CE 515 Railroad Engineering High Speed Rail Overview Source: Armstrong Ch 17, AREMA Ch. 10, REES Module 5 “Transportation exists to conquer space and time -”

High Speed Rail (HSR) A rail line and service designed for high speed operations – 125+ mph

A Little Background into HSR Japan world’s first opened HSR “bullet” train – Tokyo to Osaka 1978 – Italy credited with 1 st European line – Rome to Florence Today systems through Spain, Germany, Belgium, United Kingdom, France, and many other countries Na: High Speed Trains Around the WorldHigh Speed Trains Around the World

HSR Characteristics High Speed Rail exhibits two key differences 1)Steeper Grades High horsepower-to-ton ratios – 20 HP/ton – Necessary for acceleration and maintaining high speeds – Corresponding high kinetic energy levels allow for short, steeper grades 2)Broader Curves Lateral forces increase greatly through horizontal curves by a factor of the square of the velocity – Use larger radius curves to counteract these forces – Incorporate high levels of superelevation – Use long spirals to control build-up of lateral acceleration

HSR Technology Tilting Trains – Measure used to counteract lateral forces of train through horizontal curves – Allows a more comfortable ride Steel wheel – Most high speed rail systems – High speeds, but limited – Least cost Slab Track Magnetic Levitation (MagLev) s/4599-train-tilting-swedish-200.jpg

Magnetic Levitation (MagLev) Can get average travel speeds of 300+ mph Development and research in several countries – Germany, Japan, China, and others Notable system in Shanghai, China – Alex: Shanghai MagLev Video PresentationShanghai MagLev Video Presentation – Evan: Shanghai MagLev Transportation Development Co.Shanghai MagLev Transportation Development Co. Andy: How MagLev WorksHow MagLev Works MagLev Train Technology Model MagLev

FRA Regulations

Shinkansen Society/STS-S28Fall-2005/325C31CD-47DD-42C8-922A- DA35596A7B2A/0/chp_shinkansen.jpg JAPAN%20RAIL/Shinkansen_route_map.jpg Railway network on which ‘bullet trains’ run By carried 270,000 passengers per day Original average travel speeds around 100 mph Now some lines average 162 mph Fastest - Nozomi-503 from Osaka to Fukuoka at 187 mph

And the Rest of Asia? China – World’s largest high-speed rail network World’s largest high-speed rail network 78,000 km of track vs. U.S. Highway system 75,000 km long – Jeff: Transport Politic – China’s Transcontinental Rail PlanChina’s Transcontinental Rail Plan Upgrade to 110,000 km in 2012; 120,000 km by 2020 India – 18 million daily passengers with 68,000 km of track – Transport Politic – India’s UpgradeIndia’s Upgrade Russia – 2 nd largest rail network behind U.S. – Serves 1.3 billion passengers, 1.3 billion metric tons of cargo – HSR, like in U.S., is nearly non-existent – High-Speed Trains to Run in Russia High-Speed Trains to Run in Russia

French Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV) Established in 1981 Connects 200 destinations in France and the rest of Europe Beginning to implement double-decker trains Set record speed of 357 mph in test runs Dennis: Inside footage of TGV breaking recordInside footage of TGV breaking record French TGV vs. Shinkansen for Fastest Train SNCF signaling concerns with operations tgv8.jpg

Germany Intercity Express (ICE) German ICE High Speed Trains German ICE High Speed Trains Services 65,000 people per day Travel speeds up to 175 mph Considered Europe’s most advanced and comfortable rail networks

Spain Alta Velocidad Espanola (AVE) Opened in 1992 Originally small route from Madrid-Cordova- Seville Reached a reliable level – Guarantee arrival within 5 minutes or money back Travels at speeds up to 186 mph ave-net.png dia/products/BT-3231-AVE_S_102.JPG

United Kingdom HSR Only 68 miles of high-speed lines in operation (London to the Chunnel) Unveiled a $55 billion high-speed rail plan for second line$55 billion high-speed rail plan London to Glasglow in 2hrs 16mins (down from 4hrs 10mins) Construction of 1,500 miles of rail and 138 bridges Cliff: Government unveils plan to ground short flightsGovernment unveils plan to ground short flights

HSR in the United States Amtrak Acela Express – Northeast Corridor Amtrak Acela Express – Only designated HSR line in the U.S. – Washington – New York – Boston – Top speed of 135 mph – Due to quality of track and regulations, runs on average of 85 mph Several high-speed rail corridors have been studied US DOT Federal Railroad Administration US DOT Federal Railroad Administration – Vision for High Speed Rail in America C%20Map.png

“A Vision for High Speed Rail in America” The White House Blog Danielle: U.S. FRA HSR Corridor PlanU.S. FRA HSR Corridor Plan

U.S. HSR Discussion and Criticism National Plans for HSR in the United States – A Vision for High Speed Rail – President Barack Obama A Vision for High Speed Rail – Future of High Speed Rail in the U.S. – FOX News Future of High Speed Rail in the U.S. – High Speed Rail in the U.S. – CBS Sunday Morning High Speed Rail in the U.S. – Bringing MagLev to the U.S. – Discovery News Bringing MagLev to the U.S.

Discussion and Criticism, cont’d Local Issues for HSR in the U.S. – Nicole: Proposed route from Chicago, IL to Dubuque, IAProposed route from Chicago, IL to Dubuque, IA – Angela: Vegas Issues for MagLevVegas Issues for MagLev – Vegas Revisited – MagLev vs. DesertXpress: $12 billion vs. $4 billionMagLev vs. DesertXpress: $12 billion vs. $4 billion – Megan: California High Speed Rail Authority; Fact SheetCalifornia High Speed Rail AuthorityFact Sheet – Midwest High Speed Rail Association Midwest High Speed Rail Association Infrastructurist.com – Blog about U.S. Infrastructure News Infrastructurist.com 3 Reasons Why Obama’s Vision Won’t Go Anywhere High-Speed Rail won’t arrive fast – if ever

Don’t Forget about Africa Africa’s first high-speed train – South African Gautrain – $3.25 billion project to have a top speed of 100 mph – Connect the Johannesburg and Pretoria international airport – Hopefully to be completed and tested by the World Cup Morocco on Track for HSR – 20 million dirham ($2.47 billion) project – Hope to service some 8 million passengers by 2016 – To build 1,500 km of new track by

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