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Diesel Locomotive

Diesel locomotive

A locomotive (from lat. locus motivus) is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train, and has no payload capacity of its own; its sole purpose is to move the train along the tracks. In contrast, many trains feature self-propelled payload-carrying vehicles; these are not normally considered locomotives, and may be referred to as multiple units or railcars; the use of these self-propelled vehicles is increasingly common for passenger trains, but very rare for freight (see however CargoSprinter). Vehicles which provide the motive power to haul an unpowered train, but are not generally considered locomotives because they have payload space or are rarely detached from their trains, are known as power cars. Traditionally, locomotives haul (pull) their trains. Increasingly common these days in local passenger service is push-pull operation, where a locomotive pulls the train in one direction and pushes it in the other, and is therefore optionally controlled from a control cab at the opposite end of the train. This is especially true of "High Speed Rail lines", such as the Japan’s Shinkansen and France’s TGV trains. TGV Grange class steam locomotive, at Bristol Temple Meads station, Bristol, England]]

Origins

The first successful locomotives were built by Cornish inventor Richard Trevithick. In 1804 his unnamed locomotive hauled a train along the tramway of the Penydarren ironworks, near Merthyr Tydfil in Wales. Although the locomotive hauled a train of 10 tons of iron and 70 passengers in five wagons over nine miles it was too heavy for the cast iron rails used at the time. The locomotive only ran three journeys before it was abandoned. In 1813, George Stephenson persuaded the manager of the Killingworth colliery where he worked to allow him to build a steam-powered machine. He built the Blucher, the first successful flanged-wheel adhesion locomotive. The flanges enabled the trains to run on top of the rails instead of in sunken tracks. This greatly simplified construction of switches (called "points" in UK) and rails, and opened the way to the modern railroad.

Benefits of locomotives

switches There are many reasons why the motive power for trains has been traditionally isolated in a locomotive, rather than in self-propelled vehicles. These include:
- Ease of maintenance - it is easier to maintain one locomotive than many self-propelled cars.
- Safety - it is often safer to locate the train's power systems away from passengers. This was particularly the case for steam locomotives, but still has some relevance for other power sources.
- Easy replacement of motive power - should the locomotive break down, it is easy to replace it with a new one. Failure of the motive power unit does not require taking the whole train out of service.
- Efficiency - idle trains do not waste expensive motive power resources. Separate locomotives mean that the costly motive power assets can be moved around as needed.
- Flexibility - large locomotives can be substituted for small locomotives where the gradients of the route become steeper and more power is needed.
- Obsolescence cycles - separating the motive power from the payload-hauling cars means that either can be replaced without affecting the other. At some times, locomotives have become obsolete when their cars are not, or vice versa.

Classification by motive power

Locomotives may generate mechanical work from fuel, or they may take power from an outside source. It is common to classify locomotives by their means of providing motive work - the common ones include:

Steam

power power The first railway locomotives (19th century) were powered by steam, first by burning wood, later coke and coal or petroleum. Because of the steam engine, some people took to calling the steam locomotives themselves "steam engines". The steam locomotive remained by far the most common type of locomotive until after World War II. The age of steam correlates highly to the coal era. The first steam locomotive was built by Richard Trevithick, and first ran on 21 February 1804, although it took some years before steam locomotive design became efficient and economically practical. Fairy Queen, built in 1855; plying between New Delhi and Alwar in India, is the longest-running steam locomotive in regular service in the world, but John Bull, built in 1831, is currently the oldest operable steam locomotive. John Bull is preserved in mostly static display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. The all-time speed record for steam trains is held by an LNER Class A4 4-6-2 Pacific locomotive of the LNER in the United Kingdom, number 4468 Mallard, which pulling six carriages (plus a dynamometer car) reached 126 mph (203 km/h) on a slight downhill gradient down Stoke Bank on 3 July 1938. Aerodynamic passenger locomotives from other countries such as Germany and the United States attained speeds very close to this, and this is generally believed to be close to the practicable upper limit for the direct-coupled steam locomotive. Before the middle of the 20th century, electric and diesel-electric locomotives began replacing steam locomotives. Steam locomotives are less efficient than their more modern diesel and electric counterparts and require much greater manpower to operate and service. British Rail figures showed the cost of crewing and fuelling a steam locomotive was some two and a half times that of diesel power, and the daily mileage achievable was far lower. As labour costs rose, particularly after the second world war, non-steam technologies became much more cost-efficient. By the end of the 1960s-1970s, most western countries had completely replaced steam locomotives in commercial service. Freight locomotives generally were replaced later. Other designs, such as locomotives powered by gas turbines, have been experimented with, but have seen little use. By the end of the 20th century, almost the only steam power still in regular use in North America and Western European countries was on heritage railways specifically aimed at tourists and/or railroad enthusiasts, known as railfans or train spotters, although some narrow gauge lines in Germany which form part of the public transport system, running to all-year-round timetables retain steam for all or part of their motive power. Steam locomotives remained in commercial use in parts of Mexico into the late 1970s. Steam locomotives are in regular use in China, where coal is a much more abundant resource than petroleum for diesel fuel. India has switched in the 1990's from steam-powered trains to electric- and diesel-powered trains. In some mountainous and high altitude rail lines, steam engines remain in use because they are less affected by reduced air pressure than diesel engines. petroleum 73096, a 4-6-0 steam loco, at Virginia Water station, April 2004.]]

External links

- [http://www.steamlocomotive.com/ Database of surviving steam locomotives in North America]
- [http://steamrailroading.com/ Information on North American steam railroads in operation]

Diesel-mechanical

Diesel locomotives vary in the form of transmission used to convey the power from a diesel engine (or engines) to the wheels. The simplest form of transmission is by means of a gearbox, in the same way as on road vehicles. Diesel trains or locomotives that use this are called diesel-mechanical and began to appear (although limited in power) even before the first world war which saw a number of simplex diesel systems built for the war, a small number of which survive and are still operational today. It has, however, been found impractical to build a gearbox which can cope with a power output of more than 400 horsepower (300 kW) without breaking, despite a number of attempts to do so. Therefore this type of transmission is only suitable for low-powered shunting locomotives, or lightweight multiple units or railcars. For more powerful locomotives, other types of transmission have to be used.

Diesel-electric

railcar refueling at Dunsmuir, California]] The most common form of transmission is electric; a locomotive using electric transmission is known as a diesel-electric locomotive. With this system, the diesel engine drives a generator or alternator; the electrical power produced then drives the wheels using electric motors. In effect, such a locomotive is an electric locomotive which carries its own generating station along with it. Early diesel-electrics were switching engines used to move rail cars around in rail yards. The first went into service in 1918 with the Jay Street Connecting Railroad. Sixteen years later, the technology began to be applied to regular mainline service as streamlined passenger trains went into operation. Actually, a petroleum distillate-electric system powered the first such train, but diesel-electric systems soon proved to be more cost-effective because of higher efficiency and lower maintenance costs. The fuel for one early high-speed run from Chicago, Illinois to Denver, Colorado only cost US$14.64 (in 1934 dollars). In the 1970s, British Rail in the United Kingdom developed a high-speed diesel-electric train called the High Speed Train or HST. This train consists of two Class 43 locomotives (also known as power cars), one at each end, and a number of "Mark 3" carriages (usually 8). A complete HST set was originally designated as a Class 253 or 254 diesel multiple unit (DMU), but due to the frequent exchanges between sets the power cars were reclassified as locomotives and given class number 43. The unpowered carriages were simultaneously reclassified as individual coaches - the number of a DMU set should identify all its associated carriages as well. The prototype HST (designated Class 252) holds the world speed record for diesel traction, having reached a speed of 143 mph, although the operating speed of the production HST in service is 125 mph (200 km/h), hence the name "Inter-City 125". A variant of the Intercity 125, the XPT, is in service on New South Wales railways in Australia, but with a lower top speed and different carriages.

