Science NIE ACTIVITY Science Matters!

is a series presented in
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MATTERS!
Science and Engineering and the
The Discovery Museum.
For more information, visit www.ctcase.org
… IN CONNECTICUT or call 860.571-7143.

HIGH-SPEED RAIL
By Herbert S. Levinson

The earliest trains (approx. 1830-1900) used steam locomotives that burned coal for
power, with top speeds generally below 60 miles per hour (mph). Trains powered by
WORDS TO KNOW
Locomotive – A self-propelled vehicle (usually electric or diesel powered) that pulls or
electricity emerged at the start of the 20th century, with most using overhead catenary pushes train cars along a track.
for power supply. Diesel-electric trains became common by 1940. Until the mid-1960s,
Catenary – An overhead wire used to transmit electricity to trains.
most U.S. train speeds topped out at about 80 mph. Today, high-speed trains in Europe
and Asia can exceed 200 mph. Improvements to existing technology led to trains that Diesel-electric trains – Trains that run via a diesel engine that connects to an electrical
can travel at higher speeds. This includes advances in locomotive and car design (approx. generator.
125 mph) and dedicated tracks that allow even higher speeds (150-180 mph). High-Speed Trains – Passenger trains with speeds of 150 miles per hour or more.
Having more people move more quickly by rail helps reduce the burning of fossil fuels Fossil fuels – Any combustible organic material, such as oil, coal, or natural gas, derived
from the remains of former life.
that contribute to pollution. Accordingly, transportation planners and railroad advocates
are working to expand high-speed passenger rail service between major cities – both Transportation Planners – People involved with the evaluation, assessment, design and
along new and existing rail tracks. Plans are in progress to expand and improve the siting (location) of transport facilities.
Acela train service in the Northeast Corridor. A high-speed rail line connecting Acela Train – Amtrak’s high-speed rail service that runs along the Northeast Corridor.
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland and Sacramento, Calif., is in advanced planning Northeast Corridor – Fully electrified railway line that serves cities and towns of the
stages, and faster service on improved tracks between Chicago and St. Louis is under Northeast United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through New
way. In Connecticut, the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield line is being upgraded and York, Philadelphia and Baltimore to Washington, D.C.
double-tracked – which will allow trains to go in both directions at the same time. Two Right-of-Way – The legal right, established by usage or grant, to pass along a specific
keys to developing high-speed rail are ensuring that there are enough customers and route through grounds or property belonging to another. In this case, right-of-way refers
adequate right-of-way. to the strip of land acquired for use by a railroad for tracks.
Another type of high-speed train technology that offers promise is called MagLev, which Magnetic Levitation (MagLev) – The suspension of an object above or below a second
stands for magnetic levitation, in which the trains actually levitate off the guide rail as object by means of magnetic repulsion or attraction.
they travel. A MagLev train operating in Shanghai travels over 250 mph.

SKILLS
Developing and running passenger railroads requires many diverse skills. These include Sites to Visit
civil, electrical, mechanical and metallurgical engineering; economