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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by up829 Could linear induction motors built into advanced rail systems be used to assist HSR trains up to speed out of stations? Or is the horsepower required for top speed already capable of acceleration beyond what passengers can comfortably tolerate? [/quote] It isnt the acceleration. Accelerations are pretty tame however I have ridden the London Underground and they use down grades to assist trains in getting up to speed and upgrades to slow down. (As well as flood control) and those speeds are pretty frisky. If passengers can tolerate a 757 -500 leaving town at 140 mph from 0 down a runway they should be able to tolerate similar rates on a train. I have experienced acceleration that makes you lose your breath and hardly see. For the limits of Human Acceleration look at Top Fuel racing at over 320+ down a 1/4 mile. It is harder to move a human body much faster in the same time/distance without risking damage. And these are strapping strong drivers willing.. no.. lustful for the thrill of that power. We have to accomodate all ages and medical conditions on trains so they cannot be thrown down the track ASAP by a lead footed hogger. (I am sorry for horribale choice of words but cannot think of rail terms) dont worry, they will be rolling along fast enough. Once you are moving, then you gotta keep moving. That is why Europe and Japan has elevated trackage so that they dont have to play with cars, idiot kids and other stuff that interferes with safety and high speed. Schedules once set they are very... dictating and unforgiving. I recall one Steel Hauling contract explained to me that was worth approx 9 million dollars gross revenue annualy. The terms of the contract included a SPECIFIC departure and arrival time from shipper to receiver in the window of 10 hours exactly. The first load ran out of hours while still 2 hours from customer. Investagation revealed the contract route was driven with a passenger car with 4 wheels in 10 hours while it normally took 12 for a trucker to cover it legally in a 20 hour period with a 8 hour break. Assuming one load per truck per day (24 hours)... Hardly enough to feed factories making washing machines. You load several trucks per shift of 8 hours a day and expect them to arrive a day later round the clock. You need many trucks to do this work. That leaves 4 hours to deal with any interruptions. That is pretty tight. One unscheduled inspection at a weight station can cost an hour alone. You will need many trains to keep a decent level of service to the people. Twice a week service from Little Rock to wherever does not cut it. We want high speed availible hourly on the hour or close to it. Recent HSR crash of a Japanese Train into a Apartment building revealed that the boy engineer was probably upset that he was behind schedule and also have "Blown" or "Overshot" a stations stop. Japan prides itself on punctual trains that are almost timed to the second. It makes America look like a nation of tardy sleepy heads content to be leaving sometime in the morning. Perhaps Japan's schedules are TOO tight, they need to loosen up just a tad bit. We must be careful not to fall into the same trap.
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