Diesel-hydraulic

Alternatively, diesel-hydraulic locomotives use hydraulic transmission to convey the power from the diesel engine to the wheels. On this type of locomotive, the power is transmitted to the wheels by means of a device called a torque converter. A torque converter consists of three main parts, two of which rotate, and one which is fixed. All three main parts are sealed in a housing filled with oil. The inner rotating part of a torque converter is called a centrifugal pump (or impeller), the outer part is called a turbine wheel (or driven wheel), and between them is a fixed guide wheel. All of these parts have specially shaped blades to control the flow of oil. The centrifugal pump is connected directly to the diesel engine, and the turbine wheel is connected to an axle, which drives the wheels. As the diesel engine rotates the centrifugal pump, oil is forced outwards at high pressure. The oil is forced through the blades of the fixed guide wheel and then through the blades of the turbine wheel, which causes it to rotate and thus turn the axle and the wheels. The oil is then pumped around the circuit again and again. The disposition of the guide vanes allows the torque converter to act as a "gearbox" with continuously variable ratio. If the output shaft is loaded so as to reduce its rotational speed, the torque applied to the shaft increases, so the power transmitted by the torque converter remains more or less constant. However, the range of variability is not sufficient to match engine speed to load speed over the entire speed range of a locomotive, so some additional method is required to give sufficient range. One method is to follow the torque converter with a mechanical gearbox which switches ratios automatically, similar to an automatic transmission on a car. Another method is to provide several torque converters each with a range of variability covering part of the total required; all the torque converters are mechanically connected all the time, and the appropriate one for the speed range required is selected by filling it with oil and draining the others. The filling and draining is carried out with the transmission under load, and results in very smooth range changes with no break in the transmitted power. Diesel-hydraulic multiple units, a less arduous duty, often use a simplification of this system, with a torque converter for the lower speed ranges and a fluid coupling for the high speed range. A fluid coupling is similar to a torque converter but the ratio of input to output speed is fixed; loading the output shaft results not in torque multiplication and constant power throughput but in reduction of the input speed with consequent lower power throughput. (In car terms, the fluid coupling provides top gear and the torque converter provides all the lower gears.) The result is that the power available at the rail is reduced when operating in the lower speed part of the fluid coupling range, but the less arduous duty of a passenger multiple unit compared to a locomotive makes this an acceptable tradeoff for reduced mechanical complexity. Diesel-hydraulic locomotives are slightly more efficient than diesel-electrics, but were found in many countries to be mechanically more complicated and more likely to break down. In Germany, however, diesel-hydraulic systems achieved extremely high reliability in operation. Persistent argument continues over the relative reliability of hydraulic engines, with continuing questions over whether data was manipulated politically to favour local suppliers over German ones. In the US and Canada, they are now greatly outnumbered by diesel-electric locomotives, while they remain dominant in some European countries. The most famous diesel-hydraulic locomotive is the German V200 which were built from 1953 in a total number of 136. The only diesel-electric locomotives of the Deutsche Bundesbahn were BR 288 (V 188), of which 12 were built in 1939 by the DRG. The high reliability of the German locomotives was paralleled by higher reliability of non-German locomotives built with German-made parts compared to that of the same designs built using parts made locally to German patterns under licence. Much of the unreliability experienced outside Germany was due to poor quality control in the local manufacture of engines and transmissions, and poor maintenance due to staff used to steam locomotives working on unfamiliar and much more complex designs in unsuitable conditions and failing to follow the unit-replacement maintenance methods which were part of the German success. It is notable that diesel-hydraulic multiple units, with the advantages of modern manufacturing techniques and improved maintenance procedures, are now extremely successful in widespread use, achieving excellent reliability.

Gas turbine-electric

DRG] Main article: Gas turbine-electric locomotive Locomotives powered by gas turbines were developed in many countries in the decades after World War II. These used jet-type engines (similar to the turboshaft engines in a turbine helicopter) driving an output shaft. The normal method of transmitting power to the wheels involved an electrical transmission similar to a diesel-electric locomotive - the turbines running at constant speed driving a generator, feeding to large electric motors driving the wheels. Gas turbine locomotives are very powerful, but also very noisy (they sounded similar to a jet aircraft at takeoff). Union Pacific operated the largest fleet of turbine locomotives and used them extensively, at one point claiming that the turbines hauled 10% of the railroad's freight. Their efficiency was quite low, but this was initially not a problem; Union Pacific's gas turbines were fueled with cheap 'Bunker C' (later No.6) heavy fuel oil. This cheap fuel source vanished when improved refinery techniques allowed it to be 'cracked' into lighter petroleum grades. After the oil crisis in the 1970s and the subsequent rise in fuel costs, gas turbine locomotives became uneconomic to operate, and many were taken out of service. This type of locomotive is now rare.

Electric

Main article: Electric locomotive Electric locomotive The electric locomotive is supplied externally with electric power, either through an overhead pickup or through a third-rail. While the cost of electrifying track is rather high, electric trains and locomotives are significantly cheaper to run than diesel ones, and are capable of superior acceleration as well as regenerative braking, making them ideal for passenger service in densely populated areas. Almost all high speed train systems (e.g. ICE, TGV, Shinkansen) use electric power, because the power needed for such performance is not easily carried on board. For example the most powerful electric locomotives that are used today on the channel tunnel freight services use 7 MW of power. The world speed record for a wheeled train was set in 1990 by a French TGV which reached a speed of 515.3 km/h (320 mph). While recently designed electrified railway systems invariably operate on alternating current, many existing direct current systems are still in use—e.g. in South Africa, Spain, and the United Kingdom (750 V and 1500 V); Netherlands (1500 V); Belgium, Italy, Poland (3000 V), and the cities of Mumbai and Chicago, Illinois (which will be switched to AC by 2025). A small number of electric locomotives can also operate off battery power to enable short journeys or shunting to occur on non-electrified lines or yards. Pure battery locomotives also found usage in mines and other underground workings where diesel fumes or smoke are not safe and where external electricity supplies could not be used. Battery locomotives are also used on many underground railways for maintenance operations as they are required to operate in areas where the electricity supply has been temporarily disconnected. See also: Railway electrification system

Electro-diesel

Main article: Electro-diesel locomotive These are special locomotives that can either operate as an electric locomotive or a diesel locomotive. Dual-mode diesel-electric/third-rail locomotives are operated by the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad between non-electrified territory and New York City because of a local law banning diesel-powered locomotives in Manhattan tunnels. For the same reason Amtrak operates a fleet of dual-mode locomotives in the New York area. British Rail operated dual diesel-electric/electric locomotives designed to run primarily as electric locomotives. This allowed railway yards to remain un-electrified as the third-rail power system is extremely hazardous in a yard area.

Magnetic levitation

third-rail The newest technology in trains is magnetic levitation (maglev). These electrically powered trains have a special open motor which floats the train above the rail without the need for wheels. This greatly reduces friction. Very few systems are in service and the cost is very high. The experimental Japanese magnetic levitation train has reached 552 km/h (343 mph). The transrapid maglev train connects Shanghai's airport with the city. The first commercial maglev trains ran in the 1980s in Birmingham, United Kingdom, providing a low-speed shuttle service between the airport and its railway station. Despite the huge interest and excitement in the technology it was abandoned and replaced by a cable-hauled guideway a few years later.

Classification by use

The three main categories of locomotives are often subdivided in their usage in rail transport operations. There are passenger locomotives, freight locomotives and switcher (or shunting) locomotives. These categories mainly depend on manoeuvrability, traction power and speed. Some locomotives are designed to work in mountain railways.

