The Obama administration will make up to $13 billion available for high-speed railroad projects across the nation, which lags far behind the fast railways of Asia and Europe
France's TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, for "high-speed train'") claims the world speed record at 574.8 kilometers per hour (in April 2007) as well as the record for the fastest scheduled rail journey with a start-to-stop average speed of 279.4 kilometers per hour....[More]
FRANCE
France's TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, for "high-speed train'") claims the world speed record at 574.8 kilometers per hour (in April 2007) as well as the record for the fastest scheduled rail journey with a start-to-stop average speed of 279.4 kilometers per hour. The system was developed during the 1970s by GEC–Alstom (now Alstom) and Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF, for "French National Railways"), but is now operated primarily by SNCF. Although originally designed to be powered by gas turbines, the TGV prototypes evolved into electric trains.
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SOUTH KOREA
The HSR-350x , aka the Korean G-7, reaches a maximum speed of 352.4 kilometers per hour. It was developed primarily to reduce traffic problems and to raise the nation's science and technology level to that of the world's leaders, at the time known as the G-7....[More]
SOUTH KOREA
The HSR-350x, aka the Korean G-7, reaches a maximum speed of 352.4 kilometers per hour. It was developed primarily to reduce traffic problems and to raise the nation's science and technology level to that of the world's leaders, at the time known as the G-7. The HSR-350x features an aluminum body, digital traffic control and a pressure compensation system. Unlike some other high-speed trains whose individual cars are powered, the HSR-350x configuration relies on traditional propulsion in the form of high-powered locomotives pulling carriages. Although South Korea began working on its high-speed rail project in 1995, it wasn't until 2004 that the HSR-350x was able to break the 350 kilometer-per-hour barrier.
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COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA/LAKSHMIX
SPAIN
Spain's Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) Class 102 is a group of high-speed trains operated by the country's state railway company Renfe Operadora and run on a dedicated high-speed track....[More]
SPAIN
Spain's Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) Class 102 is a group of high-speed trains operated by the country's state railway company Renfe Operadora and run on a dedicated high-speed track. The train, which was principally designed for the Madrid–Barcelona line and first went into service in 2005, tops out at up to 350 kilometers per hour, although its certified maximum operating speed is 330 kilometers per hour due to the limits of its 8,000-kilowatt engines.
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COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA/BENJAMI VILLOSLADA I GIL
JAPAN
Japan's JR West 500 series "superexpress" trains are designed to reach a top speed of 320 kilometers per hour, although they operate at a maximum of 300 kilometers per hour in service....[More]
JAPAN
Japan's JR West 500 series "superexpress" trains are designed to reach a top speed of 320 kilometers per hour, although they operate at a maximum of 300 kilometers per hour in service. The train relies on a computer-controlled active suspension for a smoother and safer ride as well as special couplers that are fitted between cars for improved stability. Each train costs about $56 million, and only nine have been built since they began service in 1997.
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TAIWAN
Taiwan's high-speed rail network , which launched in January 2007, covers about 335.5 kilometers from Taipei City to Kaohsiung City. These high-speed trains have a top operating speed of nearly 300 kilometers per hour....[More]
TAIWAN
Taiwan's high-speed rail network, which launched in January 2007, covers about 335.5 kilometers from Taipei City to Kaohsiung City. These high-speed trains have a top operating speed of nearly 300 kilometers per hour. (Any train that travels faster than 200 kilometers per hour is generally considered "high speed".)
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COURTESY OF ARTHUR CHAPMAN, VIA FLICKR.COM
UNITED STATES
Amtrak's Acela Express is the nation's only high-speed rail line, with a top speed of 240 kilometers per hour. The Acela has since 2000 operated along the U.S.'s Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C., and Boston, with stops in Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City along the way....[More]
UNITED STATES
Amtrak's Acela Express is the nation's only high-speed rail line, with a top speed of 240 kilometers per hour. The Acela has since 2000 operated along the U.S.'s Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C., and Boston, with stops in Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City along the way. The rail service incorporates a tilting design that allows the train to move at higher velocities on the sharply curved Northeast Corridor line without disturbing passengers by lowering lateral centrifugal forces, a principle based on the same physics employed in banked turns in automobile racing.
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ENGLAND
The British Rail Class 395 is a dual-voltage electric train that has been in service since June. The U.K.'s Southeastern train operating company uses the high-speed trains in the Channel Tunnel Rail Link , which opened in 1994 and connects England and France....[More]
ENGLAND
The British Rail Class 395 is a dual-voltage electric train that has been in service since June. The U.K.'s Southeastern train operating company uses the high-speed trains in the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, which opened in 1994 and connects England and France. The trains were built in Japan by Hitachi and shipped to England to operate high-speed domestic services. They are the fastest operating service trains in the U.K., running at a maximum speed of 225 kilometers per hour.
