Topic: Train Travel

Will the U.S. Use Japanese Bullet Trains for High Speed Rail?

Bullet train companies have probably been salivating ever since Obama allocated $8 billion for high speed rail in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. So it comes as no surprise to learn that Central Japan Railway Co. ...READ»

Is Train Travel Greener Than Flying? Maybe Not

Taking a train ride must be more environmentally sound than getting flung into the sky on a plane, right? Maybe not, according to researchers at U.C. Berkeley's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Arpad Horpath and ...READ»

Razoreye

Web Detective Pro That is, Law should lay out prohibitions only if they are needed, and if the inconveniences caused by this restriction do not exceed the inconveniences that the prohibition is supposed to remedy. Privacy ...READ»

Work/Life: The Bus Also Rises

Anne Marie Chaker of The Wall Street Journal wrote an excellent review recently of the new bus services that have come onto the scene to cater to business travelers. Her story includes a charming video of her trip to Baltimore on ...READ»

Will the U.S. Ever Get Serious About Train Travel?

With energy costs, pollution concerns, and traffic woes mounting, you better hope so. Hence the 400 new public transit projects that have been proposed in large and small regions from Massachusetts to Hawaii.READ»

Will the French Run the US High Speed Rail System?

Instead of attempting to install a country-wide high-speed rail network from scratch, perhaps we should rely on the expertise of countries that already have comprehensive rail systems. That's the thinking behind French national ...READ»

Airport to Downtown Transportation Trials

Around the United States, trains and subways are pulling into stations at the airport. And it may be better option for the airport-to-city leg of your journey.READ»

Amtrak's $117 Billion Plan For High Speed Travel

It's a dream to make Joe Biden weep: trains that connect East Coast cities at 220 miles per hour. But it won't be finished until 2040. Hear that sound? That's Europe and Asia laughing. READ»

Can High-Speed Rail Reduce Our Reliance on Air Travel?

The Obama Administration's $8 billion plan to bring high-speed rail to the U.S. is ambitious, to say the least. And with so much cash riding on its success, it better have some redeeming merits. One possible benefit: a reduced ...READ»

Sliver Steak: Amtrak's Beef-Powered Passenger Train Debuts

Taking Amtrak's Heartland Flyer train between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City sometime in the next year? You will be hitching a ride on the first beef byproducts-powered biodiesel train. The train, which runs on 80% regular diesel and ...READ»

Public or Private?

The past few weeks, Amtrak and the Public Broadcasting Service, two government-funded organizations, have had to do a bit of soul-searching. The nature of these public-private institutions is a curious one. While both Amtrak and PBS ...READ»

Business Bus?

In an effort to lure customers away from the expensive air shuttle and to out-cheap Amtrak's erratic Acela high-speed train, Fergus McCann wants travelers to take... the bus? Dubbed the LimoLiner, the 28-seat luxury bus service ...READ»

So That's Julie - Got It!

Today, on one what is traditionally the busiest day of the year for Amtrak, thousands of passengers will call to make sure their train's on time and hear, "Hi, this is Amtrak. I'm Julie." The automated system at Amtrak has a name as ...READ»

10 Prize-Winning Products

The ballots are in. Some of the world's savviest designers voted these products best in show at their annual meeting.READ»

Russia Places Order For 200 High-Speed Electric Locomotives

While the U.S. continues to rely on polluting diesel locomotives, Russia is quietly putting the finishing touches on its electric railroad network. This past week, Alstom and Transmashholding announced a $1 billion-plus plan to ...READ»

Making Tracks

Richard Carpenter is mapping every mile of America's railroad system as of 1946. By hand. "It's a story," he says, "that needs to be told."READ»

The 10 Most Creative People in Ethonomics

1. Shai Agassi, CEO, Better Place A former software entrepreneur, Agassi is leading the pack on electric vehicle charging stations. His vision: battery-powered vehicles made by Renault-Nissan, a vast network of charging ...READ»

Changing Demographics of Online Indians

A recent report on Indian internet users by JuxtConsult gives a perspective on which way the Internet is headed in India. The report is useful for technology products and consumer goods companies targeting the Indian consuming class ...READ»

Work/Life: The Summer of Ugh

Forty-odd years ago people were writing about something called The Summer of Love. I predict this is the year anyone who has to travel aloft on business will be writing instead about The Summer of Ugh. Meaning be prepared for ...READ»

Relaunch!

Unit of OneREAD»

The Early Era of Sport Utility Vehicles

Many believe that the birth of the SUV began as the “depot hack.” The depot hack was a vehicle that transported people and luggage from the train stations. Lehel has a century-old tradition of coach building, Lehel's skilled craftsmen, including cabinetmakers, upholsterers, and coachbuilders, all have at least 15 years’ experience in their craftREAD»

SkyTran's Personal Magnetic Transporter Is a Physical Version of the Internet

Imagine zipping above the sidewalk crowds in a personal transporter pod suspended from a two foot wide cable propelled by a magnetic field. It's not as far-fetched as you may think. A California startup called Unimodal is building ...READ»

• Coming Soon: America's High-Speed Rail Network

Of A Whole New Mind

Yesterday afternoon, I took the train down to Philadelphia to join the local Company of Friends group at the Charter High School for Architecture and Design. Why go so far just to turn around to head home in several hours? Dan Pink. ...READ»

Vegas Train War! Another L.A.-to-Vegas Train Will Get Gamblers There Slower, but Drunker

Yet another Sin City Express is on track: The X Train isn't high-speed, but it features luxury bar cars and a plan to be up and running by 2011.READ»

China's New Train Is Faster Than a Speeding Bullet

China's new train is the fastest in the world, traveling at an average speed of 217 miles per hour. Passengers making the 663 mile trek from central China to south China will see their trip time cut from six hours to just two hours ...READ»