Just a reminder! It's "blog post," not "blog!"

To address the contents of the post: yeah, this sucks, a textbook example of enshittification.

That's why it's good to see the data. It may put your assumptions to rest..

I spend $100 or so and replace the battery.

Apple vs Android, not app.

This informed be better if:

1). They broke it down by app vs android.

2). They broke it down by phone cost.

I would expect to see that people replace cheap phones more often than expensive phones, and Android more often than iPhone. But that's just a guess. It would be nice to see it in the data.

That would be the Sanyo Shinkansen then, and it's 100% grade separated, and always has been.

If it was near the Marine Corps base it would have been the Sanyo Main Line. I don't know what the historic speeds were, but these days the maximum is 130 kph. The Shinkansen line is some distance from there.

130 kph (about 80 mph) might not seem like much, but it can appear pretty quick when you are very close to the train at a crossing. The Shinkansen line was around 250 kph when you were there I think, now up to 300.

Ok dude. You're off your rocker. Have a great day.

What are you talking about? I never said I got a roommette, nor did I say I didn't share it with anyone.

I got ROOM H and I shared it with my 8 year old son.

Room H carries a significant discount. My son traveled on a companion fare.

Info from the receipt:

Train: 4 Southwest Chief
Duration: 27H 10M

          Departs:
          Albuquerque, New Mexico (Abq)
          Thursday January 02, 2025 11:32AM

          Arrives:
          Chicago (Union Station), Illinois (Chi)
          Friday January 03, 2025 2:42PM

          Seat(s)/Room(s):
          Superliner Accessible Bedroom H In Car 0430

Chicago (Union Station), Illinois (Chi) to Pittsburgh (Union Station), Pennsylvania (Pgh)
Friday January 03, 2025 6:40PM - Saturday January 04, 2025 5:05AM

Train: 41 Floridian
Duration: 10H 25M

          Departs:
          Chicago (Union Station), Illinois (Chi)
          Friday January 03, 2025 6:40PM

          Arrives:
          Pittsburgh (Union Station), Pennsylvania (Pgh)
          Saturday January 04, 2025 5:05AM

          Seat(s)/Room(s):
          Viewliner Accessible Bedroom H In Car 4110

FARE INFORMATION
Rail $ 360.00
Accommodations $ 936.00
Ticket Delivery Fee $ 0.00
Subtotal $ 1296.00
Forfeit Amount $ 0.00
Purchase Total $ 1296.00

But go head and keep calling me a liar.

No, I spent about $1300 for a 36 hour train ride for two people, which included a room to stay in and food, as well as access to the first glass lounge during the layover in Chicago.

In September, I went to Ireland and some of the rooms were about $800/night.

.....what are you disputing? I said you have a layover in Chicsgo and change trains there. That's exactly what you described.

Somehow the Japanese are building new HSR lines right into the centre of their two biggest cities, Tokyo and Osaka. Grade separated. 90% tunnel through mountains, elevated in urban areas.

They have earthquakes and even more densely built up areas to contend with. Somehow they manage it, regularly. And not just for HSR, the Tsukuba Express line is another example that is not high speed but is fully grade separated and runs right into the centre of Tokyo. Partially underground, partially viaduct.

More high speed rail than the rest of the world combined, all built in the last 15 years. It's some of the fastest too, with peak speeds exceeding those in Japan (where they are limited due to noise concerns rather than safety or the capabilities of the trains).

They are also now building new maglev lines, starting in Beijing, which will be the fastest in the world, and are going to be the longest and most extensive in the world as they rapidly expand.

They also have more underground rail than the rest of the world combined, all built in the last 20 years.

It's not just about travel time, it's about comfort and emissions, and arriving fresh instead of tired from a long drive.

In other words commercial rivals will sabotage it.

When you factor in time taken to get to the airport and go through security, and the fact that flights aren't as regular as HSR typically, even for very long distances rail is competitive. Maglev will make it even more so. It's much more comfortable too.

Even if you still can't cope with it for very long distances, for shorter ones it will definitely be a lot faster than flying.

You definitely weren't stopped at a crossing to wait for a high speed train, because legally in Japan they have to be grade separated. In other words, any crossing has to be a tunnel. Barriers and roads going over the tracks are not allowed.

Their conventional rail can be fairly fast in places, but of course nothing like the Shinkansen (bullet trains).

In Japan the high speed lines often run parallel to the ordinary lines. They are always grade separated, either on a mound or on very long viaducts. Yes it costs more, but it's worth it.