politics

Abe takes Kennedy for a ride on maglev train

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Mr Abe is taking a lot of people for 'a ride' with his populist revisionist policies

1 ( +13 / -12 )

Do these two really need name tags to let people know who they are?

5 ( +7 / -2 )

@nostromo

Mr Abe is taking a lot of people for 'a ride'

I was going to say the same thing but you got there first ! "Quote of the day" !

0 ( +7 / -7 )

Sending this over the US would be an amazing boon for Japan and the American traveler.

Gonna keep my fingers crossed for this one.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

So when's she gonna start working?

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

It sounds like it would basically be zero-profit and partially funded by us taxpayers in Japan, given JBIC's involvement.

Sweet. Japan goes further into debt and/or we pay more taxes so that fewer Americans don't have to fly or drive between Baltimore (!) and Washington. Sounds like a grand idea.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Mr Abe, please convince Mr Abbott to build this rail network for Australia.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

How much is a ticket on this thing going to cost? By the time it gets up and running in 2027 the consumtion tax will probably be 20%...

"Obama's multi-billion-dollar national high-speed rail project"

What's the U.S. national debt now? $17 trillion or something?

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

If Obama were to listen to Elon Musk the US could have one of these trains for half the price in 10yrs. But, of course, nobody will listen to Elon because he always uses these aggressive, technologically innovative start up companies instead of the established players to do his projects.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Some wealthy persons in USA may invest to operate Japanese style high speed railroad, I'd bet. USA railroads are too out of dated and slow. In our area, plan for new railroad come and go. Between Southern Nevada and Southern Ca. They had been talking out of dated slow chu chu trains but now.... ???

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Abe: "Please get Americans to pass TPP trade agreement. See how great our technology is."

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Trains are a financial black hole in America - which is probably why Obama wants them so badly. Hey it's just taxpayers money; no amount of debt is too much for Americans know-it-all central planners.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

This train plan is not coming to our area. So, no dice for private planners in our area. So far. We have to ride on cars to visit Baseball games, Hollywood and beaches, Ditto with Californian tourists. Many people hate airplane ride anyway, Acrophobia, many of us have. Not like Asia or middle east but train will be nice. Can US Govt afford??? Japanese banks might not give loan.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"Can US Govt afford???"

Can the Japanese government afford the Shinkansen? No, but it funds it and runs it anyway.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

I'd be interested to know what kind of safety features they have for this Maglev. Japan is an earthquake-prone country, and this is why trains and shinkansens have early-warning systems that cause them stop operation at the detection of the slightest tremor. The Maglev levitates and runs much faster; it's different from the conventional rail system and would require a different safety mechanism. Curious to know what state-of-the-art system they employ.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

See Ms Kennedy... I have nice toys...

1 ( +2 / -1 )

"USA railroads are too out of dated and slow."

The USA has the most advanced freight railway network in the world.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

What JeffLee says is true. It's too easy to often say, "a country is backward because of this or that", but the truth is there have always been clever people, making good decisions that made sense for that era. When I was in grade school, I too complained, why can't the US public transit be more like Japan's!! And even though I still think that today, at least now I know how each country's public transit systems came into being so I try to be a little less biased.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@JeffLeeAPR. 13, 2014 - 05:26PM JST

"USA railroads are too out of dated and slow."

The USA has the most advanced freight railway network in the world.

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Where? Which State?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@syzyguyAPR. 13, 2014 - 09:28PM JST the Japanese Maglev will be in tough competing with Canada's handcar for the American national rail contract...

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Where can I ride handcar? I never heard. I did not know there is American national rail?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Kawasaki makes metro rail cars here in my town, usa. Any contract for usa rail cars is a benefit for people working here.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

From his wikipedia page, "Wakata is the first person to serve on five different crews without returning to Earth: STS-119, Expedition 18, Expedition 19, Expedition 20 and STS-127"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"Where? Which State?"

Um, USA. Nationwide, along with Canada, whose network is integrated.

"America’s system of rail freight is the world’s best." http://www.economist.com/node/16636101

The US has dedicated its network to freight, and its excellent system should not be compromised for the sake of passenger rail. Japan's passenger system works because Japan tolls of all its highways. Americans would never tolerate this and thus the US should ditch this project now.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@JeffLee: "Where? Which State?" Um, USA. Nationwide, along with Canada, whose network is integrated. "America’s system of rail freight is the world’s best." http://www.economist.com/node/16636101 The US has dedicated its network to freight, and its excellent system should not be compromised for the sake of passenger rail. Japan's passenger system works because Japan tolls of all its highways. Americans would never tolerate this and thus the US should ditch this project now.

