Market booms for new high speed trains
高速鉄道の開発競争
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| Market booms for new high speed trains 高速鉄道の開発競争 |
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed
of rail traffic. Specific definitions include 200kms/h and more rapid, depending on whether the track is
upgraded or new, by the European Union, and above 145 kms/h by the United States. However, there is
no single standard, and lower speeds can be required by local constraints.
The ETR 500 'Frecciarossa' of the Italian Railways takes one hour from downtown Milan to the center of Bologna,
while a plane+taxi takes an hour and a half to do the same distance.
ETR 500 'AV' at Milano Centrale and driver's seat in the ETR 500
●United Kingdom
High-speed rail in the United Kingdom.
The first dedicated high-speed train was a new standard-gauze line between London and the Channel Tunnel,
opened in November 2007. The Eurostar trains, which run through the Channel Tunnel between the UK and
both France and Belgium, are substantially different versions of the TVG trains, with support for two voltages,
both pantograph and third rail power collection, the ability to adopt to multiple platform heights, and to cope
with seven signaling models. A full loaded train of 750 passengers is roughly equivalent to Boeing 737s.
The remainder of British railway network is considerably slower. In 2004, a large investment was made in
the West Coast Main Line, with an Italian train model. The trains currently limited to the maximum speed of
200 kms/h.
(L) High-speed train arriving at the Euston Station, London.
(R) The railway track of West Coast Main Line was fully improved.
Source: NHK BS TV December 15, 2008.
In December 2008, Network Rail completed the £9 billion project to improve the West Coast Main Line; the
key route linking London with cities like Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. This major
engineering work will bring massive benefits to passengers, with more trains and faster trains running from
December 2008.
Birmingham New Street 1hr 43 →1hr 12 ＝31 minutes faster Manchester 2hr 41 →1hr 58 ＝43 minutes faster Liverpool 2hr 53 → 2hr 01 ＝52 minutes faster Glasgow 5hr 06 →4hr 10 ＝56 minutes faster
Alternatives to air travel: The high-speed rail.
St. Pancras International Train Station, the London's terminal of Eurostar.
The number of passengers of Eurostar increased 18% in 2008, with comparison to 2007.
Eurostar at London St Pancras station connects London with Paris and Brussels.
The writer used a Eurostar in May 2000. The train was running with w high speed in the country of France;
however, the train was running very slowly on the old railroad track after it passed the Channel Tunnel.
The terminal station in London was Waterloo station in London City. It was interesting to see a construction
site of a new track line from the train winder of Eurostar, which started its services in 1994.In 2007,
Eurostar services in London transferred from Waterloo to St Pancras International.
Business Premier Class ( London-Paris £335-420, one way), with a meal service at a passenger seat.
Standard Class ( London-Paris £220-292, one way).
A wide seat and unlimited wireless internet access are available in Eurostar trains.
Source: NHK BS TV December, 2008.
A high speed Eurostar train at the entrance of the Channel Tunnel
Source: Reuters 12 February 2010
The first high-speed domestic trains from London.
(L) Hitach received an order for the high-speed train 'Class 395' from UK.
(R) The head of Hitachi Rail Maintenance, Chiaki Ueda said it was necessary to prove that it really works at
the different circumstances.
In December 2009, Britain trumpeted the launch of its first full high-speed domestic rail service, while
unveiling plans for a network of the train across the country in the year to come.Prime Minister Gordon
Brown was on hand at Saint Pancreas station in London for the first services by the Japanese-built Javelin
trains, slashing journey times between the capital and the county of Kent to the southeast. 'This is a great day
for Saint Pancreasand for rail services in this area and for the UK. This is also a momentous day in the long
and glorious history of Britishrailways.' He said.
(L) A new prototype hybrid electric-diesel train by Hitachi. (R) A test of Class 395 at the speed of 225Kms/h.