References

[http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/11164 An engineer's guide from 1891] [http://www.keveney.com/Locomotive.html Animated engines, Steam Locomotive] 1 Locomotive Category:Rail transport ja:機関車 ko:기관차

Vehicle

:This article is about the means of transport. For the political meaning, see electoral vehicle. For the economical meaning, see economic vehicle Vehicles are non-living means of transportation. They are most often man-made (e.g. cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, and aircraft), although some other means of transportation which are not made by man can also be called vehicles; examples include icebergs and floating tree trunks. Vehicles may be propelled by animals, e.g. a chariot or an ox-cart. However, animals on their own, though used as a means of transportation, are not called vehicles. This includes humans carrying another human, for example a child or a disabled person. Most land vehicles have wheels. Please see the wheel article for examples of vehicles with and without wheels. Movement without the help of a vehicle or an animal is called locomotion. The word vehicle itself comes from the Latin vehiculum. AVL stands for Automatic Vehicle Location.

Types of vehicles

- Aircraft
- Cars
- Auto rickshaws
- Boats
- Buses
- Coaches
- Motorcycles
- Trains
- Ships
- Vans
- Bicycles
- More...

External Links

- [http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/ Green Vehicle Guide]
- [http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars Vehicle Information] Category:Transportation simple:Vehicle

Multiple unit

A multiple unit is a passenger train whose carriages have their own motors, either diesel ("DMUs") or electric ("EMUs"), and do not need to be hauled by a locomotive.

History and description

Multiple units (MUs) were made possible by the development of multiple-unit train control by the American inventor (Franklin J. Sprague), originally to allow newly electrically-powered rapid transit trains to be operated from a single position without the need for a separate locomotive, as was required when such trains were hauled by steam engines. Sprague solved the problem of operating all of the train's motors simultaneously from a single position. Before his successful invention, differences in the speed and response of motors on different cars of the train caused binding on the couplings between the train cars, wheel slippage and excess wear on motors and operating gear running at speeds faster or slower than the overall speed of the train, or even derailment, as well as an uncomfortable ride. The motors driving the train on an MU unit are typically mounted underneath the floor of the carriages, on the bogies (in the U.S. "trucks"), the assembly beneath the train that holds the axles and wheels. The driver's cab on an MU is usually truncated to a short room at both ends of the train.

Advantages of multiple units

There are several advantages of multiple units as compared to locomotive-hauled trains.
- MUs are more energy efficient than locomotive-hauled trains and more nimble, especially on grades, as much more of the entire train's weight (sometimes all of it) is placed on power-driven wheels, rather than suffer the dead weight of unpowered coaches;
- MUs have cabs at each end, so that the train may be reversed without having to uncouple/re-couple and move the locomotive, which results in far quicker turnaround times, reduced crewing costs, and enhancing safety;
- MUs may usually be quickly made up or broken up into trains of varying lengths. In a handful of applications, several multiple units may run as a single train, then be broken at a junction point into smaller trains for diverse destinations. Sometimes passage is available between the units, either for passengers or just for the train crew. The quicker turnaround time that results, and the reduced size compared with large locomotive-hauled trains, has made the MU a major part of suburban commuter rail services in many countries. MUs are also the type of train used almost exclusively on underground railways. Most MUs are powered either by a diesel engine driving the wheels through a gearbox (a diesel multiple unit, or DMU), or by electric motors, receiving their power through a live rail or overhead wire (an electric multiple unit or EMU). However, diesel electric multiple units (DEMUs) also exist: these have a diesel engine which drives a generator producing electricity to drive electric motors. Some well known examples of multiple units are all of the Japanese Shinkansen and the last generation German ICE. Most trains in Netherlands and Japan are multiple units, which is suitable for railway in high population density area. Even MUs type freight train (Type M250) is produced in Japan in 2004.

North America

Most long-distance trains in North America are locomotive-hauled, but commuter, subway, and light rail operations use extensive use of MUs. Most electrically-powered trains are MUs, although there are some major exceptions: Amtrak trains on the Northeast Corridor, the busiest passenger rail line in the U.S., are drawn by electric locomotives; New Jersey Transit service on the same line is split between electric locomotives and electric MUs. DMUs are less common, partly because new light rail operations are almost entirely electric, but DMUs are being tried on the River Line in New Jersey, and there are efforts to develop effective passenger DMUs for inter-city trains. NJ Transit has also experimented with DMUs on the Princeton Branch line. EMUs are used on AMT's Montreal/Deux-Montagnes line.

External links

- [http://www.vintagecarriagestrust.org/surveystatus.htm Preserved Carriage Database] Category:Multiple units ja:動力分散方式

Railcar

Not to be confused with railroad car. A railcar is a self-propelled railroad vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term 'Railcar' is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a driver's cab at each end. The term is sometimes also used as an alternative name for the small types of multiple unit which consist of more than one coach. Railcars are usually propelled by a diesel engine mounted underneath the floor of the coach. Sometimes when there are enough passengers to justify it, railcars can be joined together. Usually these form multiple units with one driver controlling all engines, however it has previously been the practice for a railcar to tow a carriage or second railcar which does not provide any power. It is not unknown for several railcars to run together each with its own driver (a practice of the County Donegal Railways Joint Committee). The reason for this being that to keep costs down, small railcars were not always fitted with multiple unit control. Railcars are economic to run because of their small size, and in many countries are often used to run passenger services on minor railway lines, such as rural railway lines where passenger traffic is sparse, and where the use of a longer train would not be cost effective. train A variation of railcar is a railbus, a very lightweight type of railcar designed for use specifically on little-used railway lines, and as the name suggests share many aspects of their construction with a bus, usually having a bus, or modified bus body, and having four wheels on a fixed base, instead of on bogies. A UK company current promoting the rail bus concept is Parry People Movers. It is an interesting device in that locomotive power is from the energy stored in a flywheel. Prototypes have an on board diesel motor to bring the flywheel up to speed. In practise this could be an electric motor that need only connect to the power supply at stopping points. Alternatively a motor at the stopping points could wind up the flywheel of each car as it stops. More details can be found at their web site: [http://www.parrypeoplemovers.com/] Railbuses were used commonly in countries such as Germany, and a type of railbus known as a Pacer is still commonly used in the United Kingdom. In Australia, where they were often called Rail Motors, railcars were often used for passenger services on lightly-used lines. The term railbus also refers to a dual-mode vehicle that can run on streets with rubber tires and on tracks with train wheels.

Freight

Cargo is a term used to denotes goods or produce being transported generally for commercial gain, usually on a ship, plane, train or lorry. Nowadays containers are used in all intermodal long-haul cargo transport.

External link

- [http://cargolaw.com/gallery.html The Gallery of Transport Loss -- Photos & Lessons of Disaster] Category:Commercial item transport and distribution Category:Transportation ja:貨物

CargoSprinter

The CargoSprinter is a sort of "multiple unit freight car"; it could also be thought of as a container truck that runs on rails. Built by the German company Windhoff, it is in effect a self-powered containerized flatcar. It is intended to recapture some of the freight market back from road trucks, by making it economically feasible to carry small amounts of freight to the individual sidings of warehouses and businesses, without the complications and overhead of conventional Locomotive-hauled trains.