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But we don;t have railroad in Nevada. Not in Southern Calif. (I don;t know about No. Calif because I don; visit there). Not in Arizona. This new plan is only between DC and Boston?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

"But we don;t have railroad in Nevada."

Yes you do. Union Pacific routes run right across the state. Okinawa doesn't have rail either, so what's your point?

"Not in Southern Calif."

OK, I've had enough of this. Check your facts and be real before you post. Here, have a look at the map at the link. http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/usa-rail-map.html

And here's some more reading for you. http://business.time.com/2012/07/09/us-freight-railroads/

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Most freight rail are not viable for passenger rail since most freight rail track have tight curves not able to handle high speed. The maintanace is also a discrace since again they do not need to handle the higher standards of passenger rails.

Having said that ridership of NEC is on the rise and it is about 75~90% full in present capacity. Highway roads in the east coast are tolled so that reasoning is flawed. There is a passenger rail system going online in the next five years in Okinawa. Hell Honolulu is even building a passenger rail system.

Another Breaking news is that Japan has just announced that they are prepared to give the Maglev technology for free to build the NEC with it so now it's just a matter of political will since the US can obtain both Finacial assistance as well as technological assistance to construct the route.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

"Highway roads in the east coast are tolled so that reasoning is flawed."

The Interstate is overwhelmingly free, apart from some bridges, tunnels and turnpikes. So the reasoning is valid. Tolling them ALL for the sake of supporting a heavily subsidized passenger service -- as Japan has done -- is not acceptable to Americans (and most other people worldwide).

Japan does pay a steep price for its passenger rail network. One part of that is the vast majority of its cargo travels on diesel-burning trucks, unlike the US where nearly half is transported by environmental-friendly rail, as Japan's capacity is used up for passenger services.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Union Pacific Corporation is the publicly traded parent company of all Union Pacific subsidiaries and operating companies, including Union Pacific Railroad Company, the largest operating company, and Southern Pacific Rail Corporation. Union Pacific Corporation was incorporated in Utah in 1969.[8] Union Pacific Corporation's headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska. James R. Young is the Chairman of Union Pacific Corporation; John J. Koraleski is the President and Chief Executive Officer

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No wonder I did not know. it is a PRIVATE company, not US Govt owned company. there is an office in Las Vegas, but it does not run like Shinkansen, Chuchu trains.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Toshiko - there is a "Quote" button above the text area you type your posts into. If you use that, you can quote text that you are quoting, rather than just typing it out with a line underneath.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

For you information Jeff most all Highspeed rail in Japan is generating operating profit. The Tokaido Shinkansen was able to return all loans within 8 years of inauguration. The major train operators are private and do not receive any government subsidies.

As for freight the bulk here in Japan is transported by ship so your argument there is flawed as well.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The Interstate is overwhelmingly free

Ha ha! Nothing is "free."

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@stranger land: Thanks but Seeing is believing. I will visit LV office, talk wiith Hancho there and get his tour guide, They do not have handcar, though,

Japan has Tetsudo-sho to control Japan's Railroad operations. Once upon a time, a top bureaucrat changed himself to be a politician and later he became a powerful prime-minister. You visit Tstudo Sho as rural areas have small handcar operation for transporting chopped lumbers. Compare handcar operations with shinknansen that might be operated between DC and Baltimore. Maybe Oriole fans might love it/

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

"For you information Jeff most all Highspeed rail in Japan is generating operating profit."

The "profit" is calculated after thick layers of public funding are striped away. The Shinkansen funding and revenue are a complicated blend of both public and private sources. Lots of development costs, in particular, have come from public money.

So you pay for it, I pay for, EVERYONE pays for it, well beyond the ticket price. So that 28,000 yen ticket to Osaka, I wonder what the real cost is? 40,000 to 50,000 yen perhaps? Whatever, it's really, really expensive.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Jeff

Read the post I wrote operating profit NOT overall profit after deduction of construction cost. After privatization each JR divisions bought their respective lines on a 30 years loan from the JNR Rehabilitation committee back in Heisei 3rd year. It is now Heisei 26 year and are scheluded to pay in full in the next 7 years but both Sanyo and Tokaido aready paid up the construction cost in full back then.

There is a mandate that no HSR will be funded by the government without an assessment that they will generate operation profit.

The three major JR are running a overall profit each year paying back the money they recieved as funding so the passengers are paying for the construction not the tax payers.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sending this over the US would be an amazing boon for Japan and the American traveler. Gonna keep my fingers crossed for this one.

then said fingers would be crossed for forever + a day. with the snail's pace of U.S. infrastructure projects/developments, this will likely not happen in our lifetime. if/when we do get it, maglev tech would be obsolete. heck, i'm just hoping for air conditioning inside subway stations, which we don't have here in nyc. in the july/august heat, it feels like an oven down there.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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