Hitachi Class 395 trains will reach speeds of up to 220 kilometers per hour, using sections of the London-to-
Folkestone high-speed rail link built for Eurostar trains through the Channel Tunnel. The new 508-passengers
trains, introduced by the Southeasten rail company, will cut the journey time from costal Dover to London by
47 minutes to 69 minutes, while Ashford to London comes down from well over an hour to 37 minutes. By
the time of the 2012 London Olympics, they will be able to transport spectators from Saint Pancras to the
main game site in Stratford, east London, in just seven minutes.
Hitachi has repeated a test run at the Ashford's train depot.
Britain, which has lagged behind its European neighbors in introducing high-speed rail travel, plansto invest
20 billion pounds( 32 million dollars, 22 million euros ) in railway infrastructure in the nextfew years.
The government has set up a company to investigate the feasibility of a north-south high-speed rail line,
which could link London with other chief cities like Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.
Source: AFP London, December 14, 2009.
Source: NHK BS broadcast December 2008.
France
● Air France Plans High-Speed Train Business.
With fuel costs rising and profit margins on short-haul flights getting thinner, Air France-KLM and Veolia have
announced a joint venture to enter the high-speed train passenger business by 2010. As part of the larger
plan, the air companies have been in discussions with Alstom, the maker of the TGV high-speed trains
currently used by the SNCF, about either leasing or purchasing a number of trains to operate this service.
In particular, they are interested in the new generation of Alstom trains known as AGV, which can carry up
to 900 passengers at a speed of 360 kms/h. At such speeds,passengers would be able to commute between
Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport and Schipholairport outside Amsterdam in about 90 minutes.
Source: Spiegel Online, September 9, 2008.
(L) Air France plans to start the high-speed train service. (R) High-speed line networks in Europe.
(L) A rail transport in Europe will be liberalized in 2010. (R) Passengersuse more railway route than the air.
● Spain
New Spanish bullet train whisked passengers from Madrid to Barcelona.
Spain's high-speed train
Slicing through the countryside at speeds of up to 300km/h (185mph), a new Spanish bullet train whisked
passengers from Madrid to Barcelona in just over 2 and a half hours, challenging the supremacy of flight
on one of the busiest air routes. Almost unnoticed by the outside world, Spain has engaged in a frenzy of
high-speed rail building in recent years and is fast catching up with the world leaders, France and Japan.
By 2010, the Government claims, Spain will have the most extensive high-speed rail network in the world.
Source: Times On lines February 21, 2008
A new high speed train 'El Ave' has commenced its rail service between Madrid and Barcelona,
cutting travel times to 2houes and 30 minutes.
A punctual operation with 300 kms/h run by 'El Ave' Spanish train.
'El Ave' Spanish train with a 99% punctual operation.
Source: NHK BS TV February 2009.
High-speed Spanish Railway
The Madrid-Barcelona high-speed rail line is 621 kms in length, The superexpress train service inaugurated
in February 2008. It is designed for speeds of 300 kms/h and compatibility with the rail systems of neighboring
countries. It connects the cities of Madrid and Barcelona, major cities of Spain. There is a total of 20 trains
per day from Madrid to Barcelona, and the same number for the return journey in 2010. The Siemens S-103
train travels at speeds of up to 300Km/h and the shortest journey time is 2 hours 38 minutes.
Spain's high-speed train with the maximun speed over 300 km/H
photographed in May 2010 by Junhaku Miyamoto, M.D.
● High-Speed Train Network in China
In April 2007, China opened several high-speed rail lines between major cities, providing a network of 6,003 km,
making it the world's largest high-speed rail network, catapulting it from last to first place in network size. The
CRH2 is one of the high-speed train models in China. The CRH2 is a modified E2-1000 Series Shinkansen design
from Japan, and represents the second Shinkansen train model to be exported, the other being the700T series
for Taiwan High-Speed Rail.
China's high speed train, CRH2. and Shanghai Maglev.
High-speed railway in China
Taiwan's Shinkansen high-speed trains
High speed train running between Taipei and Kaohsiung, Taiwan
● A New Era for a high-speed train
A passenger would cheese the high-speed train for transport between urban area, if appropriate for its population
density and lying a few hundred or at most a thousand kilometers. An aircraft service can stay in the second choice.
The Japanese was the pioneers. In 1964, the Tokyo Olympic Games were the starting of the high-speed train with
the launch of the standard-gauge new track in the Tokkaido, linking Tokyo and Osaka at a speed of 210 kms/h.
Three years later, the Capitole, linking Paris and Toulouse, reached a comparable speed following technical
changes to the line.
In 1970, Italy started building the Roma-Florence Direttissimadesigned for train traveling at a speed of 250 kms/h.
In 1981; French-made TGV train established new world record 380 kms/h, between Paris and Lyons in the two
hours and 40 minutes. Since then, France has continued to concentrate on expanding its TGV network, achieving
ever better performances. In May 1990, TVG Atlantique's 325 clocked up a speed of 515kms/h, setting a new
world speed record for rail. Today, Paris is just one hour and 25 minutes from Brussels (TVG Nord ) and 2 hours
55 minutes from Marseilles ( TGV Mediterranean ).
In Italy, the new generation of ETR 500s, able to carry 590 passengers at a speed of 300 kms/h. In Germany,
the ICE 3 trains reach speeds of 300kms/h on the Hanover-Waurzburg and Hanover-Berlin lines. The major
European project for the future is to expand further this high-speed rail network by connecting up more and
more railroad grid.
However, for the higher speeds to save traveling time, noise, vibration, the cost of maintaining the track and
rolling stock, and energy consumption ( up by 50% for an increase in a train speed from 300kms/h to 360 kms/h )
would become an issue. The high-speed train with the area of Europe invented a suitable transport system. It is
appropriate for the size of the continent, its population density and transport needs between urban area lying
a few hundred or at most, a thousand kilometers apart.
Reference: Wikipedia.
(L) Japanese high-speed train, Shinkansen, with a long nose. (R) French high speed train, TGV.
(L) Japanese Shinkansen of JR Kyushu in 2011 (R) Shinkansen of JR Tokai in 2008
Shinkansen high-speed train, Hayabusa
French researcher dash to the world speed records for rail. The speed up to 32o kms/h, 360 kms/h, and 574 kms/h.
Source: NHK BS broadcast December 2008.
The Shinkansen high-speed train is proud in the world. It runs at 310 kms at maximum speed, and it is very safe
transportation means, which provides accident-free train systems. There was no accident resulting in injury or
death of a train passenger during the fifty-year operation, since its service opening in 1964. The first business
expansion abroad was to Taiwan. The technology of the train vehicle is used in Taiwan Shinkansen high-speed
train, which serves the route between Taipei and Kaohsiung, with the maximum speed of 300 kms/H.
China' high-speed train is built based on 'Hayate' of the JR-East, Japan. In 2011, a 1318 Km-long Shabghai and
Beijing railway track was completed. Two trains are running between two large cities. The passengers of the
first-class vehicle are rather small in a compartment, and the service was reported inferior, compared with that
of Europa and Japan. The train station is quite far from the center of the cities. It is considered as a loss‐making
railroad line.
On behalf of France, the key high-speed train is TGV. Its maximum speed in business operation is 320 kms,
the same to the Hayabusa's 320 kms in JR-East of Japan. France works hard on the speed-up of train, and
demonstrated an experimental high-speed train in 2007, which showed the highest speed of 574 Kms/H.
The high-speed train has certainly changed the image of rail transport and brought Europe's major
centres closer together. Judging by its success, the TGV is the most suitable mode of transport for
linking densely populated areas over distances of up to 900 kms.
