Credit : 【简办动态演示的个人空间-哔哩哔哩】 https://b23.tv/EGVpsdA

I’ve been working on a fictional design for a UK high-speed rail network. It uses a 250 mph system and clockface scheduling. Everything is fully integrated into a single national timetable system.

The system is built around a single national high-speed network:

• Dedicated 250 mph (400 km/h) electrified railway
• Standard steel-wheel high-speed trains
• All services through-run (no terminating long-distance services in London)

London acts as a through-flow hub, not a terminal like most national rail in England.

Some information about the design:

• 250 m fixed 12-car trainsets
• ~750–850 seated capacity (2+2 layout)
• Up to ~1,100 including standing overflow
• 25 kV AC electrification
• Moving-block signalling
• Tilt capability
• Full amenities (Wi-Fi, power at seats, café car, bike storage)

I also wanted to add that on the map, the numbers between each station represent the maximum permitted operating speed (mph) on that section. I also want to expand it further north into Scotland (Dundee and Aberdeen) but this will done in the future.

I am currently in the process of creating train designs and am particularly inspired by the design of the Shinkansen bullet train in Japan.

Creating train systems is a very niche hobby of mine and thought it may interest some people here on this subreddit. 😊

Let me know your thoughts!

Happy 250th birthday to America! Here’s my idea of what a 110-220 mph electrified high speed rail network could look like by America’s 300th birthday.

Different speeds make sense for different routes. Some routes like Washingon-New York arguably make sense for 220 mph high speed rail, while others make more sense for 110 mph rail. 

Also some routes could be extended using conventional rail such as the route Atlanta and Chattanooga being extended to Knoxville or the route between Seattle and Portland being extended to Eugene. In addition new Amtrak routes, including new Amtrak long distance routes could be added as well.

Pic 1 - 3 : CR400AF

Pic 4 - 6 : CR400BF

Pic 7 - 9 : CR400AF Intelligent

Pic 10 - 12 : CR400BF Intelligent

Pic 13 - 15 : CR300AF

Pic 16 - 18 : CR300BF

Renfe Class 114 (pendolino)

Can one of you splash me in the face with hope because at almost 20 years of following the CAHSR project, I just feel defeated. I feel like the U.S. just can't build rail projects anymore. I watched a video of progress of Indias new HSR last night, and I'm hurt by how fast they've made progress.... PLEASE tell me that there is still some sliver of hope here in america to persevere through the NIMBY's and high costs (which I think is purposely be done imo)....

Looking at Alto, Canada's plans to build high-speed rail between Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City, I wonder what connections could exist between that line and the US rail network. Here are 3 possibilities, ranked by ease of connection and feasibility.

Montreal - Burlington/Plattsburgh:

• The closest and easiest connection would be via Montreal to Burlington, VT, and/or to Plattsburgh, NY. This route would likely be best via the existing CN routing, heading south from Montreal, with a possible stop in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. From there, you have two options for the first stop - Burlington, VT, or Plattsburgh, NY.
• Direct to Burlington would require some new tracks, especially if the routing were on the eastern side of Lake Champlain. If I had my way, this alignment would be routed via Rouses Point, NY, to serve both destinations with a wye and a new rail bridge over Lake Champlain to connect to Burlington via the New England Central Railroad and St. Albans, VT. The alignment south of Rouses Point, NY, would follow the existing Canadian National Railway to Plattsburgh, NY.
• One big advantage of either routing is that it sets up a future Montreal-to-NYC high-speed rail line very well, a key corridor for future HSR in the US. This distance is about 300 to 350 miles, the sweet spot for HSR. At an average of 150mph, that gets you from Montreal to NYC in just 2 hours or so.
• Following the existing right-of-way would mean about 45 miles from Gare Centrale to Rouses Point, or 65 miles to Plattsburgh, NY. For Burlington, a direct route from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu would be about 85 miles from Gare Central, or ~88 miles via Rouses Point and a new bridge.
• Estimated cost range: $4.5B to $17.6B, with the high end based on CAHSR's $200M/mile costs to reach just one city.

Toronto - Buffalo:

• The next closest and easiest would be Toronto to Buffalo, NY. This is a much longer connection, at about 110 miles. Stops would include Mississauga, Hamilton, Niagara Falls, and Buffalo. From there, you can connect to Albany, NY, and on to Boston or NYC.
• One reason I rate this much lower is not just the length - Toronto to Buffalo to Albany to NYC (~500 miles) is a much longer connection than Montreal to NYC. At 150mph, the average travel time would be at least 3 hours and 20 minutes.
• Just to reach Buffalo would take you about an hour at an average speed of 150 mph.
• Estimated cost range: $5.5B to $22B.

Toronto - Detroit:

• The most difficult and lengthy connection would be via Detroit, MI. This is 220 miles from Toronto to Detroit, with stops at Mississauga, Hamilton or Kitchener, and London.
• While this connection is the longest and most expensive, it's also likely the most feasible. Once Alto is built out, we'd see appetite for expansion westward to Mississauga, Hamilton and Kitchener, and finally London. From London to Detroit is much more manageable, at just 110 miles instead of 220. If the southern routing via Hamilton is selected, the costs could be shared between the Buffalo & Detroit line, as trains would divert east at Hamilton for Buffalo, or continue southwest for Detroit.
• Full route cost estimate: $12B to $44B
• Shorter route cost estimate: $5.5B to $22B.

My Take:

• In the long term, we're most likely to see Alto expand westward to Mississauga, if not Hamilton and Kitchener. We will also likely see a regional route head south of Montreal to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, which sets up a regional route to Plattsburgh, NY, or Burlington, VT very well. I suspect even with a new administration friendly to high-speed rail, we won't see Canada play ball until they are confident that the US is back on track.
• Specific to the US side, I think there needs to be a long, hard look at upgrading NYC-Albany at a minimum to HSR standards. Upgrading this line to HSR standards unlocks high-speed rail lines in three different directions: east to Boston; north to Plattsburgh/Burlington; and west to Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo. From Albany, the math becomes much easier to connect to Montreal, Toronto, and Boston. Boston is about 175 miles east of Albany via Springfield and Worcester; Montreal is a bit over 200 miles, and Buffalo is 275 miles. NYC and the rest of the Northeast corridor are significant enough in population and economic terms that this is an important trunk route to connect to Canada.

TL;DR: Canada should expand their Alto HSR network and regional networks south of Montreal and west/southwest of Toronto in later phases, but this would be mega-expensive, and probably shouldn't be prioritized if the US won't build its part of the Northeast Corridor.

Photo - quick and dirty map of different alignments. Red represents necessary connections to the US rail network, and purple represents future HSR alignments in the US.

Alto links:

• https://www.altotrain.ca/en/about-alto/network-map
• https://www.altotrain.ca/en
• https://www.reddit.com/r/AltoHSR_Canada/

Ladies and gentlemen,

Etihad Rail launched its inaugural journey today from Fujairah Station (Sakamkam City) to Abu Dhabi Station (Mohammed Bin Zayed City). The railway project began amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and the train service commenced during the Iranian aggression in the Arabian Gulf!

This is the United Arab Emirates, moving forward with confident strides and wise leadership, achieving one milestone after another.