What a first class facility!
CityRail A set Waratah Train departing from Olympic Park Station
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Category Archives: transit
Where there’s a will, there’s a way
India continues high speed rail
“Going ahead with its ambitious high-speed train proposal, Railways have joined hands with Japan to begin the ground work to reduce travel time by half on the Delhi-Mumbai corridor.” – see link.
Two Positive Transit Developments
Even in these budget crisis times, we occasionally see good news for transit and train supporters. Today, I make note of two developments:
- North Texas TEXRail – a Fort Worth, Grapevine and Dallas/Fort Worth Airport commuter line in development has a target date in 2016 for passenger service to begin. Read more here.
- Dayton Florida – plans are underway to bring Amtrak service back to the east coast of Florida. Read more here.
This is not where we want to be, it is not bullet or high speed rail, but it is a step in the right direction for those that want to see us become a greener, more energy dependent country.
Denver Light Rail transit
Here is a short video of Denver’s nice light rail system passing by the Colorado Convention Center and in between the Embassy Suites and Hyatt hotels.
Rail Line Likely for Oahu Hawaii
An elevated track is reportedly nearing construction according to this NYTimes article. I was in Honolulu several years ago. I loved the city as a city. Very multicultural and still Hawaiian. But I was very surprised at the congestion and traffic we encountered. Continue reading
The Train to Nowhere
Train to Nowhere
As if a bridge to nowhere is not enough, politics in the US leads us to trains to nowhere. Now, I can argue much of this article away with the value of trains in Ohio and Wisconsin, regardless of their speed, but let me focus on the merits of the argument. Continue reading
Chicago High Speed Rail Hub
My kind of town, Chicago. It has historically been a hub of all sorts, particularly for trains and 2011 has seen nothing but continued activity in the plans for high speed rail for the city. Wisconsin’s refusal to accept federal funds for high speed rail, citing “ongoing operating subsidy costs” for their taxpayers as the reason, affects Chicago in that the proposed Chicago to Minnesota’s twin cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis is unlikely to happen. It is still an amazing refusal of funds that would boost jobs and economic activity in the state and region, not to mention continued economic thriving from the existence of a high speed corridor. But, as it is, Chicago is still to benefit from a high speed route to St. Louis and I expect that would simply mean more economic benefits to these two cities at the expense of the state of Wisconsin.
Amtrak to increase security due to terrorism threat
“Amtrak President Joseph Boardman says he wants to step up security patrols of the passenger rail network and explore new technologies able to provide advance warning of track tampering following revelations that al Qaida considered attacking U.S. trains.” – from Associated Press.
Currently, it seems Amtrak’s security involves bomb-sniffing dogs and close contact with security agencies in the US and abroad.
Technologies such as ultrasonic and laser could be developed to detect track problems, but it seems as though this is not currently being done.
This to me sounds like a big red flag and something needs to be done sooner rather than later.
The Flying Train?
A new prototype of a flying train is being developed in Japan, the Aero Train. Basically, it eliminates the friction experienced by a regular train, and is a different technology than maglev trains, which have been slow to catch on, likely due to the expense.
Aero Train image
This site has more information and a video of the early prototype, still very far from anything you will be riding anytime soon, but perhaps something we will see in the future.
Amtrak Northeast Corridor to have free Wi-fi
Amtrak service to the Northeast corridor will soon have free Wi-Fi, beginning in March 2011. Acela Express trains to New York, Washington and Boston will have the first access to the free Internet access starting in March. Other routes will also get free wi-fi eventually. Other upgrades at Amtrak include renovations to Acela with leather seats, new tray tables and more power outlets.
While this is definitely a service upgrade we are seeing through out the travel industry, my concern is will it be worth the cost? Should money rather be spent on improved service, on time trains and better routes, faster ticketing, etc? I would love wi-fi access but wonder will the generation behind me that are all connected via phone? Would appreciate other perspectives.