(L) ICE and TGV on the same platform of Paris's terminal station
(R) A TGV train vehicle is caring on a boat on the Seine River.
● ICE German high-speed test train ran through the Channel Tunnel.
(L) ICE high-speed train entering Channel Tunnel. Photo source: AP (R) A German Stamp of ICE intercity express
The German railway, Deutsche Bahn, says it has held its first test of a high-speed train carrying passengers in
the Channel Tunnel. Currently only Eurostar is allowed to operate on the route, but the German firm is keen
on a widen competition. Eurostar is a subsidiary of railway operators in the UK, France and Belgium but the
German railway has asked repeatedly for access to the tunnel. It has said it hopes to run services to Frankfurt
and Cologne within the next three years. Deutsche Bahn hopes to link London and Cologne, Koeln, by 2013.
Deutsche Bahn sent one of its ICE-3 trains in the tunnel for the first time, with some passengers, in October,
2010. Trains passing through the tunnel have to be long enough to allow people anywhere on board to be able
to reach emergency exits in the tunnel. France's transport minister insisted the order was null and void,
saying the only rolling stock made by Alstom to be met safety standards.
France has also objected to Eurostar's recent announcement that it was ordering new trains worth more than
£700 m from German firm Siemens. France had been pressing the trains tobe built by French firm Alstom.
Source: BBC News Business, 17 October 2010
ZDF( Germany) reported the high-speed ICE German railway train was arrived in London on October 19, 2010.
High-speed train from Germany rolled into St. Pancras station in London.
The chairman of Deutsche Bahn stressed this high-speed train links cities with a comfort than that of aircraft.
(L) Deutsche Bahn proposed a new high-speed train service beyond Brussel to Amsterdam and Frankfurt.
(M) This man said I wanted to go to Germany by rail for a long time.
(R) It is very exciting! We shall look forward to the new railway service.
Pictue Source: ZDF, NHK BS October 20, 2010
● Background of high-speed train Race
Currently, Europe accounts for70% of the global market for a high-speed railway, and a further development
is expected in the future. It is expected the planned route of the construction would extend to 6,000 kms in
2020. The total distance through the railnetwork will extend to three times to the present status. This may
mean we can connect the major cities in EU by a high-speed rail network, changing in the selection order to
the way of transportation of travelers. On the other hand, an airplane transportation has a disadvantage of
the inconvenience of airport access, a careful baggage security check. Therefore, the time and cost for air
travels are more time-consuming and expensive than that of a high-speed train. It is generally accepted to take
a rail trip if it is within three- to four-hour trip.
Picture source: NHK BS broadcast December 18, 2008
An aggressive technical pressure was put on train manufacturing companies to develop the high-speed train
by French President Nicholas Sarkozy.
Professor Ieda, Tokyo University explained the difference in socio-geographical aspects between Japan and France.
France and Japan populated, Industrial belt zone of Honshu Island of Japan. Further all Japaneserailways are built
in a narrow gauge (1067mm). The seacoast line was varied and rail track stretches along the curved coast line,
and there are numerous mountains and hills in the island. Therefore, all railway track lines were newly constructed
in a broad gauge (1435mm). Now, about daily 800 high-speed Shinkansen trains run in Japan. A management of
Shinkansen is operated in the unit of seconds. A passing time, departure or arriving time is organized in 15-second
partition.
All railway trains should be completely smoke -free.
