JetTrain

The JetTrain is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

experimental high-speed passenger train

High-speed rail

High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...

created by Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....

in an attempt to make European-style high-speed service more financially appealing to passenger railways in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. It uses the same LRC

LRC (train)

LRC is a bilingual acronym for Light, Rapid, Comfortable or Léger, Rapide, et Confortable, the name of a series of lightweight diesel-powered passenger trains that were used on short- to medium-distance inter-city service in the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec...

-derived tilting

Tilting train

A tilting train is a train that has a mechanism enabling increased speed on regular rail tracks. As a train rounds a curve at speed, objects inside the train experience centrifugal force. This can cause packages to slide about or seated passengers to feel squashed by the outboard armrest due to...

carriages as the Acela Express

Acela Express

The Acela Express is Amtrak's high-speed rail service along the Northeast Corridor in the Northeast United States between Washington, D.C., and Boston via Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York...

trains that Bombardier built for Amtrak

Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

in the 1990s and a similar locomotive. Unlike the Acela, which the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

required to be powered electrically

Electric motor

An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...

by overhead lines

Overhead lines

Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...

(as are most other high-speed trains), the JetTrain was designed to use petroleum

Petroleum

Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...

based fuel to power a diesel engine

Diesel engine

A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...

and multiple turboshaft

Turboshaft

A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine which is optimized to produce free turbine shaft power, rather than jet thrust...

engines for higher speeds.

Gas turbine engines

Turbine engines use as much as 65% of their overall generated power to run the compressor at the front of the engine. This means that when the engine is set to idle, with no net energy output, the engine is still burning 65% of the fuel it would at full speed. This makes turbine engines attractive only in roles where they are run at high power settings for long periods of times, as is the case in aircraft, power generation, or long-range train service. They are generally unattractive in roles where low-power operation is common, which is why they have also been unsuccessful in automobiles.

When jet fuel

Jet fuel

Jet fuel is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is clear to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial aviation are Jet A and Jet A-1 which are produced to a standardized international specification...

was very inexpensive in the 1950s and 60s the mechanical advantages of the engine -its inherent simplicity and very light weight- made up for the increased fuel costs. In spite of their poor fuel economy during low-speed operation, notably in switchyards, the low cost of the fuel meant the engines remained attractive. Several turbine-powered low-speed train designs were introduced during the 1950s and 60s, including both passenger and cargo engines. A number of high-speed passenger trainsets were also being designed in the 1960s, including the UAC TurboTrain in North America, the British Advanced Passenger Train

Advanced Passenger Train

The Advanced Passenger Train was an experimental tilting High Speed Train developed by British Rail during the 1970s and early 1980s....

(APT) and the French TGV 001

TGV 001

TGV 001 was a high-speed railway train built in France. It was the first TGV prototype and was commissioned in 1969, to begin testing in 1972...

.

By the 1970s, especially after the 1973 oil crisis

1973 oil crisis

The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...

, these advantages were no longer enough to overcome the increased fuel costs, and most turbine based train designs disappeared. Both the TGV and APT switched to all-electric operation, with the installation of overhead lines

Overhead lines

Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...

to support them. In North America, where funding for upgraded rail lines was limited, electric operation was only an option for the busiest routes, and remains rare. Only Canadian National Railway

Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....

(CN) and Via Rail

VIA Rail

Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....

continued to run their TurboTrains into the early 1980s, before they too were replaced with diesel-electric units, such as the LRC train

LRC (train)

Another change that has taken place over the last few decades is the widespread use and standardization of head end power

Head end power

Head end power or electric train supply is a rail transport term for the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive at the front or “head” of a train or a generator car, generates all the electricity used for lighting, electrical and other...

(HEP) to provide electricity to the rest of the train for running the environmental controls and entertainment systems. Since these power requirements are fairly steady, even while the train is parked, it is not uncommon to use a separate engine just for this role, highly tuned to these operational needs.

The JetTrain expands on this idea by using the same HEP engine to provide motive power during low-speed operation, bypassing the problems with turbine fuel efficiency at low power settings. Once the train has left the switchyard the turbine engine, a 3750 kW Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150

Pratt & Whitney Canada PW100

-External links:*...

