tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post1054020154135766345..comments2023-10-30T09:03:07.163-07:00Comments on California High Speed Rail Blog: Britain's Wrong Turn on HSRRobert Cruickshankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06906581839066570472noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-85362431198740222392008-06-27T03:17:00.000-07:002008-06-27T03:17:00.000-07:00I would like to react to BikeRider comment : actua...I would like to react to BikeRider comment : actually, the subsidies do also pay for intercity trains that are not TGVs and not regional/commuter. Trains such as Teoz which run, for example, from Paris to Lyon are highly subsidized. <BR/><BR/>Also, about the bid process for operation at the regional level, I must say that for sure... SNCF wins. It will be different in 2010 when the market will be opened to competition, upon the EU regulations. <BR/><BR/>If you might be interested by French rail transport issues, we would be glad, with my Transport Expertise colleagues, to help you finding information, analyzing it, etc. <BR/><BR/>If you are looking for articles about Polish HSR and also the SNCF divident, please know that we wrote about it on our website. We will probably discuss (in French though) the Amtrak bill and the UK HSR situation.<BR/><BR/>Regards.<BR/>MDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-17503796888880964152008-06-12T21:46:00.000-07:002008-06-12T21:46:00.000-07:00For the first time in its history, SNCF will pay t...<I>For the first time in its history, SNCF will pay the state a dividend - that's after the TGVs are done subsidizing the slower passenger trains and freight operations.</I><BR/><BR/>First of all, keep in mind that all of SNCF bad debts were offloaded to a separate "infrastructure" company. Secondly, those slower passenger trains are run under contract from the French government. Under EU directives, the commuter/regional trains are supposed to be put out to competitive bid, but that has not happened in France; i.e. SNCF books as "revenue" the subsidies it gets for being the sole-source contractor for the local lines.<BR/><BR/>But certainly by low American standards, SNCF does pretty well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-23618029503444951592008-06-11T18:50:00.000-07:002008-06-11T18:50:00.000-07:00Lots of great links in the comments today, and I'v...Lots of great links in the comments today, and I've seen all those articles. While I love rafael's brilliant comment on the Polish HSR article, and though I plan to blog the SNCF TGV dividend, I think I'm going to have to go with the Amtrak bill. It's a huge boost to our own efforts here, and of course, anything that helps Amtrak helps us. We should not limit our support to HSR alone, even if that's the blog's focus.<BR/><BR/>So look for that later tonight.Robert Cruickshankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06906581839066570472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-10824923645410943502008-06-11T18:40:00.000-07:002008-06-11T18:40:00.000-07:00amtrak bill passes house by fillibuster-proof marg...<A HREF="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/amtrak_congress;_ylt=AujT8joHmvtuwrIJn_yANhhhr7sF" REL="nofollow">amtrak bill passes house by fillibuster-proof margin</A>, 311-104.<BR/><BR/>next year ought to be even better.無名 - wu minghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01078479850722724885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-21729691110092875492008-06-11T15:33:00.000-07:002008-06-11T15:33:00.000-07:00Here's a good one for all you naysayers who claim ...Here's a good one for all you naysayers who claim passenger rail can never be profitable.<BR/><BR/>For the first time in its history, <A HREF="http://en.transport-expertise.org/index.php/2008/06/10/in-brief-sncf-will-pay-the-french-state-a-e1313-million-dividend/" REL="nofollow">SNCF will pay the state a dividend</A> - that's <I>after</I> the TGVs are done subsidizing the slower passenger trains and freight operations.Rafaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05471957286484454765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-56850976809656562582008-06-11T15:25:00.000-07:002008-06-11T15:25:00.000-07:00Only vaguely on-topic but a colorful headline:High...Only vaguely on-topic but a colorful headline:<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://en.transport-expertise.org/index.php/2008/06/11/in-brief-high-speed-rail-will-invade-poland-by-2020/" REL="nofollow">High Speed Rail will Invade Poland by 2020</A><BR/><BR/>So, Siemens trainsets then?Rafaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05471957286484454765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-27261943649679166562008-06-11T15:21:00.000-07:002008-06-11T15:21:00.000-07:00This is pretty off-topic, but I'll post it here an...This is pretty off-topic, but I'll post it here anyway. The House just passed HR 6003 - "Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act" - by a veto-proof margin of 311-104. This bill authorizes $500 million/year of matching funds for "intercity passenger rail capital projects" (including high speed) and an additional $350 million/year of matching funds exclusively for high speed rail. So a total of $850 million/year.