Travel by Train
Italia Rail: Trenitalia
ロンドン・ユーストン駅に到着した乗客は１０年に及ぶ大工事の成果を実感した。「すばらしい旅行でした。
とてもスムースで出発も到着も時間通りでした」「驚きました。こんなに良くなったとは思いませんでした」
「最高でした」と賞賛する。
1880年代に開通した英国を南北に繋ぐ大動脈、ウエストコースト線は、より速い、より多くの本数を
との要望に応えるため鉄道の再構築が必要であった。2008年12月に10年の歳月を費やした工事が
完成し、ここに高速鉄道が誕生した。この巨大プロジェクトにより毎時100キロのところを200キロで
運行出来るようになり、ロンドン・グラスゴー間が4時間10分に短縮された。運転本数も週中では30％、
週末では60％増加させることが出来、ロンドン・マンチェスター間は20分おきに列車を運行出来る。
資料 Network Rail, London
イギリスの首都、ロンドンの主要ターミナル、セント・パンクラス駅。
2007年11月、英仏海峡トンネル鉄道（CTRL)の大規模な鉄道改修・新設工事の完成に伴い、それまで
ユーロスターの終着駅だったウォータールー国際駅が閉鎖された。今はセント・パンクラス駅を起点に
英国と欧州大陸を高速鉄道が結び、パリやブリュセルからの国際列車が乗り入れている。
ユーロスターユーロスターの乗客は年々増え続け、ロンドン・パリ間は一日18本以上運行する。燃料代
高騰のあおりを受け乗客の減少に悩む航空会社とは対照的だ。エコノミークラスの正規料金は最高、
2万1000円で航空機のエコノミークラスの1万7000円に比べ高い。(注：運賃は日により変動する）。
パリまではおよそ2時間20分。2007年に高速化するための線路が完成した後、運行時間が20分縮まった。
駅のセキュリテイチェックは7分ほど、航空機より速くなった列車の高速化が鉄道の利用をさらに
加速させている。
（注）筆者がユーロスターを利用した2000年には、イギリス国内全域で古い線路を走行したためのろのろ
運転の状態であった。当時のロンドンの終着駅はウォータールー国際駅で、途中、新線の建設の模様を
車窓から垣間見たのだった。
ヨーロッパでは2010年に鉄道事業が自由化され、鉄道各社は国境を越えてサービスを展開できる
ようになる。各国では高速鉄道のネットワーク化が進み、その規模は2020年には3倍にまで拡大する。
こうした動きは航空会社には脅威となる。最近、ロンドン・パリ間の便を減らしたエールフランスは
鉄道事業への参入を検討している。
スペイン高速鉄道 2008年2月に開通してから１年経過したマドリット・バラセレナ間の高速鉄道、
AVEが１年間に運んだ乗客は600万人に達した。全列車の99％が時刻表通りの正確な運行であり、利用客の
満足度も高い。659キロある両都市間を2時間30分ほどで走り抜ける。最近では窓口での切符購入の他、
60％におよぶインターネット割引制度を設けた。また、乗車24時間前に買うと50％（半額）となる割引も
導入した。テレビではスペインでの連休を利用して旅行した人の半分はこの高速鉄道で移動したと伝えて
いる。
日本が世界に誇る高速鉄道、新幹線。最高時速300キロ、開業以来50年間無事故という高い安全性で
海外にも事業を展開している。この技術が最初に生かされたのが2007年に開通した台湾の高速鉄道。
東海道新幹線の「のぞみ」の車体がもとになっている。台北・高雄間、345キロを最高速度、300キロで
繋ぐ。中国でも、2008年8月、北京オリンピックに合わせて開業した高速鉄道が開業した。こちらは東北
新幹線「はやて」をベースにした列車である。北京・天津間、117キロを最高速度、300キロで運行して
いる。2011年、上海・北京間、1318キロの高速新線が完成した。一日2往復、しかし1等車両はほとんど
空に近い。車内サービスは盛り沢山であるが、とても欧州や日本と比較することは出来ない。中国の
新幹線の駅は市内からもとても遠く、利用客が少ないので新幹線部門は大幅の赤字の模様である。
フランスを代表する高速鉄道、TGV。その最高速度は新幹線を上回る320キロ。国をあげて高速鉄道の
開発に取り組んでいるが、2008年2月、最高時速、360キロの新型車両を発表した。スピードこそが最大
