High-speedTrain
Latest
California Republicans want to block high-speed rail funding
A 14-member contingent of the California GOP have sent a letter to newly-installed Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao, asking that the DOT halt approval of a $650 million dollar grant for an electrification project that would have directly benefitted the proposed bullet train system running between San Francisco and San Jose. That grant would have gone to California's Caltrain agency (as early as this week) and be used to install a power system for the future train system. The letter cites cost increases and a lack of private funding as reasons to defund the project.
California starts building its high-speed train system
At long last, California's promised high-speed train system is becoming more than just a pipe dream. The state will break ground on the first section of track in Fresno on January 6th, creating the foundation for a 220MPH rail network that will eventually extend as far as Sacramento and San Diego. It'll be a while before you can take the train to most major cities, so don't start scheduling that vacation just yet. The first leg will be limited to the Central Valley to help with both early deployment and testing, and the initial expansion will focus on connecting the two biggest travel hubs, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Streetcar GO! controller lets you drive your own Shinkansen
We're not exactly sure how compelling a train-controlling video game would be, particularly one that allows you to control the shinkansen (high-speed train) from Hakata Station to Osaka while rolling down the tracks at (virtual) speeds of up to 300km/h (186mph). But then again, we're not sure that the Japanese could come up with a video game that would surprise us anymore, particularly after "Cooking Mama." From what we can tell, our gaming friends in Japan have just released a special controller for this train simulation game, "Streetcar GO!" for ¥6,090 ($52) -- apparently the Wiimote just didn't cut it as a proxy for a train's gear shift.
