Passenger Transportation - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 108

Japan

Japan was one of the first countries to develop modern high-speed railways. Many would credit Japan
with being the inventor of the concept because in 1964, the country launched the famous Shinkansen
(bullet train) with speeds of 132 mph (210 km/h). Many countries still have no trains running at this
speed. Today, Japan has trains running at 186 mph (300 km/h) and the most heavily traveled network.
Japan is speed record is 277 mph (443 km/h). Japan had the largest high-speed rail network in

operation until China opened 3,750 miles (6000 km) in April 2007.

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France and Europe

France is another leader in modern high-speed rail travel. The country holds the speed record of
357 mph (574.8 km/h) set April 13, 2007. France has the most developed high-speed network in
Europe. Trains have been running daily in the country at 186 mph (300 km/h) speeds since 1989 and
have encouraged construction of high-speed lines in Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, the United
Kingdom, and Spain.
Starting with the birth of France

s TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse, or High-Speed Train) in 1981, the
European train industry (led by Alstom in France and Siemens in Germany) has been on the forefront
of high-speed innovation. Streamlined design, under oor traction systems, and tilting technology have
brought the European high-speed train up to these high speeds. The factor that limits the speed of
trains now is the tracks on which they run and the different systems the countries have, which create
problems at the borders.

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China

The Shanghai Maglev Train has connected Shanghai and Pu Dong International Airport since March
2004. Imported from Germany, it has an operational speed of 268.7 mph (430 km/h). China has an
aggressive high-speed rail program and in April 2007 opened several high-speed rail lines between
major cities. These lines made China the country with the world

' s largest high-speed rail network,

moving it from last place to first place in network size.

Train Travel as a Tourist Attraction

Trains can provide a romantic and intriguing way to spend a holiday. Top tourist trains such as the
Palace on Wheels in India; Blue Train in South Africa; Glacier Express in Switzerland; Orient Express in
France and Austria; Copper Canyon in Mexico; Rocky Mountaineer in Canada; Ghan in Australia; Royal
Scotsman in Scotland; Trans Siberian Railway in Russia, Mongolia, and China; West Highland Railway
in the United Kingdom; and Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado are just a few
of the world-class train experience vacations.

THE MOTORCOACH INDUSTRY

The American Bus Association (ABA) reports that there are over 35,000 commercial motorcoaches
in use for charters, tours, regular route service, and special operations in North America. The buses
carry over 752 million passengers a year. Carriers involved in the regular-route part of the industry
operate approximately 8,000 to 10,000 over-the-road intercity coaches. Buses perform a wide range
of services, with half of industry mileage on scheduled intercity services, one-third on charters, and the
rest on tours, private commutes, airport shuttles, and others.
In 2008, were driven about 1.8 billion miles, with the average bus traveling

51,868 miles. More than half of motorcoach passengers are students and senior citizens.

motorcoaches