Newfie wrote: ..... your joy does not mean it is energy efficient. Or, even if energy efficient in that environment that the same system would be efficient in THIS environment.
??????
Of course my joy doesn't make trains energy efficient----its physics that make trains more energy efficient.
Its well known that trains are much more energy efficient then airplanes and/or private cars.
For instance, from Wikipedia:
Trains
Trains are in general one of the most efficient means of transport for freight and passengers. An inherent efficiency advantage is the low friction of steel wheels on steel rails compared especially to rubber tires on asphalt. Efficiency varies significantly with passenger loads, and losses incurred in electricity generation and supply (for electrified systems),[67][68] and, importantly, end-to-end delivery, where stations are not the originating final destinations of a journey.
Actual consumption depends on gradients, maximum speeds, and loading and stopping patterns. Data produced for the European MEET project (Methodologies for Estimating Air Pollutant Emissions) illustrate the different consumption patterns over several track sections. The results show the consumption for a German ICE high-speed train varied from around 19 to 33 kW⋅h/km (68–119 MJ/km; 31–53 kW⋅h/mi). The data also reflects the weight of the train per passenger. For example, TGV double-deck Duplex trains use lightweight materials, which keep axle loads down and reduce damage to track and also save energy.[69]
The specific energy consumption of the trains worldwide amounts to about 150 kJ/pkm (kilojoule per passenger kilometre) and 150 kJ/tkm (kilojoule per tonne kilometre) (ca. 4.2 kWh/100 pkm and 4.2 kWh/100 tkm) in terms of final energy. Passenger transportation by rail systems requires less energy than by car or plane (one seventh of the energy needed to move a person by car in an urban context,[41]). This is the reason why, although accounting for 9% of world passenger transportation activity (expressed in pkm) in 2015, rail passenger services represented only 1% of final energy demand in passenger transportation.[70][71]
And, just as importantly, electric trains emit no CO2, while ICE cars and planes emit huge amounts of CO2.
---------------------------
All I'm saying is lets see what Biden proposes to do.
The man is a huge train advocate.......who knows.......perhaps he'll advocate for HSR trains. Or perhaps he's been lying his life about being an advocate for trains.
Amtrak Joe is now our president. It seems likely to me he'll push for more funds for Amtrak
Time will tell.
Cheers!