And see what that did to the rail network.
You know, it's amazing the power of NIMBYs. If you look at I95 through Philadelphia, it's mostly elevated. Except past Society Hill where the money is. There the extra cost of digging a trench and burying it was used. How many generations did it take to get the Blue Route, I476 started? Now, you want to put and elevated railroad through neighborhoods? Not going to happen. What you describe is called Catenary. And it is more complex than high tension distribution lines. Again, maintenance on it is costly. It's not a matter of stringing some wire between some poles. On lower speed ines such as trolleys or interurbans the hight of the does not have to be as exact as that of commuter or heavy rail. When you get to high speed lines the height of the wire above the rail head must be constant. You can't have the shoe losing contact with the wire, it will arc and damage both (and increasing your maintenance).
When it comes to rail, pbuttengers and cargo are best kept seperate. Number one reason is the high disparity is speeds. You can't have a caol drag struggling at 30 mph on the same line as the Accela doing plus 100 mph.
Things will evolve, but I don't think they will in the way you are predicting.
In the USA, where Amtrak competes well (not great) wil air is the Northeast Corridor. I used to commute between Philadelphia and Washington DC on the weekends. By train (wife drives me to 30th St Station, Metroliner to DC, WAMTA Metro out the Blue line to Landmark, cab to apartment), about 3 hours. Driving about the same. Air, forget about it 4 plus. As to the cost, I haven't a clue as it was all charged directly to the customer.
Then there is the Number One reason why I don't believe that your pie in the sky dream will work. It takes control of the operation of the vehicle out of the individual's hands. People over her will not accept that, plain and simple.
The rest of you, would you go for a system where a computer controlled the direction and velocity of your car, even if it ment you could go much faster than you do now?
I'm not interested in reinventing the Interstate. I'd rather fix local transportation systems and then link them up.
Doug