External links

(preliminary) http://home.istar.ca/~axelh/news/cargosp.html
http://www.crtgroup.com.au/infoglueDeliver/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=56&languageId=1&contentId=-1 Category:Vehicles Category:Rail transport

Push-pull

:Push-pull can also refer to a type of electronic amplifier. electronic amplifier capable of push-pull operation.]] electronic amplifier Push-pull is a mode of operation for locomotive-hauled trains. A push-pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, and an alternative driver's cab (DBSO or DVT in the UK, cab car in the US) at the other end. Historically push-pull trains with steam power provided the driver with basic controls at the cab end along with a bell or other signalling code system to communicate with the fireman located in the engine itself in order to pass commands to adjust controls not available in the cab. At low speeds some push-pull trains are run entirely from the engine with the guard operating bell codes and brakes from the leading cab when the locomotive is pushing the train. The Corris Railway operates in this fashion today. Many mountain railways also operate on similar principles in order to keep the locomotive lower down than the carriage so that there is no opportunity for a carriage to run away from a train down the gradient, and also so that if the locomotive ever did run away it would not take the carriage with it. Modern train control systems use sophisticated electronics to allow full remote control of locomotives. Nevertheless push-pull operation still requires considerable design care to ensure that control system failure does not endanger passengers and also to ensure that in the event of a derailment the pushing locomotive does not push a derailed train into an obstacle worsening the accident. When operating push-pull the train can be driven either from the locomotive or the alternate cab. If the train is heading in the direction in which the locomotive end of the train is facing, this is considered 'pulling'. If the train is heading in the opposite direction, this is considered 'pushing', and the driver is located in the alternate cab. This configuration ensures that the locomotive never needs to be uncoupled from the train, and ensures fast turnaround times at a railway station terminus. In certain situations the locomotive is placed in the middle of the train rather than at one end but driven from cabs at the train ends. The GWR did this when multiple carriages were linked up in an autocoach train as the mechanical linkages used to control the train were not capable of reliable operation through a train unlike modern electrical and pneumatic control systems. When the locomotive is placed mid-train both directions are considered 'push'. Alternatively a push-pull train, especially a long one, may have a locomotive on both ends so that there is always one locomotive pushing and one locomotive pulling. In this case caution must be used to make sure that the two locomotives do not put too much stress on the cars from uneven locomotives. This two-locomotive formation is used by the Intercity 125 and its Australian equivalent the XPT. It is usual to arrange things so that auxiliary power is supplied by the trailing locomotive so that the locomotive at the front does more pulling than the locomotive at the rear does pushing. Having an independent locomotive as opposed to a power car at each end is also known in the railway world as a top and tail. See also: Rail terminology Category:Rail transport

High-speed trains

trains began the development of modern high-speed railways (shown here: West Japan Railway Company 500 Series Shinkansen at Kyoto).]] Kyoto's high-speed network.]] Kyoto, seen here at Boston South Station, currently provides North America's only high-speed railway service. (www.trainweb.com photo)]] South Station to run at high speeds, but is not compatible with conventional tracks.]] :This page is about high-speed rail in general. For Britain's InterCity 125 or HST, see High Speed Train. High-speed rail is public transport by rail at a speeds over 200 km/h (125 mi/h). Typically, high–speed trains travel at top service speeds of between 250 km/h (155 mph) and 300 km/h (186 mph). The world speed record for a conventional wheeled train was set in 1990 by a French TGV (train à grande vitesse; literally "high speed train") that reached a speed of 515 km/h (320 mi/h), and an experimental Japanese magnetic levitation (maglev) train JR-Maglev MLX01 has reached 581 km/h (361 mph).

Definition

The International Union of Railways' high–speed task force provides definitions of high–speed rail travel [http://www.uic.asso.fr/d_gv/toutsavoir/definitions_en.html]. There is no single definition of the term, but rather a combination of elements—new or upgraded track, rolling stock, operating practices—that lead to high-speed rail operations. The speeds at which a train must travel to qualify as 'high–speed' vary from country to country, ranging from 160 km/h (100 mi/h) to over 300 km/h (186 mi/h). The countries that have either developed their own High-speed rail technology, or is in use of their own technology are: Japan, France, Italy, Germany and Korea.

History

Railways were the first form of mass transportation, and until the development of the motorcar in the early 20th century had an effective monopoly on land transport. In the decades after World War II, improvements in automobiles, highways, and aircraft made those means practical for a greater portion of the population than previously. In Europe and Japan, emphasis was given to rebuilding the railways after the war. In the United States, emphasis was given to building a huge national highway system and airports. Urban mass transport systems in the US were largely neglected. The US railways have been more uncompetitive partly because the government has tended to favour road and air transportation more than in Asian and European countries, and partly because the population density in the US is lower. Travel by rail becomes more competitive in areas of higher population density or when petrol is expensive because conventional trains are more fuel efficient than cars (though less fuel efficient than buses). Very few trains consume diesel or some other fossil fuels but the power stations that provide the Electric trains with power do consume fuel, usually Natural Gas. Others are powered by Coal or Hydroelectricity and in Japan and France a large proportion is powered by Nuclear fission. Even if the power stations were powered by Oil or Coal, Trains would still remain more fuel efficient per passenger per kilometer travelled than the typical automobile. Upgrading rail networks require enormous fixed investments and thus require high population densities to be competitive against airplanes and automobiles. The world's first "high–speed train" was Japan's Tokaido Shinkansen, officially launched in 1964. The "Series 0" Shinkansen, built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, achieved speeds of 200 km/h (124 mi/h) on the Tokyo–Nagoya–Kyoto–Osaka route. High–speed rail was conceived as an attempt to win back railway passengers who had been lost to other means of travel; in most cases it has been quite successful to this end.

High-speed trains vs. automobiles or airplanes

There are constraints on the growth of the highway and air travel systems, widely cited as traffic congestion, or capacity limits. Airports have limited capacity to serve passengers during peak travel times, as do highways. High–speed rail, which has potentially very high capacity on its fixed corridors, offers the promise of relieving congestion on the other systems. Prior to World War II conventional passenger rail was the principal means of intercity transport. Passenger rail services have lost their primary role in transport since, due to the small proportion of journeys made by rail. High–speed rail has the advantage over automobiles in that it can move passengers at speeds far faster than those possible by car, while also avoiding congestion. For journeys that do not connect city centre to city centre, the door to door travel time and the total cost of high–speed rail can be comparable to that of driving, a fact often mentioned by critics of high–speed trains. However, supporters argue that journeys by train are less strenuous and more productive than car journeys. While high–speed trains generally do not travel as fast as jet aircraft, they have advantages over air travel for relatively short distances. When traveling less than about 650 km (400 mi), the process of checking in and going through security screening at airports, as well as the journey to the airport itself makes the total journey time comparable to HSR. Trains can be boarded more quickly in a central location, eliminating the speed advantage of air travel. Rail lines also permit far greater capacity and frequency of service than what is possible with aircraft.

Target areas for high-speed trains

The early target areas, identified by France, Japan, and the U.S., were connections between pairs of large cities. In France this was Paris–Lyon, in Japan Tokyo–Osaka, and in the U.S. the proposals are in high-density areas. Its only U.S. high–speed rail service at present is in the Northeast Corridor between Boston, New York and Washington, D.C.; it uses tilting trains to achieve high speeds (though lower than those of their European and Asian counterparts) on existing tracks, since building new, straighter lines was not practical given the level of funding. The California High Speed Rail Authority is currently studying a San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento to Los Angeles and San Diego line. Five years after construction began on the line, the first Japanese high–speed rail line opened on the eve of the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, connecting the capital with Osaka. The first French high–speed rail line (LGV) was opened in 1981 by SNCF, the French rail agency, planning starting in 1966 and construction in 1976. The opening ceremonies were significant events, being reported internationally, but not associated with a major showpiece such as a World's Fair or Olympic Games. Market segmentation has principally focused on the business travel market. The French focus on business travelers is reflected in the nature of their rail cars (including the all-important bar–car). Pleasure travel is a secondary market, though many of the French extensions connect with vacation beaches on the Atlantic and Mediterranean, as well as major amusement parks. Friday evenings are the peak time for TGVs (Metzler, 1992). The system has lowered prices on long distance travel to compete more effectively with air services, and as a result some cities within an hour of Paris by TGV have become commuter communities, thus increasing the market while restructuring land use. A side effect of the first high–speed rail lines in France was the opening up of previously isolated regions to fast economic development. Some newer high–speed lines have been planned primarily for this purpose, such as the Madrid–Sevilla line and the proposed Amsterdam–Groningen line.

Countries currently with High-speed rail

In Europe

France

Groningen Groningen France has perhaps the most developed high-speed network in Europe. The TGV network started in 1981 with the opening of the line between Lyon and Paris. The TGV network gradually spread out to other cities, and into other countries such as Switzerland. Trains that cross national boundaries may need to have special characteristics, such as the ability to handle different power supplies and signalling systems. This means that not all TGVs are the same, and there are interoperability considerations. Later the TGV network was also extended with LGVs towards Bordeaux, Marseille, and Lille and faster trains were introduced. Rather than have separate lines from Paris, towns in Britanny are reached via a relatively short detour—it being argued that the trains run fast enough that the extra distance causes little real delay on the long distance travel between Paris and Bordeaux, and this routing allows additional service to Brittany. A new generation of TGV Automotrice à grande vitesse (AGV) with an operational speed of 350 km/h is currently under development.

Germany

Construction on first German high-speed lines began shortly after that of the French LGVs. Legal battles caused significant delays, so that the InterCity Express (ICE) trains were deployed ten years after the TGV network was established. The ICE network is more tightly integrated with pre-existing lines and trains as a result of the different settlement structure in Germany, which has almost twice the population density of France. ICE trains reached destinations in Austria and Switzerland soon after they entered service, taking advantage of the same voltage used in these countries. Starting in 2000, multisystem third-generation ICE trains entered the Netherlands and Belgium. Admission of ICE trains onto French LGVs was applied for in 2001, but trial runs have only just been completed in 2005. Germany is also developing Transrapid, a Magnetic levitation train system. A Transrapid test track with a total lenght of 31.5 km is operating in Emsland.

Spain

The Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) high–speed rail system in Spain is currently being constructed. High–speed trains have been running on the Madrid–Sevilla route since 1992. Should the aims of the ambitious AVE construction program be met, by 2010 Spain will have 7000 km (4350 mi) of high–speed trains linking all provincial cities to Madrid in under 4 hours and Barcelona within 6 hours. By 2007, the fastest commercial trains in operation will be moving passengers between Barcelona and Madrid at a top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph), traveling the 600 km (373 mi) between the two cities in only 2.5 hours. Three corporations have or will build trains for the Spanish high–speed rail network: Spanish Talgo, French Alstom and German Siemens AG.

Italy

The earliest high-speed train deployed in Europe was the italian "Direttissima" that connected Rome with Florence (254 km,158 mi) in 1978. The maximum speed of this line was 250 km/h (155 mi/h). The journey time between the two cities is just over 90 minutes and the trains average about 200 km/h (125 mi/h). The service is carried out by Eurostar Italia trains (not related to the Eurostar trains operating to the United Kingdom). Italy makes extensive use of tilting train technology, "Pendolino", based on research work undertaken in the 1970s by Fiat Ferroviaria. The Italian Treno Alta Velocità is building a new high speed network between Turin and Naples with a total length of 650km. The first route of this network will be opened in December 2005 and it will connect Naples with Rome (214km) in 1 hour.

Netherlands & Belgium

The Dutch HSL-Zuid line are being built to connect the Netherlands with Belgium and France. It will carry both the TGV-derived Thalys and domestic high-speed trains. High-speed Thalys trains already operate between Belgium, France and The Netherlands. Brussels in Belgium has three HSR lines connecting it with other cities, one going to Lille in France, one going to Koln in Germany, and one going to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Switzerland

Switzerland has had a tilting train since 28 May 2000, when along with the Fahrplanwechsel (change of train schedules) the ICN (InterCity Neigezug, or InterCity Tilting Train) came into being, first running from Geneva through Biel/Bienne, Grenchen South, Zürich, Winterthur through to St. Gallen. The ICN is now used on several routes. Speeds on the ICN can reach 200 km/h (125 mi/h). As Swiss rail tracks are full of curves, and as the ICN is a tilting train, it is the fastest Swiss train on Swiss tracks.

Turkey

Turkey has recently started building high-speed rail lines. The first line, between Istanbul (Turkey's largest city) and Ankara (capital of Turkey), is under construction and will open in 2007. The commercial high speed trains are expected to reach at a top speed of 250km/h, reducing the traveling time from 6-7 hours to 3 hours 10 minutes. Several other lines between major cities are also being planned.

Asia

Japan

Ankara.]] Japan might be considered the spiritual home of modern high-speed railways. In 1964, after the Tokaido Shinkansen was deployed, a second line—the Sanyo Shinkansen—was inaugurated. The recognition of the inter–relationship between land development and the high–speed rail network led, in 1970, to the enaction in Japan of a law for the construction of a nationwide Shinkansen railway network. By 1973, the Transport Minister approved construction plans for five additional lines and basic plans for twelve others. Despite the approval, financial considerations intervened; the cost of the five lines (five trillion yen, or fifty billion U.S. dollars at 100 yen to the dollar, a somewhat hopeful exchange rate), combined with the oil shock and recession of the 1970s and early 1980s resulted in some lines being cancelled and others delayed until 1982. Ironically, high oil prices, which should increase the relative demand for non–oil based transportation such as high–speed rail, delayed their construction. Some Japanese lines constucted during the 1990's are not "Full Shinkansen" with all of the characteristics of high–speed rail. Rather they are mixed, and thus composed of less expensive technology, combining narrow-gauge and standard-gauge lines on the same structures. New structures allow for eventual upgrade, but existing narrow gauge structures are kept in places, allowing the bullet train to use them, but not at the higher speeds. As with its inauguration, the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan were a target for the opening of a rail line extension: Hokuriku Shinkansen (Tokyo to Nagano) was opened under this scheme just in time. Within Japan, some of the most significant changes in the mode's growth phase has been the break–up and privatization of the rail system, begun in 1987. The hope is that restructuring leads to more efficient and profitable methods in the passenger rail sector. Incremental improvements to the high–speed rail technology are continuously being undertaken, and the network continues to be expanded. As an example of improvements, the travel time from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka (the first route opened) has decreased from 4 hours in 1964 to 2 hours 30 minutes. A Japanese consortium led by the Central Japan Railway Company are currently researching new high–speed rail systems based on magnetic levitation. Test trains JR-Maglev MLX01 on the Yamanashi Test Line have achieved speeds of over 580 km/h (360 mph) (crewed), easily making them the fastest trains in the world. These new maglev trains are intended to be deployed as a new Tokyo–Osaka Shinkansen route, called the Chuo Shinkansen. A new generation of Shinkansen FASTECH 360 with a top speed of 405 km/h and a operational speed of 360 km/h is currently under development. Production trains are expected to enter service in 2011.

Korea

FASTECH 360 There is now a high–speed train line in Korea; KTX. apart from its conventional railway system that boasted a top-speed of 150km/h. The new high-speed rail became operational on April 2004. The maximum speeds of the KTX which derives its technology directly from France's Alstrom, is 300km/h. It has made a previous journey from Seoul to Daejon that took around 1:30- 2 hours by vehicle to a mere 47 minutes. Since its operation, there has been many complaints with regards to the French product, citing reasons of general discomfort, together with the ridiculous seatings that face the opposite direction. As of December 2005], the South Korean government has made a "negotiation priority" on a new South Korean high-speed technnology called the G-7. It runs faster than the French Alstrom, at speeds of 350km/h. The train is a product of near 10 years of research and development by the Korean [[Rotem]] and the National Rail Technology Institute. The train uses a digital-mode for its operation, and allows passengers to rotate their seats, regardless of whether they were given a forward facing or a rear facing seat. If the [[G-7 is selected for adoption on the currently KTX lines, Korea joins the ranks of Japan, Germany and France as the forth country to develop its own High-speed rail.

