urbanSTL

About half the cost per mile of the N/S metrolink proposal. 

^Urban transit will more or less invariably have higher land acquisition costs, more sensitive and complicated infrastructure moves, utilities, concerns about traffic disruptions, logistics . . . Transit really isn't an apples to apples comparison. You'd have to compare to a cross country rail line. Which might be why the California project came up.

Yeah, if the hyperloop were running from one end of STL to the other it would definitely have a higher cost than the cross-state estimate. But even setting that aside, I'd rather pay double for a 200mph high speed rail connection than gamble on an unproven technology.

13-year-old scientist may have designed a better version of Hyperloop
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/hype ... index.html

This silly idea should be taken to the woods and shot dead.    7-10b from stl to kc will turn into 25-30b.  We could build KC and stl 50 miles of light trail each, a 200 mph bullet train from stl and kc and still have $5b left to fund education in the state.

The whole 23 min from stl to kc is bs too, at best case scenario the trip will take you 1:30 downtown to downtown and most likely is 2:00-3:00 hours.   You have to get to the station, which will probably be in deep western stl county or st.charles.   The thing will make a stop in Columbia.  And you will get dropped off in independence mo.

If they were individual pods, they could possibly save time over flying by avoiding security lines. But the picture I saw looked like a small train car inside. And some have argued that it is better for the environment.

I could see it between two very large, fairly close, very rich cities in, say, Japan or Hong Kong. Would the state help subsidize this? Or would it need to pay for itself? Any privatization plan for this?


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dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑

Nov 01, 2019

This silly idea should be taken to the woods and shot dead.    7-10b from stl to kc will turn into 25-30b.  We could build KC and stl 50 miles of light trail each, a 200 mph bullet train from stl and kc and still have $5b left to fund education in the state.

The problem is that you can't get Sillicon Valley Venture Capitalists to fund a train, but you can get them to waste billions on an unproven unworkable concept.

It's almost like the tech guys are trying to innovate. Jerks! 

MarkHaversham wrote: ↑

Nov 12, 2019

dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑

Nov 01, 2019

This silly idea should be taken to the woods and shot dead.    7-10b from stl to kc will turn into 25-30b.  We could build KC and stl 50 miles of light trail each, a 200 mph bullet train from stl and kc and still have $5b left to fund education in the state.

The problem is that you can't get Sillicon Valley Venture Capitalists to fund a train, but you can get them to waste billions on an unproven unworkable concept.

I find this fact amazing considering that Google in the heart of San Jose/Silicon Valley has been buying up property in downtown left and right next to future HSR stop/new BART station/Electrified Caltrains for new 25,000-30,000 employee campus and they won't lead the charge to get HSR extended from Central Valley in San Jose.    On top of that, Facebook could easily fund a new transit line/rebuild of existing rail line & Dumbarton rail bridge from East Bay to their campus & connection to existing Caltrains peninsula service.   
In same breadth, can't see State of California or even Bay transit authorities embracing a similar Texas Central privately owned HSR that will be built between Dallas & Houston let alone similar Brightline now Virgin Trains in Florida.   Two immovable objects that would benefit greatly with a private public partnerships in which Big Tech participates and probably do more then what Apple & Google is putting towards new housing at some of the most expensive places to build.      

Well, a proposal is due by Dec 13 for a test track for Virgin Hyperloop and St.Louis just announced today that one of rex sinquefields orgs will run point because nobody else stepped up, so i doubt the front runner status.   Virgin is probably looking for a heavy involved from the state with the checkbook  ($150M maybe), not sure how Missouri can commit that when the legislature  isnt in session until January nor could they commit that with a straight face considering MoDOTs long list of unfunded basic maintenance needs for roads and bridges 

sc4mayor wrote: ↑

Nov 19, 2019

dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑

Nov 19, 2019

...not sure how Missouri can commit that when the legislature  isnt in session until January nor could they commit that with a straight face considering MoDOTs long list of unfunded basic maintenance needs for roads and bridges 

Exactly.  This test track is going to cost between $300 and $500 million and according to reporting I've seen that money has to come from the state and localities.  This is an unproven and untested technology that has never carried a passenger at even remotely the speeds they are proposing.  I just don't get all this hype.  Both St. Louis and Kansas City are awaiting matching funds to complete expansions of their already existing mass transit networks and the state doesn't even pretend to hear us.  But some dumb-ass tech firm comes along promising the next big (untested!) thing and they're all ears.  Meanwhile the state's two largest urban centers can't get help to expand transit into areas of town that desperately need it.  Never mind the poor condition of the state's roads and bridges.  So goddamned frustrating.