(called the ST40 in this role), is started and the train quickly accelerates to operational speed. The diesel can run the train at speeds up to 50 km/h (31 mph) (when empty), and the turbine increases that to 240 km/h (149 mph). The two engines are geared together in a single gearbox which powers a generator to provide power to four traction motors, identical to those in the all-electric Acela Express

Acela Express

The Acela Express is Amtrak's high-speed rail service along the Northeast Corridor in the Northeast United States between Washington, D.C., and Boston via Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York...

. The generator is the motor from a TGV train, run in reverse of normal operation where instead of being hooked to electric power and producing rotation, it is rotated and produces electric power.

The major advantage to using the turbines for the high-speed portion is their light weight; the turbine weighs only 400 kg (882 lb) while a conventional diesel of the same power would weigh as much as 10000 kg (22,046 lb). This lowers the weight of the power cars; the JetTrain power car is 215000 pounds (97.5 t) and had an unsprung weight per axle of 5530 pounds (2,508 kg). This compares to the widely used EMD F40PH

EMD F40PH

-Amtrak NPCU Conversions:In later years, as Amtrak's F40PH fleet was being replaced by the newer GE Genesis-series locomotives, Amtrak converted a number of the retired units—generally ones with major mechanical problems limiting their value in the resale or lease marketplace—into "Non-Power...

which weighs 260000 lb (117.9 t) with an axle weight of 8540 lb (3.9 t). This reduction in mass per axle places considerably less stress on the rails, allowing the train to operate at higher speeds without changes to the railbed."JetTrain: Existing Tracks"

With a single power car towing seven passenger cars, the JetTrain could reach 170 km/h (106 mph), although its maximum "balance speed" was 220 km/h (137 mph). With two power cars, one at the front and one at the rear, the train reaches 240 km/h (149 mph), with a maximum speed of 265 km/h (165 mph)."JetTrain: Comparison" A complete train normally consists of two power cars, one at either end, along with up to 11 passenger cars. The passenger cars are versions of the ones used on the Acela, tracing their lineage to Bombardier's LRC

LRC (train)

tilting train

Tilting train

introduced in the 1980s. In operation, the JetTrain is highly efficient. Due to its lighter weight and modern engine, the JetTrain has greenhouse gas emissions that are 30% lower than a diesel unit operating at the same speeds."JetTrain: Air Quality" The engine is practically silent even at full power - in operation the train is the same volume as the all-electric Acela."JetTrain: Noise"

History

The JetTrain originated in a 1997 Federal Railroad Administration

Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation. The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966...

(FRA) desire to develop high speed train services on routes outside the Northeast Corridor

Northeast Corridor

The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...

where route volumes might not be great enough to make electrification an option. The FRA went looking for an industrial partner who would be willing to invest on a 50/50 basis, and FRA spokesman Warren Flatau commented, "Bombardier is the company that stepped up to the plate when we put out the word we were interested in doing this project. We believe that the project holds great potential for bringing about the high speed services that people across the country are expressing a desire for." The final agreement was signed in October 1998, with the FRA and Bombardier each investing $13 million in the prototype, which was built at the new Bombardier Mass Transit Corporation plant in Plattsburgh, NY.

The prototype was completed in June 2000. Safety testing started at the FRA's Pueblo, CO test track in the summer of 2001, where it reached a maximum speed of 156 mph. The prototype was then taken on a tour of potential high speed sites. Their primary target was the Florida Overland Express

Florida High Speed Rail

Florida High Speed Rail was a proposed high-speed rail project in the U.S. state of Florida. Initial service would have run between the cities of Tampa and Orlando, with plans to then extend service to South Florida, terminating in Miami. Trains with a top speed of to would have run on dedicated...

for passenger service between Orlando and Tampa in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. In support of this program, the prototype visited Miami on 7 October 2003 and Orlando on the 11th. The system was originally slated to open in 2009, but was denied funding by a referendum

Referendum

A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...

in 2004, after the start of detail engineering stages.Florida High Speed Rail Authority

In Canada

Canada

, Bombardier and Via Rail presented a proposal to use the JetTrain on Via’s busy Quebec City-Windsor

Quebec City-Windsor Corridor

Quebec City – Windsor Corridor is the most densely-populated and heavily-industrialized region of Canada. As its name suggests, it extends from Quebec City in the east to Windsor, Ontario in the west, spanning . With more than 18 million people, it contained 51% of the country's population and...

