European Salon de News, Discussion et Klatsch – 30 April | 90 comments (90 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Railway Gazette: Connecting China and Europe

CENTRAL ASIA: The Economic Co-operation Organisation is keen to develop east-west links with central Asia...
The container service between Islamabad and Istanbul is now running regularly, and a demonstration train from Almaty in Kazakhstan to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas is planned for October...
ECO is to appoint consultants to look at integrating these into a coherent plan for a 2200 km standard gauge rail corridor between Iran and China, running 1620 km through northern Afghanistan. A feasibility study has put the cost at US$4bn...

Also see Another Great Game and Salon updates. In that diary back from 2006, Kazakhstan's plans for a standard-gauge link to Iran financed by oil money was mentioned, but in the end that line is being built in broad gauge only.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Apr 29th, 2011 at 02:21:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Economy (none / 0)

What are the two gauges?

And, what is the most powerful electric locomotive. Specifically, if a giant American railroad were to think about electrifying one of its routes, are there locomotives that could be used to replace the large diesel engines now used? How is the power distributed to long-haul electric rail lines?

by asdf on Fri Apr 29th, 2011 at 08:56:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Economy (none / 0)

The two gauges are Russian broad gauge (all former Soviet Union countries) and standard gauge (Iran, China, Turkey).

what is the most powerful electric locomotive

The MTAB Iore class, operating on an iron ore heavy-haul line in the North of Sweden and Norway.

With an axle load of 30 t, it is comparable to US locos. There are other mainline electric heavy-haul locos operating in China, with axle loads of 25 t. In addition, there are the electric heavy-haul locos in Queensland, Australia, like Pacific National's new Class 7100 (below), though those are narrow-gauge and slower.

How is the power distributed to long-haul electric rail lines?

It is fairly common on longer lines to have high-voltage lines and substations serving the catenary every few dozen kilometres. (BTW, the US already had an electrified transcontinental, that of the Milwaukee.)

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sat Apr 30th, 2011 at 10:15:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Economy (none / 0)

Thank you! I will include this info in the letter I'm writing to the Union Pacific as an irritated stockholder... :-)

by asdf on Sat Apr 30th, 2011 at 12:00:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Economy (none / 0)

Don't forget to mention the Transsib, which is also long-haul.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sat Apr 30th, 2011 at 02:16:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

European Salon de News, Discussion et Klatsch – 30 April | 90 comments (90 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)