Beijing-Shanghai HSL Anniversary

The Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway just celebrated its fifth anniversary. The 820-mile long railway is the longest high speed line be built in a single phase. It was constructed in just over 3 years for a cost of $34.7 billion. This line is a critical section of China’s rail network, serving two of the biggest economic centers in the world and close to a quarter of China’s population.

Express trains travels from Shanghai to Beijing, a comparable distance as New York-Chicago, in just five hours while traveling up to 186mph.  With 34 round-trips offered every day, the service has attracted over 100 million passenger-trips/year. Tickets begin at $81 and the line has been successful to the point of generating an operating profit in recent years.

Imagine a future where a high-speed train could take you from Chicago’s Union Station to New York’s Penn Station in under 5 hours. You can do that in China right now.

Best,

Dylan Hayward
Program Manager

Last Week at MHSRA:

We just launched our new CrossRail Chicago website! Check it out here and tell us what you think.

We also made a trip to Milwaukee where we saw the unveiling of the new concourse at Milwaukee Intermodal Station and attended All Aboard Wisconsin’s passenger rail forum to discuss the future of Wisconsin’s rail network.

Articles We Enjoyed:

Philly’s Railcar Meltdown and America’s Disastrous Train Regulations
“The supplier is taking heat for shoddy workmanship. But SEPTA’s railcar troubles are also linked to two key sets of federal regulations.”

Commuter Rail Link to Dallas Fort Worth Airport Finalised
“TEX Rail trains will be operated by a fleet of Stadler Flirt3 DMUs, the first use of the Flirt design in North America.”

Bright line Gears Up with First Engine Install
“Brightline announced June 28 that it is celebrating another milestone in the building of its trainsets as it installed the Cummins prime-mover into its first diesel-electric Charger locomotive at the Siemens manufacturing facility in Sacramento, Calif. where the trainsets are being built.”

Dallas-Fort Worth High-Speed Rail Plan Draws Worldwide Interest
“local leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth, where traffic congestion is a near-universal concern among many of the region’s roughly 7 million residents, want the world’s biggest passenger rail operators to know that if they’re willing to build the super-fast trains in North Texas they will find a more-than-receptive audience.”

Upcoming Events:

Brown Bag Lunch with Stephen Bonina, President of Stadler Trains

When: Tuesday, July 26, Noon-1:00pm

Where: DePaul University, 14 East Jackson Blvd, 16th Floor – Dublin Room, Chicago, IL

Cost: The event is free but please make sure to register here

2016 MHSRA Annual Fall Luncheon

Keynote Speaker: Marco Stegher, Americas Area Manager, Italferr S.p.A.

When:      Friday, September 16th Noon-1:30 PM (Check-in begins at 11:30 AM)

Where:     Maggiano’s Little Italy, 516 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Cost:         Regular Ticket: $55     Student Ticket: $20

Dylan Hayward
Program Manager
Midwest High Speed Rail Association
4765 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625
773-334-6758