Corridor as part of their ViaFast

ViaFast

ViaFast was an abandoned passenger rail plan that would have cut Via Rail's trip times throughout the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. ViaFast did not propose true high-speed service throughout the service area, but a series of smaller upgrades to avoid known bottlenecks and provide improved...

proposal, but were unable to obtain funding from the national government. In January 2008, the premiers of Ontario and Quebec announced a feasibility study for the Corridor, giving high speed trains another chance. The Van Horne Institute has also completed a study with Bombardier regarding the suitability of JetTrain service between the two largest cities in Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

and Calgary

Calgary

Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

.Van Horne Institute, "The Next Rail-Volution" Retrieved on 12 April 2009 Other possibilities included new lines in Texas and to Las Vegas.

In the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, the JetTrain has been proposed as a replacement for the 125 mph diesel-electric HST

British Rail Class 43 (HST)

The British Rail Class 43 is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train power cars, built by BREL from 1975 to 1982....

.Rail Magazine, issue 550, page 33 Australian rail magazines have suggested the JetTrain as a viable option for high-speed rail in Australia to supplement the XPT

CountryLink XPT

The XPT is the main long-distance passenger train used in regional New South Wales, Australia. It operates on key eastern seaboard routes including the Sydney-Melbourne and Sydney-Brisbane services...

(a version of the British HST) and Tilt Train.

However, nothing ever came of any of these proposals, and the JetTrain essentially disappeared, being superseded by the Bombardier Zefiro

Bombardier Zefiro

The Bombardier Zefiro trains are a family of high speed and very high speed passenger trains with top operating speeds from upwards. The trains are the design of Bombardier Transportation....

line of conventionally-powered high speed and very high speed trains. The JetTrain no longer appears on any of Bombardier's current web sites or promotional materials, although it can still be found on older web sites bearing the Canadair

Canadair

Canadair Ltd. was a civil and military aircraft manufacturer in Canada. It was a subsidiary of other aircraft manufacturers, then a nationalized corporation until privatized in 1986, and became the core of Bombardier Aerospace....

logos.

Bombardier more recently has begun conversations with the state government of Yucatan

Yucatán

Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....

in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

for the development of the Transpeninsular Fast Train. The project aims to connect the state capital of Merida

Merida

Places of the world named Mérida or Merida include:*Mérida, Spain, capital city of the Spanish Community of Extremadura*Mérida, Yucatán, capital city of the Mexican state of Yucatán*Merida, Leyte, a municipality in Leyte province in the Philippines...

to the tourist resorts of the Mayan Riviera like Cancun

Cancún

Cancún is a city of international tourism development certified by the UNWTO . Located on the northeast coast of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico, more than 1,700 km from Mexico City, the Project began operations in 1974 as Integrally Planned Center, a pioneer of FONATUR Cancún is a city of...

and the Mayan Ruins of Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the Municipality of Tinúm, Yucatán state, present-day Mexico....

. According to the Governor Ivonne Ortega, the train must run on diesel at an average speed of 100mph, for which Bombardier deemed suitable the use of The JetTrain.American Egypt, "Governor Turns to International Bank to Finance Bullet Train to Chichen Itza" Retrieved on 14 April 2011American Egypt, "Merida seeks to be the doorway to Chichen Itza" Retrieved on 14 April 2011Diario de Yucatan, "Autoridades avalan el tren peninsular" Retrieved on 14 April 2011

External links

JetTrain Technology, former Canadair/Bombardier official website

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Gas turbine engines

JetTrain

History

See also

Further reading

External links