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 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.
So, the Washington Post runs this blast of an article against high speed rail — and public transit in general — in the USA. Hmm, not a big surprise. I enjoyed reading the article and getting that little bit of anger from the wild assumptions and incorrect causal relationships inferred in the article. THEN… I scroll down to the comments of readers of the opinion piece. INCREDIBLE responses! Truly worth a few minutes of your day to check this out. We have some great minds in this country and the internet allows us to voice our arguments. This is not to be missed:
Scanning news about trains today brought me bad, sad and bizarre stories.
The Bad
3.5 mile Union Pacific freight train
A 3.5 mile long freight train crosses the US. 3.5 miles?!? That is a long wait if it crosses your path to work, or home, or school. Officials are also concerned about the train’s braking capacity and whether the track can handle the forces of the train. Union Pacific officials responded saying the long trains save energy, run cleaner and reduces maintenance.
The Sad
California’s nonpartisan legislative analyst criticized the state’s bullet train business plan. The analyst stated it falls short on its discussion of funding, ridership and measurable time lines. The California High-Speed Rail Authority created the business plan as the state entity building the $42.6 billion project that would link San Francisco to Southern California. For now, though, planning continues on the high speed rail line, and the business plan will be adjusted as progress is made. Construction is anticipated by 2012.
The Bizarre
Passenger Falls Asleep on Second level - gets locked on train
In Washington, a man fell asleep on the Sounder train, and woke up five hours later locked up in the train yard. The passenger was on the train for 5:30 hours and woke up at 9:30 at night locked in the train car. Sound Transit reported crews sweep the trains every night before parking them in the yard but did not find this passenger sleeping on the upper deck. The passenger was quoted as saying this should serve as a wake up call for other passengers and the trains’ security team. The wake up call line is just too perfect.
Joe Biden rides Amtrak regularly
The Obama administration has supported train travel since day 1. There is no question about that. Have they done anything that is revolutionary? Unfortunately, the answer is no.
At every public event, the administration speaks about their support of high speed rail, trains in general, and Amtrak. Here is a quote from Vice President Joe Biden:
My support for rail travel goes beyond the emotional connection. With delays at our airports and congestion on our roads becoming increasingly ubiquitous, volatile fuel prices, increased environmental awareness, and a need for transportation links between growing communities, rail travel is more important to America than ever before.
Support for Amtrak must be strong–not because it is a cherished American institution, which it is–but because it is a powerful and indispensable way to carry us all into a leaner, cleaner, greener 21st century.
I agree with paragraph one, but not paragraph two. Amtrak is what we have, but it is not what it should be. It is not powerful and is not indispensable. I often wonder if an airport/airline way of business would be better. Should the federal government simply build the railways and rail stations, while letting private companies provide the trains and run the routes?
I am not sure if the above suggestion would work, I simply thing that Amtrak has a LONG way to go. Either way, train travel needs a larger fraction of the money that is spent subsidizing airlines and road ways. Perhaps then we can better answer the question of how to best run a train transit system in this country.
I have been pushing for train travel – primarily high speed rail – for some time now. Then, April 20, 2010, and the BP oil spill disaster brought it all home. No, if we had high speed rail – even a truly functional national system – in place even years prior, I think the demand for oil would still be great enough that BP would still have been drilling in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and they still would have tried to make extra profits but cutting corners, and the spill would still have happened.
Oil Spill Could Boost Interest in Train Travel
So, I don’t think train travel is the solution for our oil demand.
That being said, it will cut our demand for oil. And provide alternatives for those that wish to cut oil demand. And provide a convenient, comfortable form of travel. There are so many positives to train travel, that it is shocking that so little exists in this country. If only Amtrak could keep to their schedule and run an efficient operation. Or if only the federal government would build an interstate track system that would be leased to private train operators. If only … so many exist that could make our world a better place. So much damage by our demand for oil. The Gulf is in terrible shape and we need to act quickly to change. Already some evidence that the oil spill is promoting train travel – and high speed at that – starting with Wisconsin.
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan joined state and local leaders in Milwaukee in celebrating new high-speed rail service.
What? High speed line from Milwaukee to Madison
Increased speed on the line from Milwaukee to Chicago
Feasibility study for a line from Madison to Minneapolis-St. Paul
Wisconsin developing high speed rail
How? $823 million in federal stimulus
Disclaimer: It will be 2013 before the line reaches 110 mph, still much slower than other high speed routes in the world. But, a step in the right direction at least.
My home state misses out or does not care about this type of federal money and improvement to transit.
China’s train: Travels the equivalent of Boston to southern Virginia in 3 hours.
US’s fastest train: Travels from Boston to New York in over 3 hours.
This young Chinese Girl enjoys something most Americans can't --- high speed rail.
How can the US – the world’s richest country by far – not do better in this regard. We need to get this into gear or we will be left behind (ha-ha get the humor in that?).
I am about to give up on Amtrak. I had an argument with a sibling – who supports train travel but not government running it. If China can do it why can’t we? Is their government more effective than ours? I also argue, however, that if we did ask private companies to run our train system – PASSENGER train system – that if the government poured a similar amount of money as we do into roads and airlines – all PUBLIC money – we would have a state of the art train system and the companies running these systems would be successful unlike the airline companies.
Airlines and to a certain extent ROADS – do not work! It is time to try something else… trains.
High Speed Rail in the UK
Lord Adonis said the development could be financed through public-private partnerships, similar to the Channel Tunnel rail link. “I want Britain to be a pioneer in low-cost, mass-market high-speed rail,” he said.
Another interesting concept is a transit system that is environmentally sustainable and available for the general population, not just the well off. How interesting! A system of travel for all people, not just the elite!
Meanwhile, here in the USA what is the popular transit plan? Toll-roads, not only making travel easier for the well off, but benefiting the corporations that are contracted to build and manage the toll-roads. To think these toll-road owning corporations don’t pad the pockets of their favorite politicians is absurd. Why/how does this continue? Because the American public allows it. End of story.