Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
 [quote user="Overmod"]The art -- as Joe was saying before everyone piled on him -- is in rebuilding them with proper interiors, nice leather (or even pleather) seating, plenty of power points of different types, fast WiFi connecting to fast Internet ... decent food, decent snacks, etc. No one will mistake them for commuter coaches then.[/quote] For me the question is, does it makes sense to rebuild outdated passenger cars that are at least 35 years old? Are these cars sound enough for another, how much, 20 years? After the Amtrak #91 accident in Cayce SC with a broken Amfleet II lounge car I have my doubts. [quote user="Overmod"] ... you might be better off rebuilding existing equipment qualified to run at what several people here already acknowledge as perfectly adequate top speed for a future Corridor, with a fraction of that money, to achieve things that I suspect a great majority of Corridor riders would appreciate more than shiny new Zefiros.[/quote] You are in market with airlines, buses and individual cars. On Acela Express (AE) business travel and commuting account for 61% of the travellers, on Northeast Reginals (NR) this are 32%. That reflects that the AE is about 30 minutes faster on the relations New York to Boston and New York to Washington DC. Make the AE slower and you are in danger to loose business travellers to the airlines. HSR is not only about the fasted possible speed but also about travel times short enough to compete with airlines. If Amtrak needs an Alstom Avelia Liberty with a top speed of 186 mph and a 7° tilt upgradable to 220 mph without tilt can be questioned. As far I have found Amtrak asked for 160 mph and possible  modification to 186/ 220 mph when needed. Perhaps Amtrak got the 186 mph as by-product when buying an standard design. At least it promises high acceleration. As the FRA raised the lateral acceleration for passengers from 0.1g to 0.15g and Avelia Liberty's tilt of 7° compared to Acela's 4° the Avelia Liberty can be faster on the same ROW if the track structure can withstand the higher forces. The Avelia Liberty is an articulated train with two cars sharing on truck. It is said to run more comfortably and to be safer in derailments. An Eurostar derailed at about 186 mph without jackkniving and with only few lightly injured passengers, no fatalities. Other HS-trains like ICE-3 proof that the articulation is not a necessity. Regards, Volker
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag