems? I see that, too. I see all sorts of things that I could get upset about, but I choose not to.

Aren’t we all waiting the same amount of time for the same trains? There’s no secret club here that gets to ride them while the plebs ride the old ones. The hypothetical phrasing makes no sense.

A very conceptual/high level question: Ignoring everything but population densities and distributions, what would be the furthest out it would make sense to build the colored lines of the MBTA? Not counting the buses (yellow) or any permutation of the commuter rail (indigo). Basically, if you...

Was just chatting with the in-laws about the cost of buying anything on Martha's Vineyard, and it would be quite interesting to see what Martha's vineyard would be like if they ever built the bridge proposed in the 1960s.

Because I’m inquisitive, and asking why things are not is a great way to understand them.

Thanks, that pretty much answers the question. In theory, would a rail tunnel make sense as a replacement, especially if there were ever to be regular commuter service to the cape?

Why not? I wasn’t thinking so much about the span but the height. As an active shipping canal, it seems to me that it would be more convenient for ships, especially with the rail bridge being a lift bridge. I just figure someone must have done a study on the topic, at least for the rail...

Honestly, I wanted to laugh at the comment, but I thought that would be rude if you were being sincere. Since our politics are extra dysfunctional these days, you really can’t be sure when some one is being sarcastic.

Thats giving Romney a lot more credit than he deserves. Honestly, I’m resigned to our politics being entirely disfunctional for at least another Presidential cycle (if we’re lucky) or two (if we’re not). Just the natural consequences of party re-alignment. An infrastructure bill is about the...

Not avoiding anything, I just don’t think Biden is suited to do anything at this point in his life. If I had to pick, I’d say Romney. If I had to pick a Dem, I’d have to think longer, but I could probably come up with someone.

It is an example. You show me evidence that 2021 Biden can negotiate with Congress in 2021. I’m not seeing it.

Got any evidence that he took questions off camera? Cuz non-partisan outlets like Newsweek noted that they just cut the video, and I haven’t seen any official statement that “we wanted to take the questions off camera.”...

But he isn’t, which is the issue. Look at what happened with that video chat the Biden Admin did with Congressional Democrats last month - the moment it was time for them (again, Congressional Democrats) to ask questions, the White House cut the feed.

Biden from 10+ years ago. There’s no way Biden is mentally fit to be wheeling and dealing with his former colleagues. That is another part of the hand the Dems have been dealt: the number of members of Congress in either chamber or either party that have the inclination to wheel, deal...