XPost: rec.arts.sf.written, rec.arts.sf.science
From: dtravel@sonic.net
On 2/1/2014 4:15 PM, John F. Eldredge wrote:
> On Fri, 31 Jan 2014 23:42:51 -0800, David Friedman wrote:
>
>> On 1/30/14, 1:30 PM, Leszek Karlik wrote:
>>> On Wed, 22 Jan 2014 22:20:21 +0100, Thomas Koenig
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> [...]
>>>> Trains are a good alternative for some routes in Germany. Germany,
>>>> being a fairly densly popoulated country, has a reasonably dense rail
>>>> network.
>>>>
>>>> The ICE 3 trains between Cologne and Frankfurt airport are quite fast,
>>>> up to 300 km/h (185 mph). They run parallel to the Autobahn,
>>>> and you cannot hope to pass them in a car, even if there is no traffic
>>>> jam :-)
>>>
>>> Also in Spain. SWMBO today has travelled by AVE from Malaga to Madrid
>>> in less than 3 hours, for approximately the same price as fuel cost
>>> when driving a car. And in a car, it would take 2 hours more.
>>>
>>> Rapid rail is pretty nice in densely populated countries, which I guess
>>> is why China is so keen on it.
>>
>> China as a whole isn't that densely populated, although parts of it may
>> be--it has a large population but also a large area. Its population
>> density is about 2/3 that of Germany, a little over half that of the
>> U.K.
>
> However, the eastern part, particularly the southeast, is VERY densely
> populated, and therefore well suited to rail traffic. The northwest, by
> contrast, is mostly scantily-settled desert.
>
Should I point out how much easier it is to build a railroad in a desert
compared to an urban area? :D
--
The 'Enterprise' crew in the 2009 Star Trek are adrenaline addicted,
hyper-active teenagers with ADD whose Ritalin got replaced with
methamphetamine, displaying a level of discipline that a Somali pirate
wouldn't tolerate.
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
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