Customer Reviews

Supertrains: Solutions to America's Transportation Gridlock

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I just finished my Amtrak cross-america trip and was browsing for old fashioned train books in bookstore when I came acrossed this one. (Too bad you can't fumble thru book on amazon :) Differnt from other train books, this one explains the futuristic era of new rail system. The book concluded with a sci-fi like description of our future passenger rail system. It's nice to read a book that give you hopes and dreams. The book is so persuasive that I'm curious to hear the arguments AGAINST supertrains, just to balance out the supertrain "propaganda" from this book. Informative and fun read.

Ten years ago Mr. Vranich was on the cutting edge by suggesting supertrains for America. This book launched the $12 billion High-Speed Rail Act that is still pending in congress. But time has moved on. The trains of yesterday don't fit the NIMBY attitude of modern America. Future transportation will have to be clean, sustainable, safe, secure and -most of all- out of sight and sound for people living along the right-of-way. A good follow-up book will come out in April '03 called "Faster than Jet: A solution to America's long-term transportation problems."

The arguments posited by Vranich for a U.S based high speed rail network are so compelling and logically formulated that before completing the book I became a member of an organization devoted to high speed ground transportation. Topics explored include the present state of U.S. passenger railroads (focusing on Amtrak) as well as failed high speed rail initiatives , the politics of mass transportation, the problems faced by a near-saturated automobile/aircraft transportation network, the cutting edge technology in high speed rail occuring in Europe, including the imminent unveiling of magenetically levitated trains (maglev) in both Germany and Japan and a scenario of a future with high speed rail. The author's vision is left somewhat incomplete however as he neglects to explore the logistics of how a high speed rail system will link with other forms of transportation (intra-city rail and/or automated guideway transit systems, in addition to cars/airplanes?) to hopefully develop a superior transportation infrastructure to what is currently in place. Overall though, this is highly thought provoking commentary on how a mode of transportation viewed by most as outdated is in fact our best option for safer, more efficient, environmentally sound and less energy intensive mobility for the 21st century.

Author Joseph Vranich makes a strong case for high-speed rail networks in the USA. As he shows, a network of high-speed bullet trains along the East Coast network makes great sense. So would similar 220-mph bullet train networks in California (LA-SF, LA-Vegas), Florida (Miami-Orlando-Tampa), Ohio (Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati), and a Midwest system connecting Chicago to Detroit, St. Louis, Indianapolis, etc. Readers see why high-speed rail can help us avoid highway gridlock and air traffic jams. As many know, a typical 60-minute flight (say, St. Louis-Chicago) often takes four hours due to airport access, waits, delays, etc. Imagine zipping along by rail at 225-mph with wide seats, laptop ports, a spacious aisle, conference rooms, and dining cars, with total travel time well under two hours. Such reliable, efficient, high-speed systems have run successfully in France (TGV) since the early 1980's; it's popular success led many other nations like Germany (ICE), Spain (AVE), etc., to come aboard. Granted, these networks are not cheap to install, but they've proven a great investment over the long term; like our now-clogged interstate highways were back in the 1950's.

Since this now-dated book arrived in 1991, Germany, Britain, China, Italy, South Korea, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Sweden, Taiwan have joined France and Japan with modern high-speed trains, France has greatly expanded her network (and increased her speeds), and Germany and China are now researching 300 mph magnetic levatation. Also, Argentina, Brazil, and Indonesia are looking to join the club. This book provides us with a solid look at an improved, reliable transportation future.

Joseph Vranich presents a glowing, glossy image of a New America linked together with a web of high speed, high tech, high cost SuperTrains. Unfortunately his largely anecdotal story telling has little serious thought regarding the fundamental reason why high speed rail has a very limited future in the United States. There is a reason why Europe has trains and America has planes. Europe is smaller than America. The distances are shorter. Not only does this make a tremendous difference in travel times but it also makes a huge difference in cost. Vranich completely avoids the cost issue.

Not a detail.

Each mile of track for one of his supertrains costs between $30 and $50 million. Who is going to pay for his 1000 mile network. He doesn't say.

This is a significant oversight.

Basically, SuperTrains is an excercise in nostalgic dreaming. A very nice one, with lots of nice images. But it is a very foolish book.