Brightline West (XpressWest, DesertXpress) Las Vegas - Victorville - Rancho Cucamanga - LA Proposal

bigK wrote:I just followed the link you provided - perhaps you are perpitrating aan April's Fools joke but the site clearly says fully electric - the trains apear to be the Siemens Velaro 5th gen? HSR trainsets

and in regards to those Bombardier 125 MPH diesel trains - they are self propeled diesel coaches IE: they are DeMUs (Virgin Rail UK) - the FLEX TRAX bogies they use are availabe as a seperate unit for those that want to build their own high speed DeMU like... US Rail Car in Columbus Ohio - Mike Pracht pres. has anounced plans to build such a rail vehicle here in the US complient to FULL FRA regulations - look out Europe American passenger railroading is back!

... now if those bogies can built with a 3rd rail contact shoe and xfer circuitry they could be used by Amtrak and MTA Metro North here on the Hudson line - US Rail Car can build some realy nice rail vehicles - they could build a cafe car like on the metro liners and guess what? we would have a viable (the only) replacement for the TurboLiners and they would use a LOT less fuel at the SAME speed - FYI: I think the Hudson line between here in Poughkeepsie and Rensaelear is only rated for 110 MPH max

The latest pictures on the DesertExpress website show the Bombardier Zefiro high speed EMU. The Meridian diesel units (also a Bombardier train) were in the original plan but have been dropped from the latest website.

Chafford1 wrote:The latest pictures on the DesertExpress website show the Bombardier Zefiro high speed EMU. The Meridian diesel units (also a Bombardier train) were in the original plan but have been dropped from the latest website.

Which Zefiro design, the 250, 300, or 380?
The Zefiro 300 and 380 trainsets have aluminum bodies.
Zeifro 250
The CRH1 EMU is a Chinese high-speed train based on Bombardier Zeifro 250 design, which was based on the Regina design. It has a stainless steel carbody in wide profile which makes it good choice for America operations. It uses a Regina type ("FLEXX link") boogies that's been used in Sweden for almost a decade, so it's a proven design.

Multiple unit operations >Possible for two 8-car trainsets, not possible for a single 16-car trainset.

China has ordered the CRH1 in three different arrangements:
CRH1A: 80 trainsets, 8 cars each > 2 1stClass, 5 2ndClass, 1 2ndClass-Dining
Operating between Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
CRH1B: 20 trainsets, 16 cars each > 3 1stClass, 12 2ndClass, 1 Dining
Operating between Shanghai and Nanjing & Shanghai and Hangzhou.
CRH1E: 20 trainsets, 16 cars each > 1 LuxurySleeper, 12 SoftSleeper, 2 2ndClass, 1 Dining
Operating between Beijing and Shanghai.

electricron wrote:

Chafford1 wrote:The latest pictures on the DesertExpress website show the Bombardier Zefiro high speed EMU. The Meridian diesel units (also a Bombardier train) were in the original plan but have been dropped from the latest website.

Which Zefiro design, the 250, 300, or 380?

Difficult to tell from the pictures on the Desertxpress website - however they'll only need the 250 kmh (155mph) version.

Chafford1 wrote:

electricron wrote:

Chafford1 wrote:The latest pictures on the DesertExpress website show the Bombardier Zefiro high speed EMU. The Meridian diesel units (also a Bombardier train) were in the original plan but have been dropped from the latest website.

Which Zefiro design, the 250, 300, or 380?

Difficult to tell from the pictures on the Desertxpress website - however they'll only need the 250 kmh (155mph) version.

The majority of the pics are of the 250 version.....holds resemblance to the CRH1E's in China. there are several of the 380 version and one of the Siemens Velaro....

DutchRailnut wrote:So after 3 years, how much closer is DesertXpress ???

I'd say it's the closest true high speed rail line to begin construction.

California High Speed Rail Blog » DesertXpress Clears Environmental Review

Developers cleared to start DesertXpress engineering - Tuesday, July 12, 2011 | 7:43 p.m. - VEGAS INC

The U.S. Transportation Department has given the green light to developers of DesertXpress to begin preliminary engineering for the $6 billion, 186-mile high-speed rail project that would link Las Vegas with Victorville, Calif.

The approval, known as a record of decision, is the final step in the arduous process of preparing an environmental impact statement on the controversial project.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office issued a news release Tuesday announcing the record of decision.

This “announcement is about one thing: creating good-paying jobs right here in Nevada,” the Nevada Democrat said in the release. “This major step forward for the privately sponsored DesertXpress project will create more than 32,000 jobs in Southern Nevada and boost our economy by providing another way for tourists to visit and enjoy this great state.”

The full text of the Federal Railroad Administration's ROD is at this page.

Reid Announces Another Major Step Forward For DesertXpress Project

California High Speed Rail Blog » Southern California Association of Governments Abandons Maglev
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Maglev gone, but high-speed rail remains | Breaking News | PE.com - Press-Enterprise

But the idea of a magnetic levitation train didn’t stick around for long in regional transportation plans developed by the Southern California Association of Governments. Local planners instead are concentrating on connections within Southern California, so that when — and if — bullet trains ever come, conventional trains have a steady and direct route to get to them.

