China unveils 'world's fastest train link'
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While not exactly the same, it works out to more convient and pleasurable to ride the train! That's why I used to ride from WAS-NYP and WAS-BOS and vice versa instead of flying the shuttle! Just getting to/from the airport to downtown
makes it worth it, let alone the TSA (what are called in China?)hassle and now the new "get tough" rules to come!
As an aside, no reason our HSR can't be done as well if we'd just get off the pot and DO IT!!
makes it worth it, let alone the TSA (what are called in China?)hassle and now the new "get tough" rules to come!
As an aside, no reason our HSR can't be done as well if we'd just get off the pot and DO IT!!
jis
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Interesting that the article does not mention that the 3 hour run was a test run. The normal schedule is going to be somewhat more sedate with a max speed of 350kph and an average of something closer to 300kph or thereabouts.
PetalumaLoco
Conductor
Hmph. On 3 April 2007 a modified TGV POS train reached 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph) under test conditions.
An average run of 300kph is only marginally faster than the TGV has been running for years.
Wikipedia rail speed records.
jis
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What is impressive about the Chinese is that they plan to build some 10,000km of such routes by 2014. I am sure we in the US will still be debating whether the HSR in US should be 110mph or 125mph, with exactly zero new miles built.
Sadly you are probably correct jis,our politicians love to put stuff off till after the next election ie the health care bill will mostly take effect in 2014,
probably more like 2020 in the case of HSR, it usually takes 20 years to get good ideas done here thanks to the greatest (read slowest)deliberative body in the world, the US Senate!
PetalumaLoco
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jis
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After one takes the uninformed press fluff away, in which they seem not to know the difference between average speed and maximum speed, or between a test run and regularly scheduled commercial service, here is some concrete information:
The trainsets that are being used on the Beijing - Wuhan HSR.
The maximum commercial speed is 350kph. There is one single non-stop run which averages out at around 310kph. The other runs with one stop are end to end 253kph.
In summary, the technological installations are of German design (Siemens) and the signaling system is the ERTMS 2 (also known as CTCS 3 in China) supplied by Bombardier Transportation. The trains are of German (Siemens Velaro - CRH3) and Japanese (Kawasaki E2 Series - CRH2) design.
The ballastless track (RHEDA 2000) is German technology, actually developed by Rail One group and has been used on a number of high-speed rail lines previously. They are built with the help of Deutsche Eisenbahn-Consulting GmbH.
Also here is a map of the overall HSR plan of CR.
The trainsets that are being used on the Beijing - Wuhan HSR.
The maximum commercial speed is 350kph. There is one single non-stop run which averages out at around 310kph. The other runs with one stop are end to end 253kph.
In summary, the technological installations are of German design (Siemens) and the signaling system is the ERTMS 2 (also known as CTCS 3 in China) supplied by Bombardier Transportation. The trains are of German (Siemens Velaro - CRH3) and Japanese (Kawasaki E2 Series - CRH2) design.
The ballastless track (RHEDA 2000) is German technology, actually developed by Rail One group and has been used on a number of high-speed rail lines previously. They are built with the help of Deutsche Eisenbahn-Consulting GmbH.
Also here is a map of the overall HSR plan of CR.
If you have ever been to Wuhan, you will likely understandy why they need a new train!!!
I think jis's comment about the status of HSR in the US by 2014 is correct.
Our Congress will probably have spent three generations of our taxpayers income
with continued spending without regard for who and how to repay the giant debt!!
China is probably paying for their HSR's with the interest from the trillions the US owes them.
I think jis's comment about the status of HSR in the US by 2014 is correct.
Our Congress will probably have spent three generations of our taxpayers income
with continued spending without regard for who and how to repay the giant debt!!
China is probably paying for their HSR's with the interest from the trillions the US owes them.
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According to the Travel China Guide, it appears the "bullet trains" are not air-conditioned.
George Harris
Engineer
That is nonsense.
The premier trains in China have been air conditioned for over 15 years, at least.
jis
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I find it hard to believe that Siemens and Kawaski would take the trouble to create an unairconditioned version of those trainsets for the Chinese, and I find it even m ore incredible to believe that Chinese pride would allow such nonsense.
rrdude
Engineer
PetalumaLoco
Conductor
rrdude
Engineer
Which of course AT&T "stole" from Great Lakes Banc Shares..................decades ago....
PetalumaLoco
Conductor
Amtrak logo stolen from...
...or maybe it's the other way round.
...or maybe it's the other way round.
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Or just the same graphic artist and the same ad agency.Amtrak logo stolen from...
...or maybe it's the other way round.
Aloha
PetalumaLoco
Conductor
There was the pointless arrow...
Green Maned Lion
Engineer
I prefer the old one, although they are both indicative of their times. The Amtrak Pointless Arrow symbolized the coming together of many passenger lines into one.
The newer one was made at the request of an asshat named George Warrington, to symbolize "three sheets to the wind", which generally described aptly Amtak's condition after Warrington's stewardship.
The newer one was made at the request of an asshat named George Warrington, to symbolize "three sheets to the wind", which generally described aptly Amtak's condition after Warrington's stewardship.
jis
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Wasn't the Acela marketing campaign dreamed up by Barbara whatever her name was, who Kummant finally managed to fire?
Yep. Its just not that much money. We only spend 2% of the federal budget on transportation infrastructure. I notice that Kay Bailey Hutchison is beginning to work this stuff into her campaign, so maybe the pols are beginning to catch on that the public wants this. An aggressive $20 billion per year program (enough to pay for California, $10 billion Acela upgrade, and four or five good lines of your choosing) over the 6 year transportation funding cycle would be very doable both logistically and fiscally speaking. Our budget deficit at the moment is typical of our EU trading partners who seem to have the wherewithal to build and maintain a modern transportation infrastructure, and presumably somewhat self-correcting as the economy recovers.
Simply returning the effective rate of income taxation of the top 400 taxpayers (starting at about $230 million per year) from the current 17% to Ronald Reagan era rates of the mid 20's% rate, would raise about $10 billion per year. As of yesterday, we lost the first $20 billion with the temporary estate tax repeal. Since this is the railroad forum tax practitioners call 2010 the "throw momma from the train" year.
acelafan
Conductor
Yep! Nice article on npr.org about the new train.
While the United States has allocated $13 billion for the construction of high-speed rail over the next five years, China plans to spend $300 billion in the next decade to build the world's most extensive and advanced high-speed rail network.
China's leaders say their country will not follow the West's path of development — sacrificing the environment in order to industrialize. China's investment in high-speed rail is a part of this strategy, says Xie Weida.
"To solve the problem of public transportation in such a vast country," he argues, "rail transport is the only way to go. If we rely on airplanes and automobiles like the U.S., neither China nor the world will be able to handle such energy consumption."
