Iraq HSR project tapped for french

as thanks not a single $$ for US companies i betya..
http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news ... -3263.html

Thanks for what ???

David Benton wrote:Thanks for what ???

Who would go to the US for a modern rail system? The french have the expertise and many sales to other countries. The French also sold modern carriages to the Saudis.

Iraq needs a modern rail system. When I was there they were using old East German carriages - quite comfortable. On the Basra-Baghdad route I saw a small stretch which had been modernised with double track and a new station. I think Saddam's government had begun it before the Iran war.

Al Jazeera recently had a feature about the driver of the Baghdad-Basra train, as it is now. Everything is in very poor condition, after two wars and a lot of internal disturbance. The train now takes much longer than it did when I used it about 24 years ago. It is not surprising that there is a plan to modernise it. I do wonder whether the "security" situation will make it possible to modernise it. For example, an overhead electric supply might be difficult to maintain, and all too easy to damage by terrorists. That suggests they may use diesel powered trains - oil is presumably still cheap in Iraq. Who would be the best supplier of diesel trains? Hitachi do a diesel version of some of their trains. The British HST 125 or Australian XPT (same train, basically) might be suitable but no-one is building them these days

I always take these initial media reports of HSR lines to be built in less developed nations with a grain of salt. First, the media often distorts and alters information on rail projects (b/c frankly most reporters can't tell the difference between an HSR train and loco-hauled, or even rapid transit), and second, these economies cannot realistically support a profitable HSR system (and in Iraq's case compounded by security issues). Realisitically, and hopefully for the people of Iraq, as George Matthews stated in his post above, a diesel-based system (either loco-hauled or DMU) with speeds in the 160km/h range (100mph) would be something worth striving for. Of course, if Iraq can have such a system up and running within the next five years or so, it may serve as a telling commentary on the state of new passenger rail projects in (ahem) Iraq's main benefactor, which may not even have such a thing, given the paralysis we see now...

kaitoku wrote:I always take these initial media reports of HSR lines to be built in less developed nations with a grain of salt. First, the media often distorts and alters information on rail projects (b/c frankly most reporters can't tell the difference between an HSR train and loco-hauled, or even rapid transit), and second, these economies cannot realistically support a profitable HSR system (and in Iraq's case compounded by security issues). Realisitically, and hopefully for the people of Iraq, as George Matthews stated in his post above, a diesel-based system (either loco-hauled or DMU) with speeds in the 160km/h range (100mph) would be something worth striving for. Of course, if Iraq can have such a system up and running within the next five years or so, it may serve as a telling commentary on the state of new passenger rail projects in (ahem) Iraq's main benefactor, which may not even have such a thing, given the paralysis we see now...

Restoring to the condition it was in before the Kuwait war (when I saw it) would be quite nice.

Perhaps a full scale High Speed line would not be appropriate. I think more likely is a mixed traffic line able to carry both freight and passenger services. Maybe Corail French carriages would be suitable. If things settle down in Iraq there will be plenty of money, if the foreign oil companies haven't taken the oil.

I wonder how much American reconstruction aid to Iraq will be used to pay for this HSR project ? The Bagdad - Bassra line was restored with U.S. tax dollars.
Personally, I'd rather spend money on Higher Speed Rail in America.

Tony