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United States News Title: The Texas bullet train now looks likely. Here’s what to expect TOKYO Texas Central will break ground next year on the first bullet train line in the United States, which will connect Dallas to Houston, and the train, technology and much of the know-how is coming from Japan. We will start the construction next year, said Masaru Yosano, Chief General Manager of Central Japan Railway Company. Yosano flies to Texas once a month to help coordinate the project with partners at Texas Central Railway Company, the private firm thats developing the United States first bullet train. The Texas bullet train, which will be privately funded, has already passed multiple milestones and is currently awaiting final approval from the Federal Railroad Administration. When that last permission is granted, perhaps by the end of the year, Texas Central will then begin looking for financial backers. The firm already has options to purchase a third of the land needed and is currently negotiating for the remainder. The Texas train is still being designed but it will likely be an N700I model train a modified N700 bullet train currently operated by Central Japan Railways. The I in the new N700 will stand for international, a version to be exported. The Texas train is supposed to be similar to the recently revealed N700S model which is lighter and its more efficient than existing N700 model. But perhaps the biggest difference is that the Texas train will be shorter. Itll be eight cars instead of 16. Shinkansen [the Japanese word for bullet train] is very easy to get on. In Japan, it takes about five to ten minutes after we arrive at the station to get on the train, so it is very easy to check-in and travel. Hes right about that. In Japan, passengers can walk up and purchase tickets minutes before departure and the price doesnt spike. We paid about $43 for a 60-mile trip during a recent trip to Tokyo. Texas Central has not revealed with a Dallas to Houston ticket will cost but a spokesman said it will be very competitive with airline fares. In Japan, the bullet train is not only a source of pride, but a fixture in the culture. Its more spacious than actually sitting in a plane for me, said Joel Deroon, an Australian living in Japan who uses the bullet train to commute daily. For airliners you have all the extra added costs [such as] paying for luggage, paying for petrol. On a Shinkansen, no ones going to check how much your luggage weighs or anything like that. So, whats it like to be on board? Both the economy and First Class cars have high ceilings, wide aisles, and big seats. The cars are configured with two seats on each side of the aisle. Perhaps the biggest difference in the Central Japan Railways N700-series is the legroom in both cabins. Unlike an airliner, theres plenty of extra space to move around. Onboard restrooms are substantially larger, as well, with a massive handicapped lavatory. And at 177-miles per hour, the landscape is less of a blur than many would imagine. A bottle of water easily balances on an arm rest. But one question persists: Is Texas ready for high-speed rail? I think its a great idea," said William J. Swinton, Temple University in Tokyo. "I think its a long-time coming." He runs International Business Studies at the school. What would you tell Texans who might be skeptical about the bullet train, we asked. Dont be, Swinton said. One reason the bullet train is so successful in Japan is that riders can easily connect to subways. But Dallas and Houston dont have that same infrastructure. So, will it work? What happens to that last mile is an opportunity for taxi companies, for Uber, for hotels to build and businesses within walking distance of the terminus to develop themselves," Swinton said. The last mile can be lucrative. Not much was around when the Tokyos Shinagawa train station was built in the 1990s. But within a decade, skyscrapers had risen around it. Central Japan Railways also makes money leasing space at the station to restaurants, shops, and hotels. How will the bullet train transform its Texas stops? Here's what happened in Japan For Texans, for their first Shinkansen ride, theyre going to fall in love with it, said Nick Narigon of Tokyo Weekender magazine. Its less hassle than plane travel, said Annemarie Luck, who also works for Tokyo Weekender. And its safer. Inspectors check bullet trains every six weeks. Since the first train left the station in 1964, theres never been a fatality, collision or derailment on Japanese high-speed rail. Texas Central Railway is also planning dedicated tracks with no crossings which is paramount in preventing accidents. Our hope is someday the Shinkansen will run in Texas, Yosano added. The U.S. already imports a lot from the Japanese. But America has never bought a bullet train before. Texas is now on track to transform transportation in this country perhaps beginning by next year.
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#1. To: Willie Green (#0)
Your uber driver, Crawdad TX It will take 20 years to get someplace nobody wants to go, like the California train going to Fresno. It will probably end up at the Bush ranch in Crawdad TX.
The California train route is 520 miles long (eventually up to 800) Houston to Dallas is only 240 miles... much less opportunity for obstructionist naysayers to get in the way... Right now, Dallas/Houston is about a 3½ hour drive (1-way) along I-45... and if you take getting through airport security into consideration, a short-hop air flight isn't gonna be much quicker... I think high-speed rail is the perfect solution for anybody wanting to make a same day Dallas/Houston round trip.
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