From: rcp27g@gmail.com   
      
   On 2015-01-14 01:17:03 +0000, conklin said:   
      
   > The January10-61 issue of The Economist argues that HSR passenger rates   
   > are growing in Europe mostly by taking passengers from slower rail.   
   > Passenger-kilometer travelled were 6.4% in 2011.  Cars share is at   
   > 72.5%. buses (coaches) lost 1% at 8.2%.  Airtravel agined a point to   
   > 8.9%.  Cars wre 72.5%.  In France rvenues and profit margins have   
   > fallen from their peaks.  On some routes (Spain mentioned) there are   
   > many empty seats.  Check it out.  Page 57.   
      
   Not very much detail in that article.  Of course it is worth bearing in   
   mind that the "conventional" rail from which high speed rail is   
   abstracting traffic in Europe would be classed as "high speed" rail in   
   the US.  The article comments that profits are down, but gives no   
   figures for how the total market for travel has developed in the last   
   few years.  Given the economic situation in Europe in the last 5 years,   
   i would expect that passenger-miles on all modes has declined in that   
   period.  The article decries the lack of rail-on-rail competition, but   
   entirely begs the question of whether such competition, which does   
   exist on some routes [1], actually increases either rail's market share   
   or increases traffic levels.   
      
   [1] routes that spring to mind include Brussels-Amsterdam,   
   Brussels-Cologne and London-Edinburgh/Glasgow, Milan-Rome   
      
   Robin   
      
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