High-speed rail moves Turkey and Italy

This morning, I shared my thoughts on the incredible transcontinental Marmaray Tunnel, and I promised more later about other transformative projects afoot in Turkey. As we get rolling on a high-speed rail system of our own in America, one of the most exciting things for me is to see how other countries have integrated high-speed passenger rail into their own national transportation networks.

Last week, I had the excellent experience of riding Turkey's high-speed rail line from Ankara to Eskişehir. And yesterday I had the pleasure of riding high-speed rail in Italy.

High-speed rail in Turkey (left) via TCDD and in Italy (right) via Trenitalia

When completed, the 331-mile Ankara-to-Istanbul high-speed rail line in Turkey will cut existing train travel times in half. It will reduce traffic congestion on that nation's busiest stretch of roadway. And door-to-door travel times on this 155-mph route will be faster than air travel between Turkey's two largest cities.

That will take a lot of cars off Turkey's roadways, and a lot of greenhouse gas emissions from the environment. And I can assure future passengers that the ride is very, very smooth, and the trains are quite comfortable.

In the engineer's cab with FRA Administrator Joe Szabo (left) and Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim (standing far right)

And Turkey's high-speed rail won't end with the Ankara-to-Istanbul line. TCDD plans to cross the country with high-speed rail from Izmir in the west, through Ankara, and all the way east to Kars.

Perhaps Turkish State Railways' most ambitious goal is to increase mode share for trains between the two cities from 10% all the way up to 78%.

TCDD's high-speed rail route between Istanbul and Ankara

That's not as big a stretch as you might expect. One case in point? Italy. In 2008, 36% of travelers from Milan to Rome rode the train, compared with 51% who flew. Today, 60% of travelers are taking the train and only 30% are flying.

It's no coincidence that Italy nearly doubled its high-speed rail miles from 2006 to 2009. Italy has developed a comprehensive system that benefits ordinary citizens as well as people who want to do business on the train. At the stations in Italy, we saw hundreds of people excited about boarding their trains. And, as in Turkey, the ride itself was smooth and the countryside beautiful.

I guess I just like riding in the engineer's cab! This one's in Italy.

We've seen this mode-share phenomenon in Spain as well. And, as the Obama Administration grows an American high-speed rail network, I expect to see similar trends here.

Now, wherever we go to visit high-speed rail facilities--whether it's Japan, Spain, France, Germany, China, Russia, Turkey, or Italy--we're encouraging manufacturers and technology experts to compete for opportunities to help develop an American high-speed rail industry. But I also make it clear that we expect them to locate plants in the US and hire American workers.

We are working hard at DOT to make sure we get American high-speed rail right. And with reduced travel times, good-paying American jobs, and a lighter carbon footprint, we know we'll have a winning combination.

Comments

[Michael E. Bailey]

I'm glad we are building a high speed rail system. It will reduce air pollution and congestion, and by every measure it seems all except a few radio talk show hosts seem ready to support it and use it. It will also employ millions of people in construction and operation. South Africa is also building a high speed rail system that will have one of its stops in Johanesburg. Best wishes, Michael E, Bailey.

[Harvey Botzman]

I support the Secretary LaHood's recent trip, with FRA Administrator Szabo, to Turkey & Italy to research high speed rail.

I certainly hope this trip convinces the Secretary and Administrator of the need for a 120 mph (193 kph) high speed rail system rather than a 100 or 110 mph (160 or 177 kph) system. The slower system (100/110 mph) will not attract a sufficient number of passengers at the higher fare rate. The time difference between today's 80 mph/128 kph trains and the 100/110 mph trains simply is not attractive enough for garnering additional passengers at a significantly higher fare.

Two additional points:
1. The introduction of high speed rail can serve the purpose of beginning to have Americans think in terms of kilometers rather than miles. Yes, I know, there is great resistance to this idea (particularly from the more conservative citizens/residents & Republican politicians.

However, if the Secretary, the Administrator, and the Department simply use kph and metric measurements without converting to USA measurements (we do have a law which might not mandate conversion) then the public will get used to thinking in terms of metric measurements rather than American Standard measurements. It has been accomplished in bicycle sizing, even for mountain bikes with the greater use of 600 cc tires.

2. Once again I must emphasize the need to accommodate unboxed but bagged partially assembled (wheels & pedals off, handlebars turned) full sized bicycles (in contrast to folding bicycles which should be allowed in high speed rail passenger cars as the Amtrak policy now states) in the passenger cars of these new trains. This is particularly important if there will be no provisions on these high speed rail trains for baggage cars and baggage car service at the high speed rail stations.

