Transport Expertise Association » high speed rail

High-Speed Rail: what is high-speed?

Matthieu Desiderio — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:05:42 +0000

Even though location might be approximate, speed is accurate (verified post trip with the driver). America needs high-speed rail to move faster forward.

The train was riding approximately at 188 mph or 300 kph. This is not top speed but… commercial speed: Marseilles to Paris in 3h08, 863 kilometers (or 537 miles)… Average speed of 171.2 mph with a stop in Avignon. What do you say?

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High-Speed Rail: This week, Transport Expertise read… – #1

Matthieu Desiderio — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:00:26 +0000

Transport Expertise starts a new series of product called “This week, Transport Expertise read…”: a press review of articles selected by Transport Expertise members among their readings, to share with our visitors what we are interested in… Hereafter stands articles about Urban Mobility. We plan to provide a selection for every major topic we are working on: Rail, Roads & Logistics, Air, Urban Mobility, Maritime & Waterways.

“Florida still has chance for fast train, but other states vying for U.S. aid” by Michael Turnbell, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, May 25, 2009

A bullet train, its supporters say, could boost tourism, create jobs and get cars off Florida’s crowded roads. There’s even $8 billion in federal stimulus money available to help build the proposed Tampa-Orlando-Miami line, where trains would move at least 110 mph and zip travelers from South Florida to Disney World in less than two hours. [...]

Link: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sfl-high-speed-rail-b052509sbmay25,0,6488044.story

“Against All Odds, Florida Rail Authority Rolls On”, News Service of Florida, May 26, 2009

The Florida High Speed Rail Authority last month had one of its most high profile members resign and the rest of its members terms have actually expired. But the authority has kept the wheels on its plan to apply for federal money that can be used to build a proposed Tampa-Orlando-Miami bullet train. [...]

Link: http://www.jaxobserver.com/2009/05/26/rail-authority-rolls-on-despite-vacancy-expired-terms/

“High-speed rail proposal is viewed with concern” by Christine Souza, California Farm Bureau Federation, May 27, 2009

As the state’s High-Speed Rail Authority plans an 800-mile high-speed rail system that will help alleviate congestion on roadways and transport passengers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in a little over two and a half hours, California’s agricultural landscape is likely to change dramatically. [...]

Link: http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=1316&ck=F3F1B7FC5A8779A9E618E1F23A7B7860#top

“High speed rail for America” by Sean Devlin, Examiner.com, May 25, 2009

The CBS Evening News revisited the high speed rail discussion and looked into as whether it was a viable option. This is especially important as the green movement is looking for more environmentally responsible transportation, part of which means alleviating road and air traffic congestion. [...]

Link: http://www.examiner.com/x-6812-Newark-Alternative-Transportation-Examiner~y2009m5d25-High-speed-rail-for-America

“High-speed rail dreams depend on dedicated tracks” by Aubrey Cohen, Seattlepi.com, May 28, 2009

While rail advocates dream of passenger trains blazing through Washington at 200 mph, freight railroad representatives say anything half that fast won’t work on their tracks. ”True” high-speed rail would exceed 150 mph, but the Amtrak Cascades line between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C., is more likely to see incremental progress from the current top speed of 79 mph to between 110 and 125 mph (the top potential speed of the current Talgo trains), Cascadia Project rail fellow Ray Chambers said at a forum in downtown Seattle on Thursday. [...]

Link: http://www.seattlepi.com/transportation/406665_trains28.html

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U.S. Transportation Secretary interested in French TGV

Matthieu Desiderio — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:06:07 +0000

Sometimes, a picture is better than a long story…

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood inspecting a TGV in Paris

Source: AFP

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Transport Expertise in Google Local

Matthieu Desiderio — Wed, 13 May 2009 10:12:11 +0000

For your information, Transport Expertise Association now appears in Google Local and thus appears in Google Maps.

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GAO Month in Review – April 2009

Matthieu Desiderio — Sun, 10 May 2009 22:00:55 +0000

Here are the latest US Government Accountability Office (US GAO) reports about transportation, published in April 2009.

