WSJ article on high speed rail in Spain

In today's Wall Street Journal, there is an article about the AVE system in Spain, which is the high speed rail system. It discusses the recent success of the train lines and how the most recent line, Madrid to Barcelona, has with in a year, captured more than fifty percent of the travel between the two cities (the fifty going to cars and airplanes).

Also mentioned is how President Obama has made comparisons of the US to Spain. Spain has recently made a huge investment in high speed rail to try and surpass France and Germany, and at the pace they are going they will. Another country that is trying to become a world leader in high speed rail is China, which is looking to surpass Japan.

The article is one of a few articles I have read that don't discount high speed rail as a "train enthusiast fantasy" that will cost too much. The WSJ writer Thomas Catan does a good job of describing the problems and successes of high speed rail in Spain.

I believe that in order to get a real high speed rail system (none of this 110 mph stuff, but 200 mph) an investment on the order of $100 billion is needed. Unfortunately, that will probably not happen soon as some people still think that trains are just a waste of money (Sen. McCain I'm talking to you).

Picture from the article:

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

I'm on Boat

This picture of the ICE-TD on a boat going from Denmark to Germany:


Reminded me of this (heads up: this is the uncensored video):

Letter sent to LaHood from Doyle and others

I found out through The Transport Politic that Doyle, along with other governors from the Midwest and the mayor of Chicago, sent a letter to the secretary of the Department of Transportation Ray LaHood showing their support for a Midwest regional intercity rail system. This system would be a hub and spoke system, with the hub being Chicago. Some of the spokes would go to:
-St. Louis
-St. Paul/Minneapolis (this would go through Madison, WI)
-Detroit (and then on to Pontiac, MI)
-Indianapolis
-Cleveland

However, the governors have suggested three branches that would be the priority of the Midwest Regional Rail:
-Chicago to St. Louis
-Chicago to Pontiac through Detroit
and, last but not least
-Chicago to Madison!

The governors say that they would need around $3.5 billion of the stimulus money (which probably won't happen, as California is in a good position to get $4 billion of the $8 billion available). Though they probably wont get what they ask for, this is a good step to creating a Midwest Rail system and shows the support throughout the Midwest for such a system to exist. Click here for the pdf of the letter.

Here is a pic included in the letter, showing the three lines:


P.S. I need to mention this:
BU is Nation Champions in Men's Hockey!!!!
GO BU!! (and as always BC Sucks!)

Wired and Wireless

Two things I think would improve rail travel in the U.S.: Electric powered trains and Wireless internet.

Using overhead wires to power trains allows for trains to take the energy the create when breaking and put it back onto the power grid. When a diesel train breaks, it lets the energy dissipate as heat to the outside atmosphere. This is basically letting energy disappear into thin air. The biggest problem I forsee with installing this is the aesthetics. I know there are many people out there who would object to the look of overhead wires, but I counter that with, wouldn't you rather have no emission from trains in your city than diesel?

As for wireless internet, it is something rail has an advantage over car and plane. Of those three, rail is the only one that has the capacity to allow for wireless internet access to its travelers. I know, in the US, Amtrak and the Boston commuter rail lines are experimenting with wireless internet on its trains. Here is a video of the new wireless internet system in the Thalys train network in Belgium, France, Germany, and The Netherlands:

If they build it, they will come, but what will they be riding in?

So if the line from Chicago to Madison is built, what train sets will be used? Will it be a continuation of what Amtrak runs on the Hiawatha line? Or is this a time to introduce a new, more attractive, rail car to the line?

First up, what is used by Amtrak right now:

The locomotive is a GE Genesis which pulls a hand full of comet rail cars.



*Note that the locomotive is an older version of the current one used. Also, this photo was taken from here.

Now, I know this is standard Amtrak, but who says that this new rail service will be under Amtrak or needs to use the same rail stock?

So, I have compiled a list of different diesel trains that might contend for this route:

My first choice should not come as a surprise to those who know me. If I had my way, the train arriving in Madison would be an ICE-TD, made by Bombardier. This train currently runs to Berlin-Copenhagen route (the one with the boat ferry pictured below). This train is able to run up to speeds of 200 kph or 125 mph. This means that train is fast enough to meet the 110 mph goal. Also, having ridden in this train I can speak to how comfortable this train is. On the downside, it's service history is not the best.



*This picture was taken by me when taking the train from Copenhagen to Berlin (and then transferring on to Dresden). It is in a car ferry that goes from Denmark to Germany.

Keeping on the topic of German trains, another option is the RegioSwinger. This train is like the ICE TD in that it is deisel and it tilts. However its top speed is only 160 kph or 100 mph. However, this is another train that I have taken in Germany and can vouch for it being a nice comfortable ride. I took this train from Dresden to Freiberg on the Dresden-Nürnberg line.



*Note that this train's destination is actually Leipzig and the photo was taken from here.

Another one of my favorite trains is the Bombardier Talent class of trains. However, its top speed is only 140 kph or 87 mph. But just for the heck of it here is a picture of it:



This train would be best served running more regional routes in Wisconsin, such as (these are just ideas) Green Bay - Wausau - Eau Claire - Minneapolis or Madison - Appleton - Green Bay or Madison -Janesville - Beloit - Rockford.

Another train that looks a lot a like the Talent is the Desiro class of trains made by Siemens. Also, they are currently in use in the US in California for the Sprinter trains. Here is a pic of the Desiro in Germany:



There is just ONE BIG ISSUE with these trains. It is that according to FRA (Federal Railway Administration) these trains are too light to run on freight lines. That means, as the law now stands, these trains would have to run on dedicated "light" rail lines or not be allowed to operate. (Note: I'm not sure what the ICE TD is classified as)

Two trains that might be allowed are the Accela trains from the Northeast Corridor or the X2000 from Sweden.



This a picture of the Acela Express just south of downtown Boston. The major issue with using this train is that it requires overhead electrical wires. These are more environmentally friendly than diesel power systems. Also, most other countries use the overhead wire system.



This is a picture of me in front of a X2000 train is Sundsvall, Sweden. This train is also electrically powered. Also in the background is the train I was transferring to, a Regina train, destination Ostersund, Sweden.

I feel that it would be beneficial to convert US rail lines to an all electrical system. But that's a topic for another time...

California High Speed Rail

A great youtube clip on the high speed rail proposal in California. I really like how they discuss some of the engineering aspects of high speed rail.

Enjoy:

Interesting video from Chicago

Today I came across this video from WTTW Chicago discussing the rail stimulus and where it would go in Chicago. Since this video is from Chicago it mainly discusses the Chicago-St. Louis corridor, but it does mention how Chicago would be a hub for a Midwest *high* speed rail network.

Using Chicago as the center of a Midwest train system would be ideal for developing any type of rail service in the Midwest. As the video discusses, train times have DECREASED over the years, not increased. Though we have more efficient trains and ..., well that's it compared to years ago, it is easy to see that the lack of investing in rail is coming back to haunt us.

Building a new infrastructure won't be easy and it won't be cheap. But we need to start somewhere, otherwise things like traffic jams, air traffic delays, and land lost to enormous highways and airports will get much, much worse.