[Turkey Vacations]

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[Stan Thompson]

At the same time Sec. LaHood was visiting Türkiye, Turkish National Railways was co-hosting "6IHC", the 6th International Hydrail (hydrogen rail traction) with two Turkish Universities, the UN's UNIDO-ICHET hydrogen center in Istanbul and Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, USA. 6IHC was held in Istanbul on July 1 &2.

These annual events, initiated by the Mooresville [NC, USA] Chamber of Commerce and Appalchian State University (at Boone, NC), have been held in the USA ('05, '07, '09); Denmark ('06), Spain (08") and now in Turkey ('10). The Conference was attended by over fifty academic, government and industry specialist. Hydrail technology presentations came from Türkiye, the USA, Russia, Sweden, Austria, Spain, the EU HQ, the UK, Germany, Italy, India, South Korea and Japan. Proceedings are online at the U. of North Carolina web site, www.hydrail.org.

The annual IHC's are held to speed the transition of railways from petroleum to hydrogen. Per a 2007 study, beginning the transition just one year sooner could avoid extracting about 1.8 billion barrels of crude and keep some 128 million tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere.

Türkiye, perhaps partnering with the USA, might become the first nation to export hydrail commuter rail and transit rolling stock though Canada has similar aspirations.

[Len Azarowicz]

We need monorail systems to open up our gridlock in cities thruout the US as well as for long distance travel!!

[virande]

Beautiful pictures.Nice effort.High Speed Trains have a great advantage over short distances over standing in line boarding a plane and getting off a plane and finding a cab.

virande

[Boiler]

The High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program money will pay for infrastructure upgrades on the rail system owned by Norfolk Southern.
Boiler

[Zetaclear]

High-speed rail is emerging in Europe as an increasingly popular and efficient means of transport. The first high-speed rail lines in Europe, built in the 1980s and 1990s, improved travel times on intra-national corridors
Zetaclear

[David 'Spider' Hakes]

I can't wait for a high-speed rail service. It seems all the trains going up through New York State seem afraid of going faster than 25 mph. Seriously! When they get beyond Albany (where one has to change), they perk up a bit. Maybe it's the coffee they have poured into them there.

A trip to Montreal from New York took about 13 hours, once. There was an additional delay of 2 hours at the border with Canada (which I include), but that's a long time to sit on an AMTRAK train seat!

France and England have had high-speed trains since the '70s. I witnessed the first run of the one from London to Bath, a distance of 100 miles. It took an hour and was very exciting. Forward progress and tests were being done on the Concorde contemporaneously. This was in Bristol, another 10 miles west of Bath. It was an exciting time. Come on, America!

[Stan Thompson - Mooresville NC]

Last month China announced its first hydrail train (they called it a 'new energy' train after East Japan Railways hydrail commuter demonstration). In less that two week, Bombardier Transport, who announced in 2007 that they were considering exporting hydrail commuter trains from their Thunder Bay, Ontario, works, announced a "Multi-level Strategic Cooperation Agreement" with China's Minister of Railways, Mr. Liu Zhijun.
China just announced it's first hydrail train and ongoing collaboration with another hydrail power, Bombardier Tranport of Berlin and Canada.

The US invented hydrail and, with BNSF Railways, deployed the first full-scale locomotive in June, 2009. (http://cjonline.com/news/2009-06-29/new_locomotive_unveiled)

Yet with all the rail vehicle manufacturing resources the US commands--notably General Electric and Caterpillar's Progress Rail Division--we seem unaware that the world's rail traction paradigm is shifting from diesel and track electrification to onboard electric using zero carbon hydrogen fuel cells: hydrail.

The international hydrail train is leaving the station and the US is not on it yet! All aboard...quick!

See the Appalachian State University's site: http://www.hydrail.org

[MacTurk]

I hate to say this, because I would dearly like to see a revival of the American rail sector, but it will never happen.

First, Americans are basically welded to their cars.

Second, the Republicans in the various state mansions and the Congress will kill it. It is far more important to pollute the air with roads clogged with privately owned, gas-guzzling cars. This has a positive effect on the national accounts, whereas rail expenditure is an expense.

Third, the Republicans will oppose it because all the technology will have to be imported. Foriegn = Evil.

Lastly, as the Tea Partiers will tell you, passenger rail is intrinsically socialist/nazi/muslim because Obama wants it, and that is all we need to know.

[Afrika]

I cant imagine travel in over 4 countries in a nick of time, how fast does life, holidays and business get with this new train-beautiful ideas