Aviation Safety: Potential Strategies to Address Air Ambulance Safety Concerns. GAO-09-627T, April 22, 2009 (17 pages).
http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-627T
Commercial Aviation: Airline Industry Contraction Due to Volatile Fuel Prices and Falling Demand Affects Airports, Passengers, and Federal Government Revenues. GAO-09-393, April 21, 2009 (52 pages).
http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-393
High Speed Passenger Rail: Future Development Will Depend on Addressing Financial and Other Challenges and Establishing a Clear Federal Role. GAO-09-560T, April 1, 2009 (6 pages).
http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-560T
Transportation Security: Comprehensive Risk Assessments and Stronger Internal Controls Needed to Help Inform TSA Resource Allocation. GAO-09-492, March 27, 2009 (57 pages).
http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-492

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Secretary Ray LaHood Tour of Transportation Projects

Matthieu Desiderio — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:31:28 +0000

Below are three videos of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood tour of transportation projects, from C-SPAN and broadcasted on YouTube.com.

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Matthieu Desiderio's presentation at the 10th Annual Golden Spike Seminar

Matthieu Desiderio — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 09:56:27 +0000

Shall you have any questions or comments, please use our form to contact us.

For your records, we also published a short press review related to this event: Indiana High-Speed Rail Association Seminar is a success for the Midwest, (March 20, 2009) and the programme was made available earlier in M. Desiderio speaking at the 10th Annual Golden Spike Seminar (March 5, 2009).

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Indiana High-Speed Rail Association Seminar is a success for the Midwest

Matthieu Desiderio — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:49:37 +0000

Transport Expertise attended the 10th Annual Golden Spike Seminar organized by the Indiana High Speed Rail Association on March 19 and 20 in Merrillville, Indiana. Matthieu Desiderio’s presentation on “Intermodality in Passenger Transportation” and “Private Participation in Public Transportation” will be made available online on Transport Expertise website in the next couple days. Since this event, and especially Jean-Pierre Loubinoux (SNCF International Chairman and CEO) presentation, was a great success, we decided to provide you with a selection of articles that have been published in the U.S. press. A similar article with French newspapers publications is also available on our French website.

High-speed rail conference rolls into Merrillville (Northwest Indiana Times, March 18, 2009)

[...] “I really believe Indiana can emerge as a leader in rail transport,” said Dennis Hodges, Indiana High Speed Rail Association founder. “We did it once before, and we can do it again.”

But Hodges admits high speed rail has so far been a go-slow proposition in Indiana. State and local officials here are notably cool toward the idea while governors and public officials in other states already have announced plans for the high-speed rail stimulus funds.

The 10th Annual Golden Spike Seminar is scheduled to begin with an overview at 8:30 a.m. at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville. Registration and payment will be taken at the door. [...] (Story continued here)

Seminar addresses need for speed (Northwest Indiana Times, March 20, 2009)

“High speed rail travel is flourishing just about everywhere in the world except the Midwest, the leader of a pioneering passenger rail system in France told a region gathering Thursday.

Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, chairman of SNCF International, spoke of the benefits of implementing high speed rail systems during a conference hosted by the Indiana High Speed Rail Association.” [...] (Story continued here)

SNCF “very interested” in running railway in US-paper (Reuters, March 20, 2009)

“PARIS, March 20 (Reuters) – France’s state-owned railway SNCF would be “very interested” in operating a high-speed railway network in the United States, French newspaper Les Echos reported on Thursday. In France’s experience, high-speed railway systems are most efficient when they link large cities 1,000 to 1,500 kilometres apart, Les Echos quoted SNCF International president Jean-Pierre Loubinoux as saying on the sidelines of a conference in Indiana.” [...] (Story continued here)

France’s SNCF hopes to run high speed rail in US (AFP, March 20, 2009)

“MERRILLVILLE, Indiana (AFP) — The United States is ready for a truly high-speed rail system and France’s national railway SNCF would be “very interested” in operating a network, a senior executive said Thursday. “We strongly believe that in this country, in some of the corridors, the system should logically be profitable,” SNCF International chairman Jean-Pierre Loubinoux said in an interview on the sidelines of a rail conference in Indiana.” [...] (Story continued here)

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Transport Expertise thanks Codatu, its first sponsor

Matthieu Desiderio — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:39:14 +0000

Matthieu Desiderio and all Transport Expertise teams would like to thank Codatu Association for its commitment in our Association’s activities.

