When looking over the timetables for Japan Rail, what always struck me was that trips tended to top out at 6 hours, regardless of speedhttps://twitter.com/380kmh/status/919252082720460800 …
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1) price is a big factor. Maybe I'd be willing to get somewhere slowly if it meant greater comfort, but not a chance if it's more expensive!
2) existence of faster alternatives--the only way I'm willing to travel for longer than 6 hours is if there is NO faster alternative...
...this is the main reason that overnight trains in Japan mostly vanished--and why overnight high-speed trains are still rare
If supersonic air travel became more commercially viable, then there'd be no realistic chance for slower-but-more-comfy air alternatives
But if no faster options than air travel become available, and if slower ones can compete in price while excelling in comfort?
Then, and ONLY then, does intercontinental travel by maglev start to look viable. Europe to Asia, Asia to America, etc...
...because even in this very specific future, air travel is obviously better for many trips (over the Atlantic, for example)
The opening of the Chuo Shinkansen in 2027 should shed some light on maglev's ability to compete on price. Will be interesting to see...
...if it pays off, and longer maglev routes get built in Eurasia--say, approaching the 6 hour threshhold--it'll be time to test comfort
And if a high level of comfort is possible without breaking the bank, then it's time to look to the Bering Straits.
#TrainTwitter
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