international passenger news

[krtraveler]

Another year with two more operators achieving the impossible.

[Anonymous]

krtraveler

Another year with two more operators achieving the impossible.

Looks good but the circumstances are very different compared to the USA.

Deutsche Bahn (DB) is a stock corporation completely owned by the German government. The stock is not traded yet though it was planned for a long time.

The German constitution (Grundgesetz §87e) rules that the government has to secure rail transport.

Public transit and regional rail traffic is paid for by the states. The government pays annual subsidies for rail infrastructure, $5.4 billion in 2015.

As the infrastructure is government owned we have open access used by more than 150 operators.
Regards, Volker

 

[blue streak 1]

China is still leading in HSR with over 50% of world's total.  China's definition is 200 Km/Hr or higher (125 MPH).  Presently 26859 Km in service end of May ( 16786 miles ).  Expects 38,000 Km by  2022  (23750 miles ) .  Here is some other stats.  Comments ?

https://www.railjournal.com/index.php/high-speed/ten-years-27000km-china-celebrates-a-decade-of-high-speed.html?channel=000  

[charlie hebdo]

DB first half 2018 punctuality and Ebit are down.  http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/financial/db-records-steep-drop-in-first-half-profit.html

[Anonymous]

charlie hebdo

DB first half 2018 punctuality and Ebit are down.  http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/financial/db-records-steep-drop-in-first-half-profit.html

 

Some additional information. The on-time performance given in the linked article is for long distance trains only. The punctuality measure is as follows: if the train is less than 6 minutes late it is called on-time. For less than 16 minutes it is about 90%.

I have looked for Amtrak's measures without success. Perhaps someone can help.
Regards, Volker

Edit: After a recurring search I found Amtrak's on-time definitions.

- <250 miles:  max. 10 min. after scheduled arrival
- 251-350 mi:  max. 15 min.
- 351-450 mi:  max. 20 min.
- 451-550 mi:  max. 25 min.
- >550 miles:   max. 30 min

[blue streak 1]

South Korea has a station just waiting for trains that never come.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/south-korea-longs-for-a-train-to-europe--but-us-sanctions-on-north-korea-block-the-way/2018/08/03/1760ef76-9007-11e8-9b0d-749fb254bc3d_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.aeb7d00a69a1  

[blue streak 1]

Dutch rail reaching capacity

https://www.railjournal.com/index.php/main-line/prorail-warns-of-capacity-crunch-on-dutch-network.html?channel=000

 

[blue streak 1]

China set to open another 343 kM  ( ~ 215 miles ) HSR line 200kM / hr (125 MPH )  This is getting to be a recurring annoying occurrence compared to the USA !

https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/main-line/china-completes-new-harbin-jiamusi-line

 

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

blue streak 1

China set to open another 343 kM  ( ~ 215 miles ) HSR line 200kM / hr (125 MPH )  This is getting to be a recurring annoying occurrence compared to the USA !

https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/main-line/china-completes-new-harbin-jiamusi-line

I suppose that it's one of the advantages of living in an authoritarian state.

[Anonymous]

CSSHEGEWISCH

 

 

blue streak 1

China set to open another 343 kM  ( ~ 215 miles ) HSR line 200kM / hr (125 MPH )  This is getting to be a recurring annoying occurrence compared to the USA !

https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/main-line/china-completes-new-harbin-jiamusi-line

 

 

 

I suppose that it's one of the advantages of living in an authoritarian state.

 

You don't need to live in an authoritarian state to have high-speed rail as 13 EU member countries as well as Norway and Switzerland in Europe show. In Asia you have Turkey (since a few years on the way to an authoritarian state), Japan, South Korea, Taiwan. Even India and Thailand are currently building a high-speed line.

So please don't use not being an authoritarian state as an excuse why the USA doesn't have high-speed rail.
Regards, Volker

[PJS1]

VOLKER LANDWEHR

  So please don't use not being an authoritarian state as an excuse why the USA doesn't have high-speed rail.  

The United States does not have high speed rail, at least as it is defined in Japan, China, etc., because the public has not clamored for it.  Most people are happy with personal vehicles for relatively short and intermediate trips and airplanes for the long haul. 

Money is the other reason.  At the end of June 2018 U.S. government debt - national, state, and local - was $24.5 trillion, and it is expected to grow by another trillion this year. 

Personal and corporate debt add to the burden.  Personal debt was $16.7 trillion at the end of June, and corporate debt, while not falling directly on individuals, was more than $8 trillion. 

The U.S. is awash in debt as shown by the gross amounts and as a percentage of GDP.  Federal public debt was 81 percent of GDP at the end of June, the highest it has been since WWII.  

State and federal governments are not likely to come forth with the monies to build high speed railways in the U.S.  So, that leaves the private sector or other governments to fund any high speed rail in the U.S., e.g. Texas Central Railway. 

[Anonymous]

I know/understand the reasons. CSSHEGEWISCH's sounded to me like an excuse not to have high-speed rail like China.
Regards, Volker

[PJS1]

blue streak 1

  China set to open another 343 kM  ( ~ 215 miles ) HSR line 200kM / hr (125 MPH )  This is getting to be a recurring annoying occurrence compared to the USA!  

According to the Financial Times, the development of China’s HSR was prompted by the 2008-09 financial crisis.  It was a dramatic example of the Chinese Communist party’s debt-fueled response to the global financial crisis.  But the HSR lines have also saddled China Railway Corp with huge amounts of debt, which seems to be overlooked by HSR enthusiasts in the U.S.