のアピールだと考えているフランス、2007年には特別仕様のTGVで世界最速の574キロを記録した。
ドイツ ICE が英国・ドイツ間の高速鉄道網を整備
英国とランス間の英仏海峡を繋いでいるトンネルを通ってドイツ高速鉄道、ICEが2010年10月にロンドンに
乗り入れた。イギリスとフランスとが共同開発したユーロスターの独占市場の路線にICEの新型車両を
走行させるという、ドイツ鉄道の威信をかけたプロジェクトの始まりである。計画ではブルッセル駅にて
二つのルートに分かれ、アムステルダムとフランクフルトまで、4時間および5時間で到着できると計算する。
ロンドンとフランクフルトという2大金融センターを直結するルートは採算が高く特に有望視されている。
新たな路線はトンネル内での走行試験を含め、いくつかの安全テストを経て、2013年12月に開通する予定である。
大いに期待したい。
フランスがスピードにこだわるのは、EU内部でスピード競争が激化しているからである。2007年になって
ドイツとフランスの高速鉄道が相互乗り入れを開始した。2010年にはEU全域で鉄道事業が自由化され、
他の国の鉄道運営に参加することが出来るようになった。フランスにとってはビジネスチャンスが広がる
一方で、より競争力のある車両を開発する必要に迫られている。
ヨーロッパは現在、超高速鉄道の世界市場の70％を占めているが、これからさらなる発展が見込まれる。
2020年までに建設予定の路線は6,000kmに及ぶ。鉄道網の総距離は3倍に伸び、大都市間を結ぶ
超高速鉄道網が整備されることで、旅行者の交通手段に対する選択順位に変化が起こる。飛行機に
よる移動は、空港アクセスの不便さに加え、保安検査や荷物の扱いに関する制約が増えるなど、移動
全体の費用や時間がかかるようになり、高速鉄道に旅行客の人気を徐々に奪われて来ている。
一般的に、3時間乃至4時間以内の移動は、高速鉄道が最良の交通手段と考えられる。
フランスと日本との間には開発された背景が違う。東海道新幹線の場合は、人口、産業の点で日本でも
最も密度の多いベルト地帯に建設された。それまではナローゲイジ、しかもカーブが多いので高速運転
に適さない。そこで線路、車両などすべての系統をセットとして専用線を敷き、新たしく構築した。そして
高速列車が一日380本も走る鉄道の世界をつくった。
一方、ＴＧＶの場合は人口密度も低く、トンネルも橋もほとんどなく直線に近い。広軌なので従来線も使用
することが出来た。ただ、状況は変化してきて、日本でも秋田新幹線、山形新幹線など従来線に乗り
入れる形も出てきた。フランスも高速運転に適した専用線を建設するようになってきた。機関車で引っ張る
方式から最近では電車方式の新しい車両を取り入れて来ている。
フランスではサルコジ大統領自らＴＧＶに乗って陣頭指揮している。国を挙げて高速鉄道の売り込みに
力を入れている。アルゼンチンではフランスの技術が高く評価されビジネスに結びついた。日本も台湾、
中国と協力しながら事業を進めている。台湾の高速鉄道の車体は日本のものがベースとなっているが、
線路にはドイツからの技術が入っている。近年、日本もフランスと同様に現地の国の事情とうまく混ぜ
合わせて建設できるようになってきた。しかし、ヨーロッパ勢は最初からそれをやって来ている。
画像引用 NHK BS放送 2008.12.18
Railway Travel around the World 世界鉄道旅行
All railway trains should be completely smoke -free.
鉄道全面禁煙化は世界の常識
Smoking ban in the railway trains of the world
高速鉄道の開発競争
執筆 医学博士 宮本順伯
★This Web site is link-free.
The article was written in December 2008, last revised in January 2014,
by Junhaku Miyamoto, M.D., PhD.
Copyright (C) 2008 Junhaku Miyamoto, PhD. All right is reserved.
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