European Tribune - Comments - Monday Train Blogging: Highest Speed

Monday Train Blogging: Highest Speed | 26 comments (26 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: America ain't leading this parade! (none / 0)

Yep, I'm familiar with this mess. But others might not, so a few points:

A big crime was to not invest into building dedicated high-speed track on at least part of the corridor. It's not just that the Acela can't reach its top speed on 95% of the distance, but the big US freight trains on the same route cause delays, and a rough track surface, and thus also wheel wear and a rough ride.
The root cause of the technical problems were US safety requirements for passive crashworthyness, which had to be met by making the body much stronger and hence heavier than the French original (the Acela is a TGV spinoff). But this was bureaucratic idiocy: at low speeds, the TGV's active crashworthyness (crash zones like in cars) make up for less strength, while at high speeds, passive crashworthyness doesn't save you, it might kill you: instead of walls beding in, you have to fear hitting the next seat or the compartment wall at a speed a highway vehicle would hit a pedestrian.
True high-speed lines have been proposed at many places in the USA, getting rather far in three places, but Republican politicians fought against it. First in Texas, killed by Dubya. Then in Florida, where a referendum wrote it into the state constitution, was killed by Jeb Bush (in a long campaign of breaking the law and putting forth lies, ending with a second referendum on withdrawing finance - people CAN be fooled). The project still alive is the Californian one, but Schwarzenegger already made noises about wanting to widen highways instead (which was shown to be the worse alternative even on economy in several studies, but who cares).

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Tue Nov 15th, 2005 at 11:02:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]

America's fastest train (none / 1)

BTW, the rail speed record in the USA doesn't belong to the Acela - it belongs to Budd railcar M-497, which the New York Central fitted with two jet engines in 1966:

The image shows it while achieving the 183.85 mph (295.9 km/h) record on 23 July that year, unbeaten to this day. (But, tuasfait, I believe all Shinkansens are nice when compared with this...)

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Tue Nov 15th, 2005 at 11:13:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Monday Train Blogging: Highest Speed | 26 comments (26 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

. Home
. About
. Contact
. New User Guide
. FAQ
. Search
. Search (Google)
. Archives (Wiki)
Art, Economics, Energy, Environment, EU Politics, Mech & Tech, By Country

Username:
Password:

. Make a new account
. Reset password

Recommended Diaries

On Rhetoric
by rg - Dec 3
60 comments

Bugger Thy Neighbour
by redstar - Dec 3
260 comments

After Democracy
by marco - Dec 3
40 comments

Not quite the 'perfect fix'?
by djhabakkuk - Dec 3
4 comments

So, Ideology is Dead. So now what ?
by ValentinD - Nov 26
586 comments

LQD: The Proper Way to Cure Anglo Disease
by redstar - Dec 4
4 comments

Google Translate political bias?
by DoDo - Dec 3
10 comments

Beggar Thy Neighbour
by redstar - Dec 3
60 comments

Recent Diaries

Early Friday Photography Blog No. 64
by LEP - Dec 4
3 comments

LQD: The Proper Way to Cure Anglo Disease
by redstar - Dec 4
2 comments

Me and my son, a Shministim
by shergald - Dec 4
2 comments

On Rhetoric
by rg - Dec 3
30 comments

Google Translate political bias?
by DoDo - Dec 3
5 comments

Not quite the 'perfect fix'?
by djhabakkuk - Dec 3
2 comments

After Democracy
by marco - Dec 3
20 comments

Bugger Thy Neighbour
by redstar - Dec 3
130 comments

Georgia on my mind...[Updated]
by Frank Schnittger - Dec 3
11 comments

Beggar Thy Neighbour
by redstar - Dec 3
30 comments

Obama commits to Middle East peace
by shergald - Dec 2
8 comments

Friedmanite Folly and the Mugabe Option
by ChrisCook - Dec 2
21 comments

Did the U.S. 2005 Bankruptcy Reform cause the world financial ...
by NBBooks - Dec 2
8 comments

LQD: German surveillance revisited
by dvx - Dec 1
7 comments

Oregon Old Growth and W's Last Minute Timber Deal
by jamess - Nov 30
11 comments

Early Friday Photography Blog No 63
by In Wales - Nov 30
51 comments

Numbers
by Sven Triloqvist - Nov 29
11 comments

Food Market On Tracks
by DoDo - Nov 29
17 comments

Breaking the Bailout
by danps - Nov 29
5 comments

Libya sends 3,000 tons of aid to Gaza SHIP TURNED BACK
by shergald - Nov 28
3 comments

More Diaries...

Debates

Campaigns

Occasional Series