Kawasaki Developing 217 MPH Train

The Railway Gazette reports that Kawasaki has unveiled a new high-speed train called the Environmentally Friendly Super Express Train (efSET). The train will travel at a speed of 217 MPH (350 km/h).

Kawasaki designed the train with a lightweight aerodynamic body to lower vibration and noise. It will also be equipped with regenerative braking that recycles kinetic energy generated by movement.

The Kawasaki train is even faster than Japan’s record-holding Shinkansen train, which travels at a speed of 186 MPH. In order to assure reliability of the new train, engineers will make use of components proven to work in the Shinkansen train network.

But Japanese train-riders will have settle for the Shinkansen train in the near future—the Kawasaki design won’t be finished until March 2009, and engineering verification won’t be completed until March 2010.

[Full article plus a mock up picture at Cleantechnica]

Crazy!  217 MPH is amazingly fast....

In any case...I'm loving the new developments in high speed rail.  Let's also cross our fingers that the high speed train for California actually happens.

Yeah I read about that the other day.  Japan sure knows how to make some sweet trains.  That would definitely be cool if we could get one in Cali.

 I must say I disagree about the high speed rail in California.  

In an ideal world, it'd be terrific to have such a mass transit system in place, both for convenience and also because it'd take a number of cars off of the I-5 between Northern and Southern California.

However, I listened to a very interested Forum on NPR (Michael Krasny) where they debated this $10 billion proposition.  The fact is, it's a great idea in theory.  However, the proposed budget and estimated ridership (which they use to anticipate ticket prices and environmental impact) assume efficiency that surpasses any existing high-speed rails (even the Eurorail system).

Under those assumed (and probably unrealistic) conditions, a one-way ticket would still cost more than most advanced-purchased Southwest one-ways (about $59 or so), AND this project would only alleviate about 1.5% of California's transportation-related greenhouse emissions.  That combined with the price tag in these rocky economic times leads me to be positioned AGAINST the high speed rail.  California just can't afford it.

I'd love any thoughts/responses.

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