Exactly my feelings about this whole thing. Smoke and mirrors.

I think we’ve been thinking about the hyperloop in a wrong way,  I think a more likely application is freight mover, not people mover.   Imagine a factory in KC working on a product but in stl you have the skill set for final assembly.  You load up the product and send it over in 30 minutes and of course amazon packages

dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑

Feb 13, 2020

I think we’ve been thinking about the hyperloop in a wrong way,  I think a more likely application is freight mover, not people mover.   Imagine a factory in KC working on a product but in stl you have the skill set for final assembly.  You load up the product and send it over in 30 minutes and of course amazon packages

You could put in on a plane and send it over in 45 minutes for a tiny fraction of the cost

Everything old is new again.

^I miss the old brass and glass pneumatic tubes from the circulation desk into the stacks at the central library. The remodel is lovely, but not without at least a small price in lost history.

gone corporate wrote: ↑

Feb 13, 2020

^^Agreed. Hauling freight is a major component of Hyperloop, as well as high-speed rail... 

Update from the STL Biz Journal: State House passes Hyperloop bill. This legislation still has to go through the MO Senate. 

A hyperloop network might certainly benefit the likes of FedEx, UPS, and Amazon with all the various sized packages going between cities and distribution hubs.  I would include USPS but by law they are mandated to be inefficient.  Of course, why would they want to push it or put skin in the game when you got subsidize highway and airport network as JaneJacob alluded too.

Unfortunately the one state that doesn't and won't fully support its existing infrastructure with a second to third tier city pair is working on a means to dish out grants.  This will likely come at a cost of either highway funds and or tax credit funds.  

gone corporate wrote: Update from the STL Biz Journal: State House passes Hyperloop bill. This legislation still has to go through the MO Senate. 

The year is 2030 and one of the following is happening...

1. “Missouri sues Virgin for negligence”
2. “Missouri is still trying for the defunct hyperloop”
3. “FTA sues Missouri for grant funding from vacant hyperloop”
4. “Vacant Terminal 2 at St. Louis International to become Hyperloop Missouri as St. Louis becomes focus of MO international flights and cargo.”


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^Nice! Yes, that sounds about right.

addxb2 wrote: ↑

Feb 14, 2020

gone corporate wrote: Update from the STL Biz Journal: State House passes Hyperloop bill. This legislation still has to go through the MO Senate. 

The year is 2030 and one of the following is happening...

1. “Missouri sues Virgin for negligence”
2. “Missouri is still trying for the defunct hyperloop”
3. “FTA sues Missouri for grant funding from vacant hyperloop”
4. “Vacant Terminal 2 at St. Louis International to become Hyperloop Missouri as St. Louis becomes focus of MO international flights and cargo.”


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I like #4.   My thought is at that point KC also decides it wants its hyperloop terminal to be at the airport as well and the respective cities try to out subsidize each other for international flights making the pitch that hyperloop will add passengers from the other city.

Which would pretty much destroy my wishful but I think cool idea to have the hyperloop pull away from I70 corridor once it gets into city limits,  , go underground and head due south for a downtown St. Louis terminal under Union Station.  Any extensions to the North (Chicago), South (Memphis)  and or East (Indy) could be accomplished by a extension coming out of the ground south of Union Station & picking up or paralleling respective interstate or rail corridors in the respective direction.

^The problem is number four is the one that absolutely won't happen. For reasons. The other three are all possible, though. Three is a little far fetched. One and two are easily the most realistic.

^ Not that I think any of this is actually possible BUT as a person raised playing SimCity3000 in a hypothetical world...

If an airport gets connected to hyperloop, it’s STL.
1. Drawing a line between KC to STL, STL airport falls on that line. KC airport does not. Extending to connect KC/STL to KC airport would cost $450m (!).
2. KC is rightsizing their airport as STL sits on way too much cargo, passenger, and runway capacity.
3. Terminal 2 (existing building) would make a pretty incredible hyperloop station. Parking, light rail access, indoor connection to flights.

I think StL wins out, easily.