A few years ago - on this day in 2019, as a matter of fact - I posted a link to this article on high speed magnetic levitation trains my Facebook, and said that this was impressive, and Americans could learn a thing or two from China in this regard.
Most people who responded seemed equally as impressed with this as I was.
However, there was one response which, while not necessarily negative, sure seemed to imply a negative reaction, and possible skepticism. It was that basically, China was trying to rebuild the Silk Roads, only now with high speed rail. It should be noted that the guy who wrote it was a Trump supporter, and he and I had a few political interactions.
It struck me that many Americans are quite skeptical of trains in general, and "wasteful" spending on high speed trains in particular. Many Americans would likely question what the point would be of building such lines here in the United States. Not saying that this was what this guy was saying, but I definitely know some people who would likely hold that viewpoint. The rest of the world seems to be going in one direction, and it often feels like Americans politically too often make a point of going in the opposite direction. That includes mag lev trains like this, or public transportation more generally. It also includes universal healthcare, and recognizing that keeping healthcare costs down should be a priority. It also includes commonsense gun legislation. And recognizing that combatting climate change would actually be a good thing. And seriously valuing education. And recognizing that maybe there should be limits on funding the military industrial complex, like Eisenhower warned about. And generally, that government can be a useful tool in protecting people against greedy corporations. Oh, and that the creeping rise of fascism within our government is generally a bad trend.
Sigh.
In any case, I have long been fascinated by the technology involved with mag lev trains. And yes, as an American, I wish that we were not apparently so hostile to the idea of having them here more commonly, even though they are indeed in existence. The only active one in the United States right now is Amtrak's Acela, which has service from Boston to Washington, with 13 stops in between. There are plans to build one in California, although who knows when, or frankly if, those will actually, finally become a reality.
Below is the link to the article on the high speed magnetic levitation trains of China:
New Chinese magnetic levitation train ‘is faster than going by plane’ Rob Waugh Rob Waugh·Contributor 2 July 2019:
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/new-chinese-magnetic-levitation-train-is-faster-than-going-by-plane-191524377.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9sLmZhY2Vib29rLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANhL--JcflZFDLmr4PgMVMyKtYMNpw9NVRDHMDQ_8tbSHAdn8mZnH9VdgW35ajWXQpCvAarWkFCSpBYJN1g6Vq36LFxh3dMZxM4msuOw7EQG2Puzhkmczc8zdkq6LvYBTIunr_R9mAcSTVcDelxQJIOX5aMHaCyPoujsQzdqOqaX
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