New Job - New Vehicle

"BvdV - The Dutch Engineer" (dutchengineer)
11/01/2018 at 01:54 • Filed to: None

So I’m starting my new ( and first ‘ real’ ) job today, very exciting! However, as the office is around 130km from home, and I haven’t found a suitable appartment to rent yet, this also means (temporarily) replacing the Twingo with one (or 2 or 3) of these yellow things:

At least it doesn’t suffer as badly from traffic jams, so I guess that’s something...

DISCUSSION (27)

facw > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
11/01/2018 at 02:35

Well that gives you a big boost in horse power, but the top speed is a bit disappointing.

pip bip - choose Corrour > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
11/01/2018 at 02:46

So what’s the job and what city is it in?

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > facw
11/01/2018 at 03:17

I think these top out at 160kph if really pushed (only 140kph when in service though) , so not too bad. Only 20 kph less than the Twingo...

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > pip bip - choose Corrour
11/01/2018 at 03:20

Control Engineer at a battery pack development/production company. It’s in a small town near Amsterdam, but I’m from the south east of the country, so it’s quite the trip.

pip bip - choose Corrour > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
11/01/2018 at 03:23

fair enough

Svend > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
11/01/2018 at 03:38

Congrats on the new job mate.

I hope you find somewhere suitable to rent closer to work soon.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
11/01/2018 at 05:52

ugh double decker trains.. twice as many smelly strangers in the same space as regular trains...

i hates trains and buses

Kinja'd!!!

congrats on the new job tho

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
11/01/2018 at 06:24

Been there. Done that. And I hope you find somewhere closer soon. Cause two or three sleeps a day plays havoc with your social life!

Cé hé sin > facw
11/01/2018 at 07:43

Depends on your expectation I suppose. Inter urban trains generally get up to 160 kmh if and when they get the chance, suburban ones are designed for 140 although reaching that is another matter. Long distance ones are usually designed for 200 kmh although this of course isn't one of them.

random001 > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
11/01/2018 at 08:33

Time to buy a Nintendo Switch!

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
11/01/2018 at 08:58

Yay trains

Out, but with a W - has found the answer > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
11/01/2018 at 09:48

Awesome, congrats on the job! You’ll start to appreciate trains for their napping opportunities real soon.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > Out, but with a W - has found the answer
11/01/2018 at 11:33

Thanks! It definitely is a more relaxing way of travelling. I definitely get your choice for commuting by train now ;p

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > farscythe - makin da cawfee!
11/01/2018 at 11:34

Strangers were not too smelly this morning! But yeah, definitely less privacy than in a car, but also way more comfort.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > Svend
11/01/2018 at 11:49

Thanks!

Yeah, I’m currently looking to find something near Leiden, which is only a 20 minute drive to the office. As an added bonus that puts me close to the seaside, and close to Zandvoort!

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > random001
11/01/2018 at 11:50

How good is it on a scale 1-10?

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
11/01/2018 at 11:51

Yay! They are pretty good, especially the newly upholstered ones, because they have comfy seats

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
11/01/2018 at 11:53

Yeah, got the same response from a few co- workers. So I’ll probably find somewhere else to live soon.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > Cé hé sin
11/01/2018 at 11:54

These tend to do 140, and with only 3 stops it’s actually pretty easy to achieve that

random001 > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
11/01/2018 at 12:11

I give it a solid 7-8, say a 7.75. I really enjoy it when I get a chance to sit and play. It’s super convenient, games are pretty good. I’d recommend if you have a long commute and like to game.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
11/01/2018 at 12:18

We need good state-run rail s ervice in the U.S. Going to Italy has convinced me of this. There are a few commuter rail systems here that are comparable to European rail but they only service relatively small areas.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
11/01/2018 at 12:28

The best thing is to make it semi-government-run, because you get the benefits of something government-run (like laws demanding a certain degree of coverage) while at the same time you get the benefit of a company wanting to make money, thus making the trains run more efficiently/timely (delays are bad for the company name which results in lower profits). This is just my theory though, but I think the Dutch system is a bit like this.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
11/01/2018 at 13:08

Many transit systems here are Quasi-governmental but the issue i s that they’re run by individual states rather than the federal government, so they don’t link up. For example, I could get from where I am into Boston very easily and reliably via the commuter rail network. If I want to then go from Boston to New York I have to use Amtrak which is widely regarded as terrible and mismanaged.

Much of the r ail line in the U.S was built by/is owned by private companies, so Amtrak has to send agood chunk of their budget to lease the right to use the lines. The passenger trains share aging, disrepaired lines with slow cargo trains. It can be quicker to drive from Boston to NYC than to take the train.

Part of the problem is the U.S. is so large that it just makes more sense to fly if you need to cross the country. Rail travel started to die off the moment jets started to happen. The only part of Amtrak that really turns a profit is the DC-NYC-Boston corridor and even that sucks to ride on.

To be effective Amtrak needs exclusive right-of-way on government owned track, which at this point is prohibitively expensive because of all the land the government would need to buy back.

Out, but with a W - has found the answer > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
11/01/2018 at 13:18

Haha, I’ve gone even further; my office last week:

Kinja'd!!!

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > Out, but with a W - has found the answer
11/01/2018 at 14:17

Awesome!

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
11/01/2018 at 14:19

I can imagine the fact that the US is so vast, and has some very sparsely populated areas doesn’t help either.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
11/01/2018 at 14:29

NYC to LA via train is 2 days, vs 3 hours on a plane for not much more money. Which option would you choose?

That’s why the Northeast Corridor is the only region that’s profitable for Amtrak. It’s one big megalopolis with dozens of large cities all within a few hundred miles. It’s the only part of the country where rail travel still makes sense and it's not getting the service it really needs.