Countries currently without High-speed rail or currently planning High-speed rail

Europe

The United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, Eurostar trains, which run through the Channel Tunnel between the UK and both France and Belgium, are substantially different versions of the TGV trains, with support for multiple voltages, both pantograph and third–rail power collection, the ability to adapt to multiple platform heights, and to cope with no fewer than seven different signalling modes. Like the TGVs, Eurostar trains are articulated with bogies between the carriages, and typical operating units have 18 carriages. A fully loaded train of 794 passengers is roughly equivalent to seven Boeing 737s (the aircraft typically used by low-cost airlines). These trains operate at the highest scheduled speeds of any in the UK, using specially-built track between the Channel Tunnel and London. The Channel Tunnel Rail Link currently supports high speed trains between Dover to Fawkham Junction, and the extension to London St Pancras is due to open in 2007. The remainder of Britain's railway network is determinedly slower - nominal top speeds on some lines of 225kmh/140mph have yet to be run, and most inter-city traffic is restricted to a maximum speed of 200kmh/125mph using track largely built in the middle years of the nineteenth century. Much of this traffic is still handled by diesel-powered High Speed Trains which are around three decades old, however GNER trains on the East Coast Main Line between London and York still achieve an average point-to-point speed that puts them in the world top ten. An attempt was made in the 1970s and 1980s to introduce a high-speed train that could operate on Britain's winding infrastructure - British Rail developed the Advanced Passenger Train using active tilting technology. While this was, ultimately, technically successful, the project was closed-down following a series of high-profile failures. The technology was widely sold, and is used in today's Pendolino trains developed in Italy. However due to a large investment in the West Coast Mainline tilting Pendolinos have been introducted from 2004. These trains have a speed of about 125mph and are operated by Virgin Trains. These services run between London Euston and Glasgow with some services starting and finishing at Manchester Piccadilly and going both north and south. Considerable upgrades are still happening north of Manchester.

Asia

China

Shanghai Maglev Train, a Transrapid maglev capable of 267 mph (430 km/h), connect Shanghai to Pu Dong International Airport since March 2004. China is considering maglev as a possible technology option for building a planned high-speed rail network to connect major cities, although the cost may make this impractical. Talks with Germany on the possible construction of a second Transrapid maglev rail linking Shanghai to Hangzhou have started. The Shanghai-Hangzhou maglev line would become the first inter-city Maglev rail line in commercial service in the world. The line will be an extension of the only other Maglev line in commercial service, the Shanghai airport Maglev line. The new line would have to be in service no later than 2010. A conventional high-speed line based on InterCity Express technology between Beijing and Tianjin is expected to open in 2007.

Taiwan

Taiwan is constructing its high speed railway to connect Taipei and Kaohsiung using Shinkansen technology. It is scheduled to begin revenue service in October 2006.

The Americas

Canada

Shinkansen Canada placed some early hopes in high–speed trains with the United Aircraft Turbo train, in the 1960s. Run by CN and later VIA Rail, the Talgo–inspired articulated tilt–train achieved speeds as high as 200 km/h (125 mph) in regular service, but for most of its service life (marred with lengthy interruptions to address conception problems), it ran at a more conventional 160 km/h (99 mph). A similar but shorter train was also experimented with in the United States. Beginning in the 1970s, a consortium of several companies started to study the Bombardier LRC, which was a more conventional approach to high–speed rail, in having separate cars rather than being an articulated train. Pulled by a conventional–technology diesel–electric locomotives designed for 200 km/h (125 mi/h) normal operating speed, it entered full–scale service in 1981 for VIA Rail, linking cities in the Québec–Windsor corridor, but at speeds never exceeding the 170 km/h (105 mph) limit mandated by line signalling. The troublesome Bombardier LRC locomotives were eventually all retired by 2000, and replaced by more conventional diesel–electric locomotives manufactured by General Motors and General Electric. The LRC is the oldest tilt–train that is still operational to this day. Recently, Bombardier and VIA have proposed high-speed services along the Québec–Windsor corridor using Bombardier's experimental JetTrain tilting trains, which are similar to Bombardier's Acela Express, but powered by a small jet engine rather than overhead electric wires. As yet, no government support for this plan has been forthcoming, and Bombardier appears to have stopped promoting the JetTrain. Bombardier has also recently promoted high-speed rail in the province of Alberta between Edmonton and Calgary. Although in the U.S. Amtrak has invested enormous amounts of money in electrifying the New Haven–Boston portion of the Northeast Corridor and outfitting itself with sleek Acela Express trains, it is VIA Rail that operates the fastest scheduled passenger train in North America: train 66, which runs the 520 km (323 miles) between Toronto and Dorval in 3 hours 44 minutes, an average speed of 140 km/h (87 mph).

United States

Dorval High-speed rail in the U.S is more a case of hope than reality. It is possible to trace the development of high–speed railways back to the streamliners that criss–crossed the U.S. in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s which, in turn, can be traced further back to the competing companies operating different routes between London and Scotland, and to railways in Germany and France. However, several factors contributed to the stagnation of rail transport in the U.S. just as Europe and Japan were pushing forward. There has been a resurgence of interest in recent decades, with many plans being examined for high–speed rail across the country, but current service remains relatively limited. The major passenger carrier in the U.S., Amtrak, has been operating Acela Express trains between Boston and Washington, D.C. since 2001. These trains tilt because of curves along the track, and the top speed is 150 mph (240 km/h). This maximum speed might not be considered fast enough for this train to be designated a high–speed train, though the average speeds suggest that it should be. The average speed from Washington, D.C. to Boston is about 82 mph (132 km/h): 5 hours 30 minutes for the 450 mi (724 km) trip. High–speed rail in the U.S. today remains largely in an early, conceptual stage. The U.S. efforts have been multi–pronged. Various states have promoted study and design of high–speed rail lines, and six corridors have been designated by U.S. Department of Transportation for study:
- Chicago, Illinois–Minneapolis, Minnesota–St. Louis, Missouri–Detroit, Michigan (as planned by the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/passengerrail/onepagers/midwest.html#mwmap])
- Miami, Florida–Orlando–Tampa (Florida High Speed Rail [http://www.floridahighspeedrail.org/])
- Washington, D.C.–Richmond, Virginia–Raleigh–Charlotte
- San Diego, California–Los Angeles–Sacramento (California High Speed Rail [http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/])
- Eugene, Oregon–Portland–Seattle, Washington–Vancouver (Canada)
- New York City–Albany, New York–Buffalo The Clinton Administration proposed a High Speed Rail Development Act in 1993 to study the issues involved and provide seed money. Money was set aside in Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA 1991) for maglev development, and proposals for deployment have been made in Orlando, Florida and in Texas, but there is still no operating maglev in revenue-earning passenger service in the United States. Amtrak's North East Corridor has been electrified and has seen elimination of grade crossings. In terms of its top–down planning, the development of high–speed rail in the U.S. borrows conceptually from the interstate highway system. Typically modes emerge without either significant or central planning at the outset. Examples include air travel, highways, and rail. Later, central planning is tacked on, as when the government established specific trans–continental routes, or began funding airports or the interstate highways. In all likelihood this probably confirms high–speed rail's role as a successor to conventional rail rather than holding status as a new mode on its own. Operationally, the systems are largely adapted from conventional rail systems, with similar labor organization and ownership in Japan and France and similar architectures in many other respects.

Mexico

After a rigorous technical and economic evaluation involving nine companies of international experience with high–speed trains, the French company Systra will be the consulting company to advise the Secretariat of Communication and Transportion of Mexico on the process of elaboration of the Basis of Licitation for the Mexico City–Guadalajara high–speed train service. The licitation is to be released in autumn 2005. The estimate for this project is about $5 billion according to the SCT.

