this post was submitted on 15 Apr 2024
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President Joe Biden is reportedly seeking to revive a project that would construct a high-speed railway from Houston to Dallas in Texas utilizing Japanese bullet trains.

According to a Reuters report on Tuesday, citing unnamed administration sources, the White House is looking to make an announcement on the project following talks between Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington, D.C., this week.

The Japanese government and the White House declined to comment on the report, though the project has seen renewed support from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who told KXAS in Fort Worth on Sunday: "We believe in this."

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[–] Chemical 117 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Texas signed up first because it has “bullet” in the title.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 7 months ago

They think it's gonna be fired from a giant gun.

[–] BigMikeInAustin 77 points 7 months ago (3 children)

I'd prefer some other state to get it than Texas. If Texas is going to deny federal money for unemployment and for healthcare, then Texas doesn't deserve federal money for other good projects.

And this is coming from someone in Texas who would benefit from it.

Texas GOP governor Greg Abbott has told state employees to try to avoid federal money because it might come with strings that require treating non rich and non whites as human.

Remember when Greg Abbott had a tantrum and basically shut down the Texas-Mexico border to most road traffic and fucked over all the rest of the US who was depending on products to come from Mexico?

Let Texas feel what it would be like to secede.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (11 children)

At the same time HSR could encourage social lives and urban neighborhoods that would encourage less conservative thinking. I think if we get into petty partisanship, it will just continue to spiral until we have a second civil war.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 7 months ago (1 children)

While I agree that Texas is not the most "deserving," if it gets rapidly improving infrastructure it will probably at least flip into a swing state, with more liberals than fascists. "Punishing" them just lets them play victim.

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[–] [email protected] 60 points 7 months ago (1 children)

They're gonna be real pissed when they find out somebody used the word bullet to dupe them into building public transport.

[–] RememberTheApollo_ 10 points 7 months ago

Had to lol at this. Too true. Whaddaya ya mean there’s no shootin’ on this train?!

[–] Red_October 48 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It'll get canned as soon as Texans realize it's not called a bullet train because of any involvement with guns.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Just make the station look like a giant gun

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[–] [email protected] 39 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (6 children)

Texas figured it out?

Texas?

Yeah, this is a real low point. This one hurts.

[–] Kaput 30 points 7 months ago (1 children)

They had to use > bullet> train to get them onboard.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago

so you just shoot the train? I gotta see this gun!

[–] NickwithaC 13 points 7 months ago

No one else got your Good Place reference so I just wanted to say, have some frozen yoghurt.

[–] Fredselfish 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Biden shouldn't be doing shit for Texas. He should try push this mainstream across the country. But Texas wants to secede Abbott probably find away to make this not happen anyway and funds will be stolen and wasted.

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[–] captainlezbian 33 points 7 months ago (10 children)

I still think NYC-Chicago is the real test of high speed rail in this country. A route people want to take, that’s far enough to fly, between two cities where car ownership is optional.

I’m glad Dallas-Houston is happening but I wonder how much traffic it will get. In my midwestern mind they’re both just “texas big city”

[–] GamingChairModel 16 points 7 months ago (3 children)

It's not surprising that the first city pair would be a commonly traveled route with cheap flat land in between. Once that's demonstrated to work, they can start trying it for cities where the need to purchase rights for the route will be more expensive, and on terrain where long straight segments are more challenging to construct.

I wonder how much traffic it will get.

This source says average, about 24,000 people drive between the two cities any given day, and there are about 30 commercial flights per day between the cities. That sounds like a decent amount of potential demand.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago (6 children)

But how walkable are Dallas and Houston? I think the success of this is predicated on that, because if people can’t get around without a car, they’ll take one with them.

Still though, pretty cool. Sucks it’ll be in Texas but progress is progress.

[–] rhandyrhoads 5 points 7 months ago

Depends on where you are, but with that 30 flight number there's definitely plenty of people that aren't bringing their cars with them.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

I mean, getting out of Texas as fast as possible is an admirable goal for the future.