CODATU (Cooperation for urban mobility in the developing world) was born from the world conference on the urban transport, organized in Dakar in 1980. It’s an association with international vocation whose objective is to promote the actions of animation and scientific exchanges, technical, economic and social concerning the systems of urban displacements and periurbans ; it is based on experience sharing between the developing countries and the countries in the past industrialized.

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M. Desiderio speaking at the 10th Annual Golden Spike Seminar

Matthieu Desiderio — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:00:41 +0000

On March 19 and 20, Matthieu Desiderio will speak at the 10th Annual Golden Spike Seminar held at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville, Indiana. He will address two different issues:

Intermodalism in Passenger Transport: connections among the different transportation modes of travel (intercity rail, commuter rail, airports and highways); and
Private Involvement in Public Transportation: private “ownership” of transportation systems in France, and how they complement the public transit systems.

Please find here after the draft program of the event. Presentations will follow.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Opening Reception

Special Guest: His Excellency Pierre Vimont (invited), Ambassador of France to the United States

Thursday, March 19, 2009

7:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast

8:15 a.m. Welcome and Golden Spike Seminar Overview

8:30 a.m. Keynote Speaker: Jean-Pierre Loubinoux,Chairman, SNCF International

9:10 a.m. Rod Diridon, Chair Emeritus, California High Speed Rail Authority

9:50 a.m. Randall Wade,Coordinator, Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, Passenger Rail Implementation Manager,Wisconsin Department of Transportation

10:30 a.m. Matthieu Desiderio, President, Transport Expertise Association

11:10 a.m. Ronald Hartman (Invited), Senior Vice President, Veolia Transportation

12:00 p.m. 10th Annual Golden Spike Luncheon

Welcome: The Honorable Jon Costas, Mayor, City of Valparaiso, Indiana, Chairman, Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission

Guest Speaker: The Honorable Jean-Baptiste Main de Boissiere,Consul General, Consulate General of France in Chicago

1:30 p.m. The Honorable Frank Busschalucci (invited), Secretary,Wisconsin Department of Transportation, President States for Passenger Rail

2:10 p.m. Scott Bogren, Editor and Publisher, Rail Magazine

2:50 p.m. Richard Streeter, Managing Partner Washington Office, Barnes & Thornburg, LLP

3:10 p.m. Michael Claytor, Managing Partner, Crowe Chizek LLP

3:50 p.m. Dennis Faulkenberg, Managing Partner, Appian Way LLP

4:30 p.m. Justin Sutton, President, The Interstate Traveler

5:10 p.m. Adjournment

Golden Spike Seminar Reception

Special Guest

His Excellency Klaus Scharioth, Ambassador of Germany to the United States

Friday, March 20, 2009

7:30 a.m. Golden Spike Seminar Breakfast

Welcome: The Honorable Peter J. Visclosky (invited), Congressman, First District Indiana

Vince Galbiati, President & CEO, Northwest Indiana Forum

Guest Speaker: The Honorable Wolfgang Drautz (invited), Consul General of Germany

8:45 a.m. Hartmut Mehdorn, Chairman of the Board, Deutsche Bahn AG

9:35 a.m. Frank Guzzo, Senior Vice President, Siemens Transportation Systems

10:15 a.m. Randall Blankenhorn, Executive Director, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning

10:55 a.m. Gerald Hanas, Executive Director, Northern Indiana Transportation Commuter District

11:35 a.m. The Honorable James Oberstar (Invited), Congressman, 8th District Minnesota, Chairman, Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, United States House of Representatives

12:15 p.m. Golden Spike Seminar Luncheon

Guest Speaker: The Honorable Ray LaHood (Invited), Secretary, United States Department of Transportation

1:30 p.m. Adjournment

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