<BR/><BR/>The authority's plan calls around around $10 billion of federal matching funds over roughly a decade, or approximately $1 billion/year. HR 6003 alone won't get you there because there will be competition from other corridors as well (not so much for the high speed funds, but certainly for the general intercity funds). But it would be a very, very encouraging start that would appear to silence any doubts about whether the Feds will chip in in any meaningful way.<BR/><BR/>Of course, it still needs to go to committee to be reconciled with its older Senate counterpart (S 294). That passed last year by a veto-proof majority and includes money for intercity passenger rail grants (though not as much).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-85205889265119635862008-06-11T12:13:00.000-07:002008-06-11T12:13:00.000-07:00Interesting Blog on Polish HSRhttp://en.transport-...Interesting Blog on Polish HSR<BR/><BR/>http://en.transport-expertise.org/index.php/2008/06/11/in-brief-high-speed-rail-will-invade-poland-by-2020/Pantograph Trolleypolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17833159138533550544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-6570008831133306212008-06-11T04:15:00.000-07:002008-06-11T04:15:00.000-07:00I doubt Tom Harris' decision will be the last word...I doubt Tom Harris' decision will be the last word on <A HREF="http://polishrail.wordpress.com/2008/06/07/harris-spins-his-way-out-of-high-speed-rail/" REL="nofollow">High Speed 2</A> in the UK. The idea of running bullet trains to Scotland is generally popular in a country where gasoline and diesel already cost well over $8 per US gallon.<BR/><BR/>The UK has long pursued a strategy of running trains at no more than 125mph because of congestion along the main lines. Also, legacy tracks in the UK tend to be closer to one another than on the continent, mostly because of the many <A HREF="http://www.rmtltd.com/Abbots%20Cliffe%20Rail%20Tunnel%20Portal.JPG" REL="nofollow">narrow Victorian tunnels</A> that were originally designed for single-track alignments. At very high relative speeds, the pressure pulse created when two trains pass each other could <A HREF="http://www.o-keating.com/hsr/eurostar.htm" REL="nofollow">blow out some windows</A>. This was one of the reasons High Speed 1 was built.<BR/><BR/>It would be difficult to find the land to construct a new, dedicated alignment up to Birmingham or Manchester. This is reflected in the $60 billion estimate. As usual with Labour governments, the real issue is wrong-headed spending priorities.<BR/><BR/>Note that unlike the UK, California could quite easily run its entire HSR system on renewable electricity, e.g. solar, wind and geothermal - reducing the operational CO2 footprint to <I>zero</I>. CHSRA is spending $40k on a feasibility study to that effect, the report is due in July.Rafaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05471957286484454765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-80618101340661388112008-06-10T22:46:00.000-07:002008-06-10T22:46:00.000-07:00^^^ I understand your point; however, the challeng...^^^ I understand your point; however, the challenge/problem really should be viewed through a prism rather than a 2-dimensional viewing glass.<BR/><BR/>HSR is faster and would attract substantially more travellers than alternatives. Any increase in a new carbon footprint in HSR would be offset by the change in reduced travel by those other modes. <BR/><BR/>It sounds to me that a British politician learned well from their college persuasive speech class... and skipped redumentary science and math courses.Brandon in Californiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14796810137823230737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-23747415961611328002008-06-10T21:07:00.000-07:002008-06-10T21:07:00.000-07:00We need to start building for an alternative energ...We need to start building for an alternative energy future. If the line is run by wind or solar it doesn't really matter how fast it goes does it? It'll just cost more.Pantograph Trolleypolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17833159138533550544noreply@blogger.com