Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
15
IN OUR FUTURE?
Many Americans are still surprised to learn that people in other
parts of the world are routinely riding trains comfortably and
safely at speeds approaching and even surpassing 200 miles per
hour. What's really amazing is that it's all being done with tra-
ditional technology: electric locomotives taking power from an
overhead wire to pull cars with steel wheels along steel rails.
That's the way railroads have been running their fastest trains
for 100 years, and although exotic new technology is certainly
out there, that's probably how we'll be doing it for a while. What
mystifies people around the world is that, so far, the United States
is not part of this transportation renaissance. After all, we've
been a leader in the field that dates back 200 years to John Fitch's
steamboat and includes the Wright brothers, Henry Ford, Neil
Armstrong, and a thousand others in between.
Is Everyone Else Wrong?
The fact is that every other industrialized country in the world
has seen the advantages of a rapid and efficient passenger rail
system. Most countries have already built such systems and are
253
Search WWH ::
Custom Search