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COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA/MATTBUCK
ITALY
Italy's ETR 200 (or ElettroTreno 200) was an early electricity-driven high-speed train introduced in 1936 whose maximum speed topped out at 160 kilometers per hour....[More]
ITALY
Italy's ETR 200 (or ElettroTreno 200) was an early electricity-driven high-speed train introduced in 1936 whose maximum speed topped out at 160 kilometers per hour. Although the production of the ETR 200 was halted by World War II and many were damaged by Allied bombings, the ETR 200 and its successors remained in service until the early 1980s.
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Actually Italy has newer trains than the historical one shown in page 8. Check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETR_500 for the 300 km/h model in service now.
It is a myth that high speed trains 'replace' other forms of transportation. They actually add to the total passenger volume between point a and b.
A million people taking the train between New York and Chicago does not mean a million less on the roads or by air. Amother means of transport 'adds' to the reason for travelling...personal, business, cultural, etc. This is why cities around the world lobby hard for airlines to choose them as a destination. It means hundreds of thousands of added visitors for 'whatever' reason.
'More' folks travel London to Paris because of high speed train...they go shopping, buy weekend properties, have a weekend out, etc. More students live in another city and go home for the weekend, etc. The environment is not helped.
Talking here of the -err- Class 91 east coast type with its spacious mk4 coaches. A quick check has reveled that it does attain the 140mph 'in service' speeds for which it was designed. Apparently it has something called a 'cardan shaft' which is why it goes faster. As far as I am aware the Hitachi does not have one of these.
4. chet hardy
in reply to raptordigits08:39 PM 11/24/09
Well, HSR uses about 6X less carbon emission per mile than comparable air transit. HSR basically captures all competing air traffic at distances up to 300-350 miles. Yes, it does build traffic in the mid to high single digit rates.
These are not small footprint projects. Your approach depends on whether you take the "better efficiency" appproach to environmentalism or the "small is beautiful" approach.
Most of the countries that have efficient high-speed networks also have a state owned rail system. In Canada and the USA, the government will fund private companies and also have to coordinate their services to make a seamless transportation network.
A lot of work and public money to make private companies profitable.
It would be sad day indeed if USA just wants to ape the European model of rail development. We have an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of century old rail development which are still derailment prone and can capsize with serious consequences. We can have derailment free railway, more economical than the technology of European systems, and safer and save more than 40% of energy too compared to Europe if we adopt technology developed in USA itself. US engineers can re-discover themselves to to do better than merely copying the Europe. details at www.atrilab.com
Handicaps in CAPPS
Full-size Unmanned Aircraft Flies on Hydrogen Fuel
7 Comments
Add CommentActually Italy has newer trains than the historical one shown in page 8. Check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETR_500 for the 300 km/h model in service now.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is a myth that high speed trains 'replace' other forms of transportation. They actually add to the total passenger volume between point a and b.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA million people taking the train between New York and Chicago does not mean a million less on the roads or by air. Amother means of transport 'adds' to the reason for travelling...personal, business, cultural, etc. This is why cities around the world lobby hard for airlines to choose them as a destination. It means hundreds of thousands of added visitors for 'whatever' reason.
'More' folks travel London to Paris because of high speed train...they go shopping, buy weekend properties, have a weekend out, etc. More students live in another city and go home for the weekend, etc. The environment is not helped.
What of English Electric?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTalking here of the -err- Class 91 east coast type with its spacious mk4 coaches. A quick check has reveled that it does attain the 140mph 'in service' speeds for which it was designed. Apparently it has something called a 'cardan shaft' which is why it goes faster. As far as I am aware the Hitachi does not have one of these.
Well, HSR uses about 6X less carbon emission per mile than comparable air transit. HSR basically captures all competing air traffic at distances up to 300-350 miles. Yes, it does build traffic in the mid to high single digit rates.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThese are not small footprint projects. Your approach depends on whether you take the "better efficiency" appproach to environmentalism or the "small is beautiful" approach.
Most of the countries that have efficient high-speed networks also have a state owned rail system. In Canada and the USA, the government will fund private companies and also have to coordinate their services to make a seamless transportation network.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA lot of work and public money to make private companies profitable.
It would be sad day indeed if USA just wants to ape the European model of rail development. We have an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of century old rail development which are still derailment prone and can capsize with serious consequences.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe can have derailment free railway, more economical than the technology of European systems, and safer and save more than 40% of energy too compared to Europe if we adopt technology developed in USA itself.
US engineers can re-discover themselves to to do better than merely copying the Europe. details at www.atrilab.com
Ah, ah, ah! In Italy there were also steam trains in the past century, ah, ah, ah. But romans they have use carts, ah, ah, ah.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this