The United States has the third highest percentage of car owners. The majority of these vehicles are used for every day transportation. Most cars guzzle gas and are expensive to upkeep. There are better transportation options out there. Bikes, public buses, trains, etc. Other countries have moved to a mode of transportation that is better for economy and environment. This option is high speed rail ways (HSR). These railways can be built right alongside current roadways.
The greatest advantages of HSR is the clean power sources, efficient travel times, and creation of jobs.
Clean energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal energy are the main suppliers of energy for high speed railways. This would cut down on fossil fuels and the release of harmful gases into the atmosphere. It would greatly cut down on car travel which would lead to less gas use. One train could carry more than 1,000 persons. That many people travelling to work would require just about as many cars. As a country, we need to work better on maintaining the health of our planet, and this would positively impact our environment.
High speed railways can travel up to 220 miles per hour and can run in most weather conditions. This allows for quicker and further transport. Commuters don't have to worry about changes in departure and arrival times. Having trains that connect larger cities would allow people to take jobs farther away without having to move or drive multiple hours everyday. I believe this will be a lot better for families and those unable to move.
The building, running and maintaining of HSR could create millions of jobs nation wide. The cars and railroads would need to be built. The source of energy could create jobs of people harvesting it. There would also be workers at train stations and on the trains. Like I mentioned before, this would also allow people to travel further easier for their current jobs or potential jobs.
Overall, I think bringing high speed railways to the U.S. is a phenomenal idea.
Do you think HSR is a better for of transportation? Why or why not?
What are other transportations that you prefer over cars?
For more information about HSR visit: http://www.ushsr.com/ushsrmap.html
Replies
Interesting topic and good summary Veronica! Be sure to reply on three different days next time. All of your replies were done yesterday.
I don't think we shoud have railways because they would be very expensive to get started and that a lot of people wouldn't want to ride them because they would just want to drive themselves to where they are wanting to go so I don't think it would make very much money.
I think it is a really good idea if the necessary safety precautions are considered and taken. I think that the change will be slow because it takes time for everyone to transfer to a different way of living. We are so used to doing things a certain way that it would be kinda hard for people to start using HSR transportation.
I understand that it would take many years for the railways to be up and running, however I believe there would be an immediate change in how people traveled. People already try to find the cheapest options and the HSR is one of the cheapest and most effieciont ways
it may be better but I don't think poeple will change to HSR just because everyone is so used to the way things have always been. It may be a challenge to get others to start using HSR transportation. I don't prefer anything over cars because I don't leave town or iowa too often so it just makes sense that my family sticks with using cars.
I think a high speed railway is a great idea to use for transportation. It is way better for the environment, and we could get places faster. It would create lots of jobs, and would allow people who can't drive to travel that way. I like traveling by plane as an alternative method.
Traveling by plane is a great form of travel, but there are many people who have a fear of flying and train is an alternative. Train is also cheaper and would take less time because of easier security.
I think that an HSR is a great idea for transportation because it can travel very fast, so you could travel to places easier, but also it would save a lot of people that own a car becasue you wouldnt pay a lot for gas or repairs. Some transportations that I perfer over car is walking if its close by or like riding a bike. I like also going on planes.
I think that a high speed railway would be a great idea for the United States to implement. It's better for the environment and would create jobs. A high speed railway would also be more accessible to those who are unable to drive, whether that be because of health issues, age, or skill. Personally, I prefer walking as an alternative transportation method.
I think it would be a better way to travel accross the U.S., because we could get places a lot faster. However, they would have to make accessable to smaller towns like Harlan. I prefer train and air travel. Both can take you farther and faster than driving can. In the current Covid crisis however, I don't think either would be a wise choice to ride on.
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