Quote:
Originally Posted by FromSD
I don't know Ohio, but is driving between the major cities currently problematic? The best spur to public transit usage is the difficulty of driving, hence the survival of legacy rail systems in cities like New York, Chicago, SF, Philadelphia and Boston. But even if Ohio interstates are still mostly gridlock free, there could still be a market for intercity train service from students, tourists, senior citizens, people who hate to drive, and Ohio State football fans.
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If we're talking about true HSR then the train will almost certainly be the fastest option, and most people would obviously prefer the fastest option to get from point A to point B. Cleveland and Cincinnati are about the same distance apart as London and Paris, and even though the route taken by Eurostar is indirect it still takes just 2 hours and 16 mins to travel between the two cities. It's faster to take the Eurotrain from London to Paris than it is to fly commercially when you factor check-in and security lines.
A true HSR route between Cleveland and Cincinnati would likely make the trip in about 1.5 - 2 hours, since the route is more direct. But even a conventional train could make the trip in under 2.5 hours versus the 3.5 - 4 hours it takes to drive.