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Re: Light rail has never been installed on a floating bridge before until now.
Author: synonymouse
Date: 07-27-2019 - 18:10
Max, you have to understand this is the US; everything has to be as simple as possible to be maintained. IMHO in the case of Seattle or SF having everything in 750vdc or very close thereto would make it easy and less complicated and more likely to survive.
One of the favorite arguments against streetcars and trolleybuses a few decades ago was: "Oh, we cannot get any parts for those things anymore!" Of course what they meant and indeed what they did was buy new diesel buses every 10 years. Who needs blinkin' parts when we junk everything before we get to that juncture.
US politicians are so stupid and so under the thumb of the Jetsons modernizer mentality(read: junk electric rail - so obsolete)they will buy into any gadgetbahn scam no matter how technically flakey but meantime the primary hauler remains a diesel bus.
So if you want electric rail in the US the system has to be a street fighter that can compete with a diesel bus under 3rd world dystopian conditions. The US is basically Brasil - maybe worse off.
One of the favorite arguments against streetcars and trolleybuses a few decades ago was: "Oh, we cannot get any parts for those things anymore!" Of course what they meant and indeed what they did was buy new diesel buses every 10 years. Who needs blinkin' parts when we junk everything before we get to that juncture.
US politicians are so stupid and so under the thumb of the Jetsons modernizer mentality(read: junk electric rail - so obsolete)they will buy into any gadgetbahn scam no matter how technically flakey but meantime the primary hauler remains a diesel bus.
So if you want electric rail in the US the system has to be a street fighter that can compete with a diesel bus under 3rd world dystopian conditions. The US is basically Brasil - maybe worse off.
