The Need for Speed

A few months ago, I heard about a Texas highway that raised its speed limit to 85 mph and was truly astounded. Drivers around here go that speed sometimes on the highway but it is not the official speed limit. How could this be safe? On the same topic of speed, I found an article that was talking about a test run of a train that goes 111mph conducted in Illinois. This high speed train would take commuters from Chicago to St. Louis in an hour less that previous 79 mph trains. The train was tested on a 15 mile track section that is specifically designed for fast moving trains. This is not the fastest train in the United States; the fastest being the Amtrak Acela Express in the Northeast that boasts a whopping 150mph.

Courtesy of the Chicago Sun-Times

Even though the Acela Express is the fastest train in the United States, it seems extremely slow when compared to some of the other high speed trains in the world. For instance, the second fastest train in the world belongs to Germany. The Transrapid TR-09 train goes a mind blowing 279 mph, that puts the Acela Express to shame. The number one fastest (conventional wheel) train is the CRH380A in China that can reach speeds of up to 300mph. Many other countries including Japan, France, Italy, and South Korea all have trains that run at faster speeds that 150mph. How come the United States in so behind in this technology when compared to other countries?

One of the theories that I have come up with is that maybe the United States Department of Transportation does not yet trust the safety of these high speed trains. They could be very concerned about the safety of the citizens (not saying that these other countries aren't) that the department would not want to risk anything. Also, maybe this is something that is not at the top of the list and they do not think that improving this certain technology would be beneficial for the entire country. The article on the train in Illinois said that "the project would create more that 6,000 construction jobs"(Sfondeles). If this estimate proves to be true, then I don't see why the government would be hesitant start this initiative of faster trains all across America where there is a need. What do you think?