This blog recently relayed information about an alliance to span all of Western Europe with a high-speed train network, and previously conveyed information about a rail network that could connect the Americas with Asia and Europe. Development is occurring in the Americas, albeit not at the pace set by high-speed rail in Europe.
Tel Aviv Treehugger Jesse Fox reports that a consortium, led by French company Alstom, has agreed to connect the major cities in Argentina by high-speed rail.
“High-speed rail is generally defined as passenger rail running at speeds in excess of 125 mph (200 km/h).”
Asian and European high-speed rail networks are currently the world’s most advanced. However, Russia, Morocco and Saudi Arabia are planning to build their own high-speed networks in the near future.
The $1.35 billion contract calls for a 440 mile (710 km) high-speed rail corridor to connect Buenos Aires with Rosario and Cordoba. A second line will connect Buenos Aires with Mar del Plata in the future. The train will cut down travel time between Buenos Aires and Cordoba from fourteen hours today to a mere three hours a couple years from now.
The is quite a step in Latin America, where rail service has been systematically mismanaged, neglected and dismantled in recent years, and bus service has become the standard for long distance journeys. Not to be outdone by its neighbor, Brazil is planning its own intercity passenger rail service, with a high-speed connection proposed between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
David Briginshaw, Editor-In-Chief, of International Railway Journal, reports that a study has been commissioned to explore the possibility of high-speed rail for the Windsor-Toronto-Montreal-Quebec corridor in Canada. Wikipedia informs that the Quebec-Windsor Corridor is the most densely-populated and heavily-industrialised region of Canada. With over 16 million people, it contains over half of Canada’s population, the national capital and three of the four largest metropolitan areas in Canada (Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa–Gatineau).
Fox mentions that “high-speed rail networks are being planning in Canada and in California. The closest thing in North America to high-speed passenger rail is Amtrak’s Acela, which runs at speeds of between 75 mph (120 km/h) and 150 mph (241 km/h).”
“Some advocates of high-speed rail travel,” notes Fox, “are calling for the US to build a nationwide network as part of its response to dwindling resources and the environmental crisis. Treehugger commentator Chuck agrees, “The US has to seriously look into a national high-speed rail system. The airports are becoming more congested every year. Shifting domestic air passengers to rail would greatly alleviate the congestion.”
While the aforementioned, global rail proposal requires United States participation for the critical connection between Siberia and Alaska, the main West Coast route, plus the first main route East, would require active participation by Canadian railway interests.
One Comment
Writing for The Gazette, Henry Aubin, describes the possibility of high-speed rail for the Windsor-Toronto-Montreal-Quebec corridor. “Fast intercity trains are the dream of Yung Ho Chang, head of MIT’s department of architecture,” writes Aubin. Chang is an advocate of high-speed, electric rail because moving people by train can be far less carbon intensive than by plane or car.
But, while Quebec, Ontario and the feds once again have “put on the the table” the concept of a high-speed train between Quebec City and Windsor, Ont. Quebec yet “plans to spend a startling $5.2 billion on new highways between now and 2012 – as distinct from fixing existing ones,” reports Aubin.
Steering this money toward high-speed rail might pay for Quebec’s share of the train. Yet, if “the past is any guide, the idea will go nowhere because of cost.”
One Trackback
[...] is generally defined as passenger rail running at speeds in excess of 125 mph (200 km/h).” As previously noted, Asian and European high-speed rail networks are currently the world’s most advanced. However, [...]