Australia

Australia has no high–speed trains. Queensland Rail's tilting train between Brisbane and Cairns is believed to be the fastest narrow-gauge railway in the world. The development of Australia's railways has always been hampered by the country's low population density; it has a population comparable to a small European country such as the Netherlands occupying an area only slightly smaller than the mainland United States. With the consequent deregulation and intense competition in the domestic airline industry, the cheapest method of travel between the major population centres is by air. While car fuel is not taxed as lightly as in the United States, it is still much less expensive than in European nations, which greatly reduces the appeal of train travel and the hope of significant expansions in the near future. There have, however, been discussions of a high-speed railway between Sydney and Canberra, which could ultimately expand into a corridor extended from Sydney to Brisbane and from Canberra to Melbourne and Adelaide. [http://www.railpage.org.au/vhst/]

Technology

Adelaide Much of the technology behind high–speed rail is an improved application of existing technology. By building a new rail infrastructure with 20th century engineering, including elimination of constrictions such as roadway at–grade crossings, frequent stops, a succession of curves and reverse curves, and not sharing the right–of–way with freight or slower passenger trains, higher speeds (250–300 km/h; 155–185 mph) are maintained. The record speed of 515 km/h (320 mph) is held by a shortened TGV train. The French TGV routes typically combine some sections of older track, on which they run at standard speeds, with segments on new track to provide an overall high–speed, one-seat journey to many destinations. In France, the cost of construction is minimised by adopting steeper grades rather than building tunnels and viaducts. Because the lines are dedicated to passengers, grades of 3.5%, rather than the previous maximum of 1–1.5% for mixed traffic, are used. Possibly more expensive land is acquired in order to build straighter lines which minimize line construction as well as operating and maintenance costs. In other countries high–speed rail was built without those economies so that the railway can also support other traffic, such as freight. Experience has shown however, that trains of significantly different speeds cause massive decreases of line capacity. As a result, mixed-traffic lines are usually reserved for high-speed passenger trains during the daytime, while freight trains go at night. In some cases, nighttime high-speed trains are even diverted to lower speed lines in favor of freight traffic.

Existing high-speed rail systems

TGV family

- TGV (Train à grande vitesse) (France)
- Automotrice à grande vitesse
- Eurostar (United Kingdom – France/Belgium)
- Thalys (France – Belgium – Netherlands – Germany)
- Renfe AVE (Spain)
- KTX (Korea)
- Amtrak Acela Express (United States); only distantly related to TGV (not articulated, and with a tilt mechanism)

ICE family

- ICE (InterCity Express), (Germany – Netherlands – Belgium – Switzerland – Austria)
- Renfe AVE, (Spain)
- CRH3, (China)

Shinkansen family

- Shinkansen (Japan)
- FASTECH 360
- (HSR) Taiwan High Speed Rail (Taiwan)

ETR 500 family

- ETR 500 (Italy)

Talgo family

- Talgo 350 (Spain)
- Talgo 200 (Spain) (able to travel at 200 km/h (124 mph) on broad and standard-gauge track)

Tilting trains

- Pendolino–type trains in Italy, Finland, Portugal (Alfa Pendular by CP), Slovenia (InterCitySlovenija), Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom (by Virgin Trains). These are all broadly derived from technology developed in the 1970s and early 1980s by British Rail for their Advanced Passenger Train.
- LRC, (Canada)
- Amtrak Acela Express, (United States)
- X2000, Linx (Sweden)
- ETR 450/460/480, Cisalpino (Italy, Switzerland)
- ICN (Switzerland)
- Signatur (Norway)

Magnetic levitation

- Chuo Shinkansen, a proposed maglev Shinkansen line to serve the Tokyo–Osaka corridor. Test trains JR-Maglev MLX01 are currently running in Yamanashi Prefecture at speeds of over 580 km/h (360 mph).
- Transrapid (German maglev company) has a test track in Emsland, Germany, and constructed the first commercial maglev railway, from Shanghai, China to Pu Dong International Airport, opened in 2002).

Other

- InterCity 125 / British Rail Class 43 (HST), was introduced to Britain in 1976 by state corporation British Rail: often called the High Speed Train or HST, it was the fastest train in the country when it was introduced, operating regularly at scheduled speeds of 125 mph (200 km/h). It still holds the world speed record for a diesel-powered train (it achieved 143mph (232km/h) on test in 1973, which it bettered by achieving 148mph (238 km/h) on another test in 1987; its highest speed in passenger service was 144mph (231 km/h) achieved in 1985). It is still in regular inter-city service after three decades.

External links

- [http://www.altavelocidad.org/index_en.htm High-Speed Railways around the world]
- [http://www.maglev.de Transrapid – Maglev: High-Speed in Asia (China, Shanghai), Japan (Yamanashi) and Germany (Munich; TVE)]
- [http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov California High-Speed Rail Authority]
- [http://www.tav.it/ High-Speed Railways in Italy] Category:Rail transport zh-min-nan:Ko-sok-thih-lō· ko:고속철도 ja:高速鉄道

Shinkansen

The Shinkansen (Japanese: 新幹線) is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. The first line, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, was opened in 1964. The network has since expanded to link most major cities on the islands of Honshu and Kyushu with running speeds of up to 300 km/h.

Naming

The popular English name bullet train is a Western translation of the Japanese term dangan ressha (弾丸列車), which was the name given to the project while it was initially being developed in the 1940s. The modern name Shinkansen literally means "New Trunk Line" and hence strictly speaking refers only to the tracks, while the trains themselves are offically referred to as "Super Express" (超特急 chō-tokkyū). In practice, however, the distinction is rarely made even in Japan. When building the Shinkansen network, it was not often feasible to build the line to connect to an already existing station and therefore a new second station was built. Many Shinkansen stations (eg. Shin-Yokohama Station and Shin-Osaka Station) thus have the prefix shin- in their name, but this simply means "new" in Japanese and is not a direct reference to the Shinkansen.

History

Japan was the first country to build dedicated railway lines for high speed travel. Due to the largely mountainous nature of the country, the pre-existing network consisted of 3 ft 6 in gauge (1,067 mm) narrow gauge lines, which generally took indirect routes and could not be adapted to higher speeds. In consequence, Japan had a greater need for new high speed lines than countries where the existing standard gauge or broad gauge rail system had more upgrade potential. In contrast to the older lines, Shinkansen lines are standard gauge, and use tunnels and viaducts to go through and over obstacles, rather than around them. Construction of the first segment of the Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka started in 1959. The line opened on October 1, 1964, just in time for the Tokyo Olympics. The line was an immediate success, reaching the 100 million passenger mark in less than three years on July 13, 1967 and one billion passengers in 1976. The first Shinkansen trains ran at speeds of up to 200 km/h (125 mph), later increased to 220 km/h (135 mph). Some of these trains, with their classic bullet-nosed appearance, are still in use for stopping services between Hakata and Osaka. A driving car from one of the original trains is now in the British National Railway Museum in York. Many further models of train followed the first type, generally each with its own distinctive appearance. Shinkansen trains now run regularly at speeds of up to 300 km/h (185 mph), putting them among the fastest trains running in the world, along with the French TGV, Spanish AVE and German ICE trains. Originally intended to carry passenger and freight trains by day and night, the Shinkansen lines carry only passenger trains. The system shuts down between midnight and 06:00 every day to allow maintenance to take place. The few overnight trains that still run in Japan run on the old narrow gauge network which the Shinkansen parallels. Trains can be up to sixteen cars long. With each car measuring 25 m (82 ft) in length, the longest trains are 400 m (1/4 mile) from front to back. Stations are similarly long to accommodate these trains. In 2003, JR Central reported that the Shinkansen's average arrival time was within 0.1 minutes or 6 seconds of the scheduled time. This includes all natural and human accidents and errors and is calculated from all of about 160,000 trips Shinkansen made. The previous record was from 1997 and was 0.3 minutes or 18 seconds. Since 1970, development has been underway for the Chuo Shinkansen, a maglev train by the RTRI of JR Central Railways. It is planned to eventually run from Tokyo to Osaka. On December 2, 2003, the 3 car maglev trainset reached a world speed record of 581 km/h. The first derailment of a Shinkansen train in passenger service occurred during the Chuetsu Earthquake on October 23, 2004. Eight of ten cars of the Toki No. 325 train on the Joetsu Shinkansen derailed near Nagaoka Station in Nagaoka, Niigata. However, there were no injuries nor deaths among the 154 passengers. [http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/investor/ar/2005/pdf/ar2005_17.pdf]

Safety

There have been no passenger fatalities associated with operation of the Shinkansen. There have however been injuries and one fatality due to doors closing on passengers or their belongings, but attendants are on hand at each platform to ensure that these are resolved before operation begins. There have been suicides by passengers jumping both from and in front of moving trains. This has resulted in some stations installing barriers preventing passengers from accessing the tracks, although an incident on January 9, 1999 in Nagano station showed that even these would not stop determined suicides: a man climbed over a safety barrier to be hit by a nonstop service. There is an earthquake detection system that can bring the train to a stop very quickly if an earthquake is detected. During the Chuetsu earthquake in October 2004 a Shinkansen very close to the epicenter was derailed by the earthquake, but with no passenger injuries. The next generation of trains (FASTECH 360) will have ear-like air resistance braking flaps to assist with stopping in the event of an earthquake being detected.