Crossing the great emptiness of it is a great starting point. Like building a river backwards, starting with a delta at multiple cities.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 7 months ago (1 children)

With Texas' hardon against regulations I forsee this having a massive derailment within two decades of it opening.

Hope that isn't the case, because we do need better mass transit.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Eh maybe. Usually the calls for deregulation are sponsored by the industry giants. So due to there not being a strong passenger rail lobby yet, I can see the regulation being fine. Once someone is trying to get rich then the derailments will start.

[–] Burn_The_Right 7 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Texas conservatives are notoriously anti-regulation now, after decades of being paid to build that platform. There will be as few regulations as possible (with or without a lobby); that is a guarantee.

[–] ThatWeirdGuy1001 32 points 7 months ago

Plot twist. The train will be loaded into a giant gun and literally fired like a bullet because Texas.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

I would be so down for this

[–] [email protected] 42 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Its the absolute most no brainer route for high speed rail in the US. Two metropolises with a combined population in the 10s of millions that are around 300 miles apart, minimum elevation changes on a straight route, largely empty space in between.

When it's successful, you can hook it into fort worth pretty directly, and suddenly you have the core of a high speed rail network in a huge state that desperately needs it.

[–] garretble 26 points 7 months ago (1 children)

But I’m sure someone in the Texas government will say trains are “woke” and kill the project.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

No, just the airlines. This project has been around for a very long time, and it keeps getting killed by airline lobbyists.

[–] Tylerdurdon 22 points 7 months ago (2 children)

To everyone outside if Texas: they've been talking about this for decades.

You know who will always find sneaky ways to sabotage it? The airlines.

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[–] notaviking 22 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Time for Elon Musk to create a new vapour-ware like the boring tunnel to stop mass transplantation that will compete with his electric car empire

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[–] Burn_The_Right 20 points 7 months ago (5 children)

Gregg Abbott in a few weeks: "Trains?! Sounds like trans... No thanks, Biden!"

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Man they’ve been trying to do this for years, but companies like Southwest lobby against it. Even Rick Perry was on board.

I would love to see it become a reality, but I’m skeptical.

Texas Monthly, 2015:

A Tale of Two Cities, a Bullet Train, and the Farmland in Between

[–] III 12 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Here's a thought. Name your bullet train company like an oil company, call the bullet train the "oil pipeline".

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Each station can be named after gun or gun makers. Glock station, H&K transfer

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 7 months ago (7 children)

So people can get out of Texas faster?

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[–] A_Random_Idiot 18 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

A bullet train? in my Texas?! That sounds like some east coast liberal anti-car woke socialism!!

We dont want none of that hippy dippy liberty stealing foreigner mass transit in our glorious state!

/s for the oblivious

[–] [email protected] 21 points 7 months ago (3 children)

But it has the word bullet right in it. Sounds like you're anti gun. Why do you hate freedom?

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[–] FlyingSquid 15 points 7 months ago (5 children)

Meanwhile, China has over 30,000 high-speed rail lines.

[–] affiliate 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

yeah but how many of them are bullet trains?

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[–] Veraxus 12 points 7 months ago

As much as I hate to admit it, The People's Republic of Texastan kind-of makes sense as a starting point given the geography. If we can extend this to a nationwide network, it would be a very, very big deal.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil 10 points 7 months ago (2 children)

The year is 2008 and Texas residents are being promised a bullet train.

The year is 2016 and Texas residents are being promised a bullet train.

The year is 2024 and Texas residents are being promised a bullet train.

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[–] Ultraviolet 9 points 7 months ago (1 children)

If we get a bullet train in the US it should be something like a DC to San Francisco route, make a proper substitute for cross country flights.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Greg Abbott is not about to let this dope idea happen. Ain't no way.

[–] TheBat 7 points 7 months ago (6 children)

Why not do it from NYC to WDC?

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[–] mojo_raisin 6 points 7 months ago

Ya cool, but are Texans going to run it? They don't exactly have a good track record when it comes to infrastructure. Maybe put it someplace, how do I put this... smarter?

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