Bullet TrainsIndispensable to travelers in Japan and Europe, electric-powered bullet trains offer incomparable benefits: chiefly a relatively quiet, high-speed mode of mass transportation with low environmental impact. This colorful book examines the history, current use, and technology of these sleek trains, the fastest of which reach speeds of nearly 200 miles per hour. Noted train historian and author Brian Solomon also takes readers on a tour of high-speed passenger lines in Japan and France, and looks at the future of bullet trains in the United States, including recent discussions of proposed lines for California, Florida, and the Eastern Seaboard. |
Common terms and phrases
25 kilovolts Acela Express Amtrak articulated trains bi-level Brussels built Channel Tunnel Cisalpino construction conventional DC debuted diesel double-ended East Coast Mainline engineering Eurostar fast faster fastest train fleet France French TGV Gare Germany hertz high speeds high-speed line high-speed railway high-speed routes high-speed service high-speed trains horsepower ICE-1 trains Intercity 225 InterCity Express Japan Joetsu Line kilometers per hour Köln LGV routes livery loading gauge maximum speed Metroliner miles per hour multiple-unit north of Tokyo Northeast Corridor nose Nozomi Paris Paris-Lyon passenger cars passenger train Pendolino power car railroad regular service revenue service ridership Sanyo Line Series 200 trains Shinkansen routes Shinkansen trains SNCF station streamlined TALGO TGV Atlantique TGV design TGV Duplex TGV PSE trains TGV Réseau TGV trains Thalys three-phase AC propulsion tilting train tion Tohoku Line Tokaido Line top speed train designs train sets trains feature