TGV/AGV French Bullet Trains

[NAVYBLUE]

http://science.disco...ules/daily.html

 

Big, Bigger, Biggest 3

Train

TV-G, CC

We trace engineering leaps that enable structures to evolve: France's ?Train à Grande Vitesse', known as the TGV, regularly reaches speeds exceeding 185mph. In special tests the train has been pushed to 350mph, making it the fastest on earth.

I recorded this on my DISH satellite this morning and watched it this afternoon. For those who have the "SCIENCE CHANNEL" and have not watched this, I highly recommend it. They talked about the evolution of steam powered trains in England and then talked about aerodynamic changes and then train safety. Showed the history of the TGV and the recent record run in the proposed AGV and Frances talk of expansion in to (7) other countries as well as history of the Japanese bullet trains.

Can you imagine a 200-300 MPH coast to coast LD train on it's own track ? Try these on for size.

The Golden Eagle NYC-Chicago-Seattle (stop only in Chicago) (8) hours at 300 MPH/ (11) hours at 200 MPH

The American Flyer DC-Kansas City-Los Angeles (stop only in K.C) (9) hours at 300 MPH/ (12) hours at 200 MPH

The Dreamliner Jacksonville-San Antonio-San Diego (stop only in San Antonio) (8) hours at 300 MPH/ (11) hours at 200 MPH.

I can dream cant' I ? The stop choices were based on existing LD trains to get people to a "bullet" train. The capital outlay would be astronomical, but I don't think I would see this in my lifetime (I'm 63). Definitely could compete with coast to coast airlines. What say you ?

NAVYBLUE

 

[guest]

A single-seat HS line crosscountry wouldn't really be viable, economically or operationally (it bears noting that the French TGV operates at a profit...) More likely would be a system of cooperative lines that could allow relatively fast, partially true high-speed travel between major cities on opposite sides of the country via major "flyover" cities. European systems are either hub-and-spoke (France, Spain) or point-to-point (Germany, Italy). You can take high speed trains, traveling over a mix of high speed and conventional lines, from Sevilla to Madrid to Barcelona to Paris to Zurich to Berlin. Less than 3000 miles, but still substantial. To get from NY to SEA, you could travel via HSR hubs in Chicago and Denver; from DC to LA, there could be intermediates at St. Louis, Dallas, and Albuquerque. From JAX to SAN, you could go via New Orleans, Houston, and Phoenix. But any of these, using current models and projected increases in speed in Europe, would still be journeys of 24 hours or more. It's fun to think that, at a constant 200 mph you could travel from NY to LA between morning and late evening, but that would require constant, nonstop travel at that speed, and there is no place that that would happen. Let's just hope for a series of interconnecting hubs, so that medium distance trips could be accommodated via rail rather than air, and soon.

 

[Shawn Ryu]

No. Too many ****s and wasted money. Never happened, will never happen.

 

[me_little_me]

I'd rather see trains that can consistently do twice a typical car freeway speed (120-150 MPH) that could also carry autorsbetween the major cities (or their suburbs). Much more useful than HSR cross country which air does better. Just think, as an example, if the Crescent could do 150MPH, carried autos with pickup/dropoff points (but other non-dropoff stations along the way) in NOL, Atlanta, Charlotte, DC/Richmond area and near NYC! This is something planes can't do. You have your own car at each end but you get there faster, without the long distance driving and no overnight train travel needed.

Much better dream and a little less of a fantasy especially if it were initially just between city pairs that could be reached in 3 hours or so at those speeds.

 

[guest]

Why does everyone keep acting as if HSR is a fantasy? It's an everyday thing in Europe and Asia. When will Americans pull their heads out of 19th Century ideas about rail travel??

 

[George Harris]

Trains are not airplanes. They do not load up, take off, fly, land, unload. The make stops with people getting both on and off along the way. If a train does run at high speed from coast to coast, most of the passengers on it will not be going end to end. but there will be many overlaps in people on it. Even if the train runs 3000 miles from end to end, the average passenger may be going somewhere between 100 and 1000 miles with very few going end to end.

 

[George Harris]

For very solid reliable operation of high speed trains, look across the other ocean. The Shinkansen operation is simply awesome. It also haul huge numbers of people very reliably. Eight minute cross platform connection? No problem. And, this is all done in terrain that makes anything in Europe look like a walk in the park.

 

[jis]

For very solid reliable operation of high speed trains, look across the other ocean. The Shinkansen operation is simply awesome. It also haul huge numbers of people very reliably. Eight minute cross platform connection? No problem. And, this is all done in terrain that makes anything in Europe look like a walk in the park.

Wholeheartedly agree George. Actually JR allowed me to book a three minute cross platform transfer at Osaka from a Tokyo - Osaka service to an Osaka - Hiroshima service, on my way to Hiroshima from Shin Yokohama. I was impressed.