So 11 years after maglev made its debut in the regional transportation plan for Southern California, the agency overseeing the road and transit plan has deleted most of the Anaheim-to-Vegas route once proposed, saying maglev is not moving forward and is falling behind a competing project. As a result, the 2012 transportation plan under consideration by the Southern California Association of Governments does not include the $12.1 billion California-Nevada Super-Speed Train.

Without being in the plan, even as a concept, the project cannot receive federal funds to even study maglev as a possibility between the two states. A small portion of the route — a demonstration project between Anaheim and Ontario, will remain in the plan so officials can study its merit. But even that proposal, estimated to cost nearly $2.8 billion, faces significant hurdles.

The plan's home page > the plan (PDF)

I find this development welcome. This means that politicians at the California end of the line can more easily get behind DesertXPress.

When is the decision on the $4.9 Billion Federal Loan due?

morris&essex4ever wrote:

DutchRailnut wrote:So after 3 years, how much closer is DesertXpress ???

I'd say it's the closest true high speed rail line to begin construction.

So 150 mph is "true high speed"? That means that the Acela Express already beat 'em to it.

I think he means 150 mph for more than 5 minutes .

amtrakowitz wrote:

morris&essex4ever wrote:

DutchRailnut wrote:So after 3 years, how much closer is DesertXpress ???

I'd say it's the closest true high speed rail line to begin construction.

So 150 mph is "true high speed"? That means that the Acela Express already beat 'em to it.

True high speed as in sustaining that speed for a lot longer than the Acela can do 150 mph.

IOW, a term whose definition you wish to be fluid. You can't demand 186 mph or better from a railroad that is not to be part of the general railway network? Even tilt trains on general railway networks in other countries sustain triple-digit average speeds (in terms of MPH) for long periods of time, but nobody here would term them "true high speed", would they. It could be very likely that were all the FRA-demanded upgrades performed on the Northeast Corridor, you could have the Acela Express achieve triple-digit average speeds for most of its journey, or at least an overall triple-digit average speed between NYP and WAS and NYP and BOS, and if it did, would it then move into the realm of "true high speed" without having to have a separate rail infrastructure built for it?

amtrakowitz wrote:IOW, a term whose definition you wish to be fluid. You can't demand 186 mph or better from a railroad that is not to be part of the general railway network? Even tilt trains on general railway networks in other countries sustain triple-digit average speeds (in terms of MPH) for long periods of time, but nobody here would term them "true high speed", would they. It could be very likely that were all the FRA-demanded upgrades performed on the Northeast Corridor, you could have the Acela Express achieve triple-digit average speeds for most of its journey, or at least an overall triple-digit average speed between NYP and WAS and NYP and BOS, and if it did, would it then move into the realm of "true high speed" without having to have a separate rail infrastructure built for it?

There is no universal given definition for "true" high speed rail so in that sense it is fluid (or at least relative). "True" in this sense is more of a qualitative rather than a quantitative term. However, it is generally accepted is that true high speed rail consists of high sustained speeds over long distances. The average speed would preferably in the range of 110mph or faster. While some might say otherwise, I do not think new dedicated infrastructure is a necessary criteria for being true high speed rail. Germany took the approach of just upgrading a lot of lines for ICE service. If the sustained speed is fast enough, I don't think anyone could deny that's true high speed rail. That goes for the Acela too.

Germany took the approach of just upgrading a lot of lines for ICE service

WADR, that's not accurate. Germany's ICE service per se consists of the NBS (Neubaustrecke) corridors, which are new build and upon which the ICE 1 trains operated originally at a top speed of 175 mph. ICE-T is the tilt-train service, which mostly runs between Germany and Hamburg and not upon any NBS.

As far as "true high speed" that operates away from traditional corridors and on purpose-built corridors, the lowest average speed is usually 145 mph. You're not going to get that if your top speed is 150 mph, even with no intermediate stops.

amtrakowitz wrote:IOW, a term whose definition you wish to be fluid. You can't demand 186 mph or better from a railroad that is not to be part of the general railway network? Even tilt trains on general railway networks in other countries sustain triple-digit average speeds (in terms of MPH) for long periods of time, but nobody here would term them "true high speed", would they. It could be very likely that were all the FRA-demanded upgrades performed on the Northeast Corridor, you could have the Acela Express achieve triple-digit average speeds for most of its journey, or at least an overall triple-digit average speed between NYP and WAS and NYP and BOS, and if it did, would it then move into the realm of "true high speed" without having to have a separate rail infrastructure built for it?

Obviously, there's no one way to define "true high speed rail." I was distinguishing true high speed rail vs higher speed rail which is what's being done on the Chicago-St Louis corridor and is being touted by politicians as "high speed rail." It depends what those triple digit speeds are. If it's 105 mph, then it's a big improvement over what it is now, but not true high speed. If the Acela averaged 135+, then I would consider it actual high speed rail. But we all know that the Acela will not be averaging triple digits any time soon.