 

China Railway’s total debts are approximately $750 billion.  As much as 80 per cent of the debt burden is related to HSR construction.  This is within the context of China’s total government debt, which rose from 100 percent of GDP in 2006 to 190 percent in 2016.  China’s national debt problem is worse than that of the U.S.  

 

According to government officials, the Chinese HSR network may be a debt crisis waiting to happen.  It is dependent on unsustainable government subsidies, with many lines incapable of repaying the interest on their debt, let alone principal. The company’s interest payments on its debt have exceeded its operating profit since 2015. 

 

Proponents of Chinese HSR believe it will be able in time to cover its operating expenses and service the debt.  The goal is not to have every line breakeven, but to have those that can do so carry the ones that probably never will have an operating profit.  But it could be well beyond 2040 before this outcome is realized.

[blue streak 1]

Norway continues its slow but sure reductions of several lines with another reduction out of Oslo of 27 minutes by December.  See related news at end of link !

https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/infrastructure/single-view/view/vestfoldbanen-double-tracking-inaugurated.html

 

[blue streak 1]

PRASA rail of south Africa is on brink of being shut down by government regulators.  This is a commuter operation in low income areas.

https://www.railwaygazette.com/analysis/single-news/view/prasa-on-the-brink-as-court-defers-safety-shutdown.html 

[daveklepper]

The Haifa Carmelite is back in business, the underground funicular with six symmetrically-spaced subway stations, two trains, and one passing track between the third and fourth stations.   Brand new equipmenet.  Reopened a week ago.

[blue streak 1]

China approves another HSR passenger line .

https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/high-speed/china-approves-shanghai-huzhou-high-speed-line/ 

[BaltACD]

Indian railroading

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/india-train-crash-today-dozens-killed-crowd-religious-festival-amritsar-2018-10-19/

[BaltACD]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45932991

[blue streak 1]

KIWI rail ( New Zeland ) has decided to retain their electric freight locos.  Although not passenger it may indicate future passenger electric service /  As well KIWI studying expansion of electrification.  Main problem we see with them is it is a narrow guage operation limiting size of freight and passenger cars.

[blue streak 1]

Interesting use of a RR track paving for a temporary road detour !

https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/news/uk/single-view/view/signalling-changes-reduce-delays-where-road-traffic-uses-rail-alignment.html

 

[MidlandMike]

blue streak 1

KIWI rail ( New Zeland ) has decided to retain their electric freight locos.  Although not passenger it may indicate future passenger electric service /  As well KIWI studying expansion of electrification.  Main problem we see with them is it is a narrow guage operation limiting size of freight and passenger cars.

 

They could expand electric at the north end to close the gap near Auckland.  However, at the south end, the Wellngton commuter rail is DC (3kV ?), and the mainline electrification is 25kV AC.

[Overmod]

MidlandMike

They could expand electric at the north end to close the gap near Auckland. However, at the south end, the Wellngton commuter rail is DC (3kV ?), and the mainline electrification is 25kV AC.

Do I need to say anything more suggestive than "Thalys"?

Admittedly there's a bit more concerned with providing multipower compatibility for freight service than for subsidized passenger, but in this age where both 25kV and 3kV DC would both go through a common lower-voltage DC link as part of AC synthesized drive, I don't see much difficulty for new construction or even reasonable rebuilding.

[blue streak 1]

1st south Korean train to go into north formany years is on an 18 day inspection trip for future service north and south.Train is carrying its own fuel for whole trip. Guess north doesn't want to use its large reserves ?  All South officials will stay on train and not get off ? 

Must expect to have very reliable equipment for the trip ? Isn'tthe guage standard ?  What air brake and couplers does the south use ?

https://www.railjournal.com/regions/asia/south-korean-train-set-to-begin-18-day-inspection-of-the-north/

 

[BaltACD]

blue streak 1

1st south Korean train to go into north formany years is on an 18 day inspection trip for future service north and south.Train is carrying its own fuel for whole trip. Guess north doesn't want to use its large reserves ?  All South officials will stay on train and not get off ? 

Must expect to have very reliable equipment for the trip ? Isn'tthe guage standard ?  What air brake and couplers does the south use ?

https://www.railjournal.com/regions/asia/south-korean-train-set-to-begin-18-day-inspection-of-the-north/ 

I suspect the South may not trust any fuel the that the North may provide.

[Deggesty]

I am reminded of a picture in Life magazine at the time of the definite rupture in Korean relations--a soldier is standing at the border between North and South; he standing by a railroad track that has a tree branch laid at the border. 

Unless the northerners relaid the tracks to a different gauge, it seems to me that the same gauge still prevails in the North.

[blue streak 1]

The UK  Network Rail (NR) is being pushed to make sure the next schedue change will work..   We  have to wonder if the rail system is near or at operatiomal capacity not what theory says can be run ?   It may be that NR needs to bite the bullet to lenghten platforms on heavier routes to allow for longer trains ?  Of course longer trains means just a fewer trains on capacity restricted routes !

https://www.railjournal.com/policy/orr-sets-out-recommendations-to-avoid-repeat-of-timetable-chaos/ 

It would be nice if the NEC had that situation .

[BaltACD]

Head on collision and derailment in Turkey - 9 dead

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/12/12/turkey-train-crash-dead-injured-capital-ankara/2298010002/

[blue streak 1]

China keeps ordering more HSR train sets.  Note the dates of last order from Bombardier and final delivery.

https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/high-speed/china-railway-orders-more-cr400af-high-speed-trains/ 

[blue streak 1]

China opens 5 new HSR routes in two days.

https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/high-speed/single-view/view/five-new-lines-open-in-two-days.html