Posted on 08/28/2019 7:47:37 PM PDT by dynachrome
n a quiet, nondescript building off an interstate in Wilmington, Delaware, the future of America’s high-speed rail is taking shape.
Amtrak gave select journalists, including TPG, a chance to tour full-scale mock-ups of the interior of its new high-speed Acela train cars, giving a sneak peek at what passengers will experience when the first cars are rolled out in spring 2021.
American’s primary passenger train operator launched the Acela trains in 2000, and this is the first time since then that they are getting a new look and feel.
While Amtrak’s Acela fleet currently lags behind high-speed trains in Europe and Asia in terms of speed, these new trains will travel faster than what’s currently available. The new models will travel at 160 mph, 10 mph faster than current cars, and will use 20% less energy that what currently rides the rails.
Because of a lack of infrastructure, having to share limited railway with freight and regional trains, and series of bridges, tunnels and curves, Acela trains can’t reach the speeds of their foreign counterparts, and these new cars could actually have the capability of going faster than the 160 mph they’ll initially travel.
(Excerpt) Read more at thepointsguy.com ...
It will save the world!/s
williegreen memorial ping.
2021. yeah, right.
Bedbugs on rails.
bump
Gee, how is the kali-fornia high speed choo-choo doing?
Maglev forever....................
They have talked about that for the Colorado ski areas. Haven’t figured out how to rape the taxpayers yet.
Loved the train travel in Europe (years ago). Always wished the U.S. had an elaborate system to cover the country, all areas.
Much better than a bus or car, and you still have someone else driving so you can view the countryside. Perfect dream would be low price fares too.
ORANGE TOOL?
Second photo into the article, what is it?
Glass breaker for tempered glass?
If the AC goes out, you can open the window?
The teens will love it!
I will not be seeing them.
A few years I had thought to plan a family vacation that would take us across the US by train ending in San Fransisco. The cost was about the same as a couple of weeks in a semi-fancy resort.
Trains are just too expensive.
Creepy Uncle Joe sure has an expensive travel service ...
We have really wanted to ride the line from Memphis to Minneapolis and the line from Minneapolis to Seattle. Unfortunately the fares are unaffordable. I can charter a light twin engine plane with two pilots for the same price as a sleeper car with dining car access with Amtrak.
Easter weekend, 1950.
Due to an emergency in our family, I had to go from Greensboro NC to Little Rock, AR to retrieve our family car and its driver.
By train.
I swore that if I ever got to Little Rock, I would never ever ride a train again.
So far that has been the easiest kept promise I ever made and Amtrack does not tempt me.
Has Amtrak ever made a profit? If that cannot be answered affirmatively, why does it continue to exist? Abolish the federal choo choo train just as Jerry Brown’s choo choo has been terminated. Why must we keep funding a loosing endeavor? Why???? Only the Feds can continue to bleed money and pretend it is in “the public’s interest.” NONSENSE!!!!!
You would think they’d consider the Sam Walton plan — offer reasonable prices and people will come!
I know they can’t be dirt cheap,,, but if affordable, they would have many more customers riding the trains.
Last year I took the auto train from Sanford, FL (4:00 PM)to Lorton, VA (9:00 AM). The accomodations were acceptable. The food was edible. But the trackage! I never endured such a jerking, swaying, bumping, lurching ordeal. I once rode a train in Japan from Hokkaido to Kyushu. It was far smoother and better. New cars aren’t squat until they install new precision tracks for them to run on.
“I know they can’t be dirt cheap,,, but if affordable, they would have many more customers riding the trains.”
The secrete subject is road beds. I read this thread and the only comment approaching the subject is the one following yours. New road beds are horribly expensive and are the reason we don’t have high speed rail already; Democrats love high speed rail because building the road beds would put unions to work thus benefitting Dem coffers with contributions. Existing track/road beds probably won’t do for this new technology.
Another government run financial disaster
Only a fool would try to solve a 21st century problem with 19th century technology.
Didn’t realize the road beds were not suitable. Had no issues with that, of course, back in the 1970’s in Europe. Had very comfortable rides and could easily travel from one country to the next.
Talk about a wave of new jobs — covering the United States in road beds! If only some investors were willing to turn travel into trains and make it easier to see the USA. But I guess there are too many rich lobbyists in D.C. wanting to keep travelers driving cars/trucks on those interstates, not to mention the trucking industry and airlines lobbyists.
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