Bullet trains coming to the UK

[TimberWolf]

Meridian can reveal the Government will announce an order for one billion pounds worth of new Japanese style bullet trains within the next week for Great Western services
Bullet trains for Thames Valley | Meridian - ITV News

Japanese bullet trains: Blow for British industry as Government puts in £1billion order | Mail Online

Is the Great Western rail track currently electrified?

It sounds like a major leap forward for the oldest and perhaps the most derided, expensive, shoddy, unreliable and tulipest rail network in the western world (HS1 excepted), except:

In Japan they run as fast as 225 miles an hour but will be limited to 125 here because the track is only built take trains of that speed.

[Doggy Styles]

What's the point of buying 225 mph trains if they can only travel at 125 in the UK?

[TimberWolf]

What's the point of buying 225 mph trains if they can only travel at 125 in the UK?

Maybe the tracks are going to be seen to in the near future? Not sure what the issue is with the tracks on the Great Western line, which I thought was fairly straight.

[moggy]

What's the point of buying 225 mph trains if they can only travel at 125 in the UK?

about the same as buying a car that can do 150mph - when no ones looking the driver can enjoy himself.

[SimonMac]

I thought they were Maglev systems?

[d000hg]

What's the point of buying 225 mph trains if they can only travel at 125 in the UK?

125 is just fine in a country this size. The problem isn't that trains can only do 125mph, it's that most of the time they can't do 125mph.

Although I wonder how much time would be gained by trains which could accelerate/brake to 125 more quickly.

[TimberWolf]

There was an interesting program in TV yesterday about the Frenchies new AGV, though I don't remember much about it now except that it's faster and more efficient than the current French trains of which even they make our fleet look like something embarrassing designed in the 1970s.

And that a conical wheels self centre, as one might expect, but the smaller diameter side of the cone faces towards the outside of the track, which isn't so obvious.

[SimonMac]

125 is just fine in a country this size. The problem isn't that trains can only do 125mph, it's that most of the time they can't do 125mph.

Although I wonder how much time would be gained by trains which could accelerate/brake to 125 more quickly.

I thought the limitation was more the track rather than the train, the need over head electricity rather than the currant (no pun intended) electrified third rail in use my most lines, also the HS2 debacle showed that the track should be perfectly straight as much as possible to maintain these high speeds

[BlasterBates]

Good decision. UK trains are and always have been cr*p, think railway version of the Austin Princess, German and French trains are great, but those Jap bullet trains are just "fantasmic".

A lot of the work will be done in the UK, so there is no real reason to have run around in some shoddy half baked piece of junk just so you can say it's British engineering.

[Paddy]

Japanese bullet trains: Blow for British industry as Government puts in £1billion order | Mail Online

Is the Great Western rail track currently electrified?

It sounds like a major leap forward for the oldest and perhaps the most derided, expensive, shoddy, unreliable and tulipest rail network in the western world (HS1 excepted), except:

The train companies can’t even maintain their current stock. The number of times that trains are delayed or cancelled because the doors do not work is countless. Moreover the track is too bumpy and the worst I have ever known it signals fail on a daily basis. Privatisation has brought in the minimum of maintenance and poorest standards in order to produce the maximum profits.