FeòragMar 14
Re: last boost. The German transport minister would like to see maglevs back.
Show threadFeòragMar 14
Also, this word meaning (I think) “Public Transport Financing Act” - Gemeindeverkehrsfinanzierungsgesetzes
Show threadTill WestermayerMar 14
@feorag More or less, Gemeinde means communal (city/town/county) in this case.
Show threadCharlie StrossMar 14

@_tillwe_ @feorag Thus ignoring the only sensible reason for going with maglev—sheer speed over long distance routes, competing with jet airliners—and ignoring that local transport needs to be cheap or free to get people out of their cars.

(Also, they don't seem to remember what happened to Transrapid. Oops.)

Show threadThe Penguin of Evil
@cstross @_tillwe_ @feorag speed has also stopped mattering as much as it's now almost entirely dominated by go to start of fast thing, check in, wait, and then get from end of fast thing to where you wanted to actually go. The faster you go the less effect it has on trip time
Secondly the work on the way or do stuff on the way mindset has grown with WiFi etc. Why rush from London to Glasgow if your boss is paying you to "work" on the train ?
Mar 14 at 12:45pmMastodon for Android
Show threadNicovel0 🍉Mar 14
@etchedpixels @cstross @_tillwe_ @feorag or sleep on the train, I really hope we’re going to see a resurgence of sleeper trains.
Show threadFeòragMar 14
@Nicovel0 @etchedpixels @cstross @_tillwe_ It seems to be happening, very slowly (looks with interest at the new service between Paris and Berlin).
Show threadNicovel0 🍉Mar 14
@feorag @etchedpixels @cstross @_tillwe_ I really hope it happens, I’d rather catch a train in the evening and wake up at my destination than wake up early to then catch a fast train or (shudder) go to the airport.
Show threadThe Penguin of EvilMar 14
@cstross @_tillwe_ @feorag there is a secondary aspect too - people hate changes. Each change is stress, chaos and physical disruption. Many people will already prioritise slower transport options without changes.
Show threadCharlie StrossMar 14
@etchedpixels @_tillwe_ @feorag That's why SSTs aren't going to happen. The security issues and sheer cost mean it'd be a one-flight-a-day option with body cavity inspections before boarding and would end up flying to/from airports 100km away from the destination. Any Concorde-like or faster SST is a defacto hypersonic cruise missile.