Are the trains in Spain faster than the planes?

by Jeremy Kressmann on

If you’ve ever had a chance to travel around Europe, you’re probably familiar with its various high-speed rail networks. In France, the TGV and AGV lines whisk passengers between Paris and points beyond including Brussels and Lyon at speeds over 200 miles per hour. And in Spain, the AVE rail system connects Madrid to Seville and as of 2008, to Barcelona as well.

According to a recent post at Wired, the new high speed link between Spain’s two biggest cities has had a dramatic effect on the country’s transportation network. In 2007, the airline route between Madrid and Barcelona was the busiest in the world, carrying over 70 percent of the passengers traveling between the two. Yet upon the opening of the new Barcelona rail line last year, that percentage has already dropped to 60 percent, and experts predict the number of plane and train passengers on the route will be equal within the next 2 years.

Aside from the obvious environmental benefits of traveling by rail instead of air, there’s a significant convenience advantage as well. As heavy airplane traffic continues to choke airport runways worldwide, it’s likely many of us will be turning to the railways for trips shorter than three hours. And when you think about it, by the time you’ve made it through TSA clearance, located your gate and fought for an overhead bin spot, your quick two hour plane trip has often turned into four or five. Here’s hoping the U.S. continues to look into similar high-speed rail solutions like Acela. It’s no AVE yet, but certainly a good first step.

[Via PSFK]

The race for the next high-speed train

by David Breisch on

The race is on, so to speak, with a number of countries and companies recently announcing their plans for the next-generation of high-speed rail travel. While France set the railroad world speed record in 2007 at 575 km/h (357 mph), Japan and most western European countries have set their revenue speed limit at 300 km/h, or around 186 mph. It looks like eager train-travelers (and possibly former air travelers) will soon be traveling a good deal faster in almost any of the above-mentioned countries. Read on for details on some of Japan, China and France’s high-speed ambitions.

Japan, the country that most will agree invented high-speed rail as we know it, is now showing off a prototype of a new high-speed train. Well, more specifically, it’s a Japanese company that’s doing so – Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The design of the amazingly-titled Environmentally Friendly Super Express Train (or efSET) will be complete by March 2009, with engineering testing done in 2010. A lightweight body will allow the train to run at up to 350 km/h (217 mph) in revenue service, and components tested in daily Shinkansen service will keep the system reliable. Kawasaki hopes to sell its design to Japan Rail as well as other countries around the world.

Not to be outdone, Alstom, a French company that’s been building high-speed trains for decades has also unveiled the first generation of its AGV (Automotrice Grande Vitesse). The train is, in fact, already done and is currently undergoing testing at various sites all over Europe. Alstom expects its design to travel at revenue speeds of 360 km/h (223 mph).

Finally, as we’ve previously reported, China is developing a new high-speed link between Beijing and Shanghai. The 380 km/h (236 mph) trains will make the 650-mile trip in about five hours and are scheduled to debut in 2012. Curiously enough, it’s the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that has the most thorough report on the matter, so check it out if you’re interested.

China plans 236 mph rail link between Shanghai and Beijing

by Scott Carmichael on

The Chinese rail Ministry has announced plans to link the nations capital with its financial capital. Beijing and Shanghai are a little over 650 miles apart, and the current rail link takes over 10 hours.

The Chinese claim to have mastered the technology required to build their own high speed trains, and plan to operate them on the new line at speeds up to 236mph (380 km/h) which should cut the current journey time in half.

Previous high speed rail projects in China include one of the first commercial Maglev links which operates between Shanghai and the airport. In 2005 a regular high speed link between Beijing and Tianjin was opened and is based on the highly successful German ICE rolling stock.

High speed rail links have changed the landscape in Europe, and dedicated high speed lines already link the UK with France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany.

Being able to commute from city center to city center in under 5 hours will prove to be a very efficient solution in China, and will most certainly eat away at the airline market. The line is scheduled to be completed in 2012, a mere 4 years from now.

Fast Rail on the Horizon for U.S.?

by Catherine Bodry on

Gas prices, airport delays, and traffic jams just might provoke U.S. travelers to embrace high-speed rail. Finally.

It won’t be an easy journey to the 200 mph trains enjoyed in Japan and across Europe; track and safety improvements for already-proposed projects could cost billions. And some argue that federal money should be spent researching alternative fuel and electric cars.

Amtrak’s Acela Express, running from Boston to Washington D.C., is just six years old and the U.S.’s only rail line that tops the international “high speed” standard of 125 mph. But although it hits its maximum speed of 150 mph, it averages a mere 86 mph over its full 456-mile run. But the Acela saw a 20 percent increase in ridership in May when gas prices topped $3 a gallon, and Amtrak is poised for its fifth year of ridership gains.

Other regions are planning their own high-speed lines. The Illinois Department of Transportation’s Rail Division estimates that the 5 1/2 hour trip from Chicago to St. Louis can be cut by 90 minutes, although completing that project will cost more than $400 million. But California’s plan is the most ambitious so far: an electric-powered train running at 220 mph from Los Angeles to San Francisco, cutting a 9-hour drive to a 3 1/2 hour ride.

No mention was made of possible fares.

[via USA Today]

Why Trains Suck in America

by Neil Woodburn on

My very first trip on a train didn’t occur until after graduating from college in the U.S. and visiting Europe for the first time. Since then, I’ve been on many trains, but only one of which was in the United States.

Train travel, if not already dead, is certainly in the terminal state in the United States. Very few people bother to ever jump on a train and when they do, they discover and antiquated system of delays, inconvenient terminals, and expensive tickets. Amtrak–the major American train service in America–is an embarrassment.

In other countries around the globe, however, trains are not only a lesson in efficiency, but already existing networks and rolling stock are constantly being upgraded into the 21st century, laments David Wolman, writing for Wired Magazine.

Take, for example, the Paris-to-Strasbourg super train which zooms between the two cities at 357 miles per hour. The company which built this high speed rail is now looking for other customers in China and India. But not the United States.

Wolman points out a couple of reasons why train travel is not as popular in the United States;

Distances are much farther between cities than they are in Europe
American roads tend to be in better condition
Gas is cheap

High speed rail is not an impossibility in America, however. There has been talk for years about building a line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. And currently, there is a bill floating around the California legislature for a high speed rail between Sacramento and San Diego. But don’t get too excited. Wolman points out that the last time such an idea was under consideration in Texas, it was squashed by a powerful Southwest Airlines lobby.

Don’t you just love America at times?