WASHINGTON -- High-speed trains may not be just for the Northeast
anymore.
Bombardier Transportation Oct. 15 unveiled JetTrain, a new
high-speed train tailor-made for the North American rail
systems.
Capable of reaching speeds of 150 mph, the JetTrain is literally
powered by a jet, rather than diesel, engine.
Currently, the only high-speed train operating in the U.S. is
Amtrak's Acela Express, which travels between Boston, New York and
Washington.
But Bombardier believes the JetTrain can "open the high-speed
[rail] market throughout North America."
The reason: unlike most high-speed trains, the JetTrain can
operate on non-electric tracks. That could save communities the
considerable expense of electrifying tracks, a major obstacle
hindering the development of high-speed train corridors in the
U.S.
The JetTrain was developed as private/public partnership between
the Federal Railroad Administration and Bombardier, which has
manufactured seven different high-speed trains around the world
including Amtrak's Acela Express.