Future

Due to noise pollution concerns, increasing speed is becoming more difficult. Current research is primarily aimed at reducing operational noise, particularly the "tunnel boom" phenomenon caused when trains enter tunnels at high speed. Despite this, there are two planned speed increases, one to 350 km/h for new trains on the Sanyo line, and one to 360 km/h using the FASTECH 360 trains currently in testing on the Tohoku Shinkansen. The Kyushu Shinkansen from Kagoshima to Yatsushiro opened in March 2004. Three more extensions are planned for opening by 2010: Hakata-Yatsushiro, Hachinohe-Aomori, and by 2014: Nagano-Kanazawa. There are also long-term plans to extend the network, Hokkaido Shinkansen from Aomori to Sapporo (through the Seikan Tunnel), Kyushu Shinkansen to Nagasaki, and as well as complete a link from Kanazawa back to Osaka, although none of these are likely to be completed by 2020. The Narita Shinkansen project to connect Tokyo to Narita International Airport, initiated in the 1970s but halted in 1983 after landowner protests, has been officially cancelled and removed from the Basic Plan governing Shinkansen construction. Parts of its planned right-of-way will be utilized by the Narita Rapid Railway link when it opens in 2010. Although the NRR will use standard gauge track, it will not be built to Shinkansen specifications and it would not be feasible to convert it into a full Shinkansen line.

List of Shinkansen lines

Operating lines

2010 The main Shinkansen lines are:
- Tokaido Shinkansen (Tokyo - Shin-Osaka)
- Sanyo Shinkansen (Shin-Osaka - Hakata)
- Tohoku Shinkansen (Tokyo - Hachinohe)
- Joetsu Shinkansen (Omiya - Niigata)
- Hokuriku Shinkansen or Nagano Shinkansen (Takasaki - Nagano)
- Kyushu Shinkansen (Shin-Yatsushiro - Kagoshima-Chuo) Two further lines, known as Mini-Shinkansen (ミニ新幹線), have also been constructed by upgrading existing sections of line:
- Yamagata Shinkansen (Fukushima - Shinjo)
- Akita Shinkansen (Morioka - Akita) There are two standard gauge not technically classified as Shinkansen lines but with Shinkansen services:
- Hakata Minami Line (Hakata - Hakata-Minami)
- Gala-Yuzawa Line - technically a branch of the Joetsu Line - (Echigo-Yuzawa - Gala-Yuzawa)

Lines Under Construction or Planned

Many Shinkansen lines were proposed during the boom of the early 1970s. However, the route actually started constructing among them was a little. Those are called Constructing plan section or New bullet train projects (整備新幹線 :Seibi Shinkansen).
- Tohoku Shinkansen (Morioka - Aomori)
- Morioka - Hachinohe section has been opened.
- Hachinohe - Shin-Aomori section is under construction and will open at 2010.
- Hokuriku Shinkansen (Tokyo - Osaka)
- Tokyo - Takasaki section is via Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen.
- Takasaki - Nagano section has been opened.
- Nagano - Kanazawa section is under construction and will open at 2014.
- Kanazawa - Osaka section is under development (Only Fukui Station is under construction).
- Kyushu Shinkansen Kagoshima Route (Fukuoka - Kagoshima)
- Hakata - Shin-Yatsushiro section is under construction and will open at 2010.
- Shin-Yatsushiro - Kagoshima-Chuo section has been opened.
- Kyushu Shinkansen Nagasaki Route (Fukuoka - Nagasaki)
- Hakata - Shin-Tosu section is via Kagoshima Route.
- Shin-Tosu - Nagasaki section is under development.
- Hokkaido Shinkansen (Aomori - Sapporo)
- Shin-Aomori - Shin-Hakodate section is under construction and will open at 2015 (Seikan Tunnel section has been opened by narrow gauge).
- Shin-Hakodate - Sapporo section is under development.
- Narita Shinkansen (Tokyo - Narita International Airport)
- It has been officially removed from planning.

Shinkansen Lines Outside Japan

Railways using Shinkansen technology are not limited to those in Japan.
- Taiwan High Speed Rail (under construction, in the Republic of China)
- Channel Tunnel Rail Link (Hitachi-built EMUs based on shinkansen technology will be exported for use on high-speed commuter services in Britain.)

List of Shinkansen train models

- Passenger Trains
- 0 Series
- 100 Series
- 200 Series
- 300 Series
- 400 Series (Mini-Shinkansen)
- 500 Series
- 700 Series
- 700T Series (Taiwan Shinkansen)
- N700 Series (on Test)
- 800 Series
- E1 Series (Max)
- E2 Series
- E3 Series (Mini-Shinkansen)
- E4 Series (Max)
- Experimental Trains
- 1000 Type
- 951 Type
- 961 Type
- 962 Type
- 500-900 Series (WIN 350)
- 952/953 Type (STAR 21)
- 955 Type (300X)
- E954 Type (FASTECH 360 S)
- E955 Type (FASTECH 360 Z)(Mini-Shinkansen)
- Maintenance Trains
- 911 Type Diesel Locomotive
- 912 Type Diesel Locomotive
- DD18 Type Diesel Locomotive
- DD19 Type Diesel Locomotive
- 944 Type (Rescue Train)
- 921 Type 0 Numbers (Track Checking Car)
- 922 Type (Doctor Yellow Set T1, T2, T3)
- 923 Type (Doctor Yellow Set T4, T5)
- 925 Type (Doctor Yellow Set S1, S2)
- E926 Type (East i)(Mini-Shinkansen)

List of types of Shinkansen services

- Tokaido Shinkansen and Sanyo Shinkansen
- :Nozomi
- :Hikari
- :Hikari Rail Star (in Sanyo area only)
- :Kodama
- Tohoku Shinkansen, Yamagata Shinkansen and Akita Shinkansen
- :Hayate
- :Yamabiko, Max Yamabiko
- :Nasuno, Max Nasuno
- :Aoba (discontinued)
- :Komachi (Akita Shinkansen)
- :Tsubasa (Yamagata Shinkansen)
- Joetsu Shinkansen
- :Toki, Max Toki
- :Tanigawa, Max Tanigawa
- :Asahi (discontinued), Max Asahi (discontinued)
- Hokuriku Shinkansen (Nagano Shinkansen)
- :Asama, Max Asama
- Kyushu Shinkansen
- :Tsubame

External links

- [http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/discussionpapers/Hood.html Biting the Bullet: What we can learn from the Shinkansen], discussion paper by Christopher Hood in the [http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk electronic journal of contemporary japanese studies], 23 May 2001
- [http://www.h2.dion.ne.jp/~dajf/byunbyun/ Byun Byun Shinkansen, a comprehensive guide] by D.A.J. Fossett
- [http://www.nrm.org.uk/html/exhiblets/shinkansen/history.asp The Shinkansen Story]
- [http://www.asahi.com/english/nation/TKY200410150138.html East meets West], a story of how the Shinkansen brought Tokyo and Osaka closer together. Category:Shinkansen Category:Rail transport Category:Japanese terms ko:신칸센 ms:Shinkansen ja:新幹線 simple:Shinkansen

TGV

:This article is about the French high-speed railway system. For the group of heart conditions referred to a