Train from Chicago to Minneapolis news

by Annie Scott on

As a born and raised Minneapolitan, I am very excited about the possibility of a high speed train running between the Twin Cities and Chicago.

“Plans are moving fast to spend more than $1 billion on high-speed rail between the Twin Cities and Chicago,” writes Mike Kaszuba of the Star Tribune. But he warns that we shouldn’t get too excited about the “high speed” aspect; the trains will top out at 110 mph and average 78 mph, nowhere near the 200 mph speeds achieved in Europe and Japan.

Still a lot faster than driving, is what I say. Faster would be better, but $1 billion is already a lot of money in a recession. Let’s just get the thing built.

You know what it would cost to get a 220 mph train? About $33 billion, based on estimates regarding a San Francisco to Los Angeles train (about the same distance). Fat chance we’re gonna get that! Stop fighting, guys. Build it.

$50bn needed to keep train system from going off the rails

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The Federal Transportation Administration believes that $50 billion is needed to repair major metropolitan train systems … and another $5.9 billion a year to maintain them. Railways that need the money, it continues, are in Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Together, they carry more than 80 percent of the train passengers in the country – amounting to more than 3 billion passenger trips every year.

We rely on these trains every day, but we aren’t keeping them in top shape. More than a third of the trains in these seven locations have equipment near or past their useful lives. The money needed to remedy problems, however, isn’t coming in. Eight percent of the equipment on these lines is in “poor” condition, with another 27 percent “marginal.”

William Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association, makes the astute observation: “We don’t need another report – we need greater funding.”

$8 billion stimulus could help revive travel by train

by Karen Walrond on

I’ve always loved trains — I think, primarily, because for most of my life I lived in places where there are few trains. There are no passenger trains in my native country of Trinidad, and here in Houston, where I live now, Amtrak goes to very few destinations. When I finally moved to London for work several years ago, I decided to forgo owning a car, just so that I could travel the commuter train to my job every day. I loved it. And to this day, I dream of taking a vacation traveling solely by train, watching the scenery as it rushes by my window.

Well, thanks to the stimulus package signed by President Obama last month, my dream vacation may become more of a reality. According to a report in USATODAY.COM, within that package is $8 billion earmarked for the Department of Transportation to distribute the money to high-speed rail projects around the country and to Amtrak, the national passenger rail service, to develop high-speed technology. Further, the article continues: “Eleven proposed high-speed rail corridors on the West Coast, Texas, the Great Lakes states, the Southeast, Florida and the Northeast will be vying for a piece of the stimulus money.”

Fantastic. Fingers crossed my vacation dream happens very soon.

Cheshire’s weird No Kissing sign shows up on eBay

by Annie Scott on

Remember when we told you how there were signs that prohibit kissing in the Warrington Railway Station in the county of Cheshire, England?

We also mentioned that their “freaky” sign (right) “looks like Mark Trail kissing a grown-up Lisa Simpson.”

Want one?? ‘Cause now they’re on eBay.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. Now you, too, can declare a No Kissing Zone in your own home. Maybe just casually leave the sign in your parents’ bedroom. Whatever helps you sleep at night.

The best news is that your purchase will benefit the British charity Comic Relief. The signs come with an official letter of release from Virgin Trains. Bid here!

History’s Most Famous Travel Adventures

by Kraig Becker on

There is no doubt that history has a level of influence on the places that many of us visit. We read about far off places and exotic adventures, and it fires our own imaginations, sometimes compelling us to take a journey of our own, and experience the things that we’ve dreamed about.

Forbes Traveler has put together an excellent list of the greatest travel adventures from history, not only putting them in historical context, but also explaining why they remain a great travel experience even to this day. Each of the journeys on this list include a link to a travel service than can help organize your own adventure, following in the footsteps of explorers and adventurers from the past.

Some of the famous journeys that make the list include the Lewis and Clarke Expedition’s exploration of the American West, which modern day travelers can experiencing for themselves by spending five days paddling more than 60 miles of the Missouri River. Prefer something a bit more exotic? Then how about a 34-day, 4850+ mile journey through South America, by motorcycle no less, that retraces the travels of Che Guevara. Want to go even further back in time? Then head to the Far East to travel the Silk Road, much the same way that Marco Polo did in the 13th century.

There is a little something for everyone on this list, from the physically demanding to the luxurious. But they all share one thing in common, they are some of the greatest journeys in history, and they are still inspiring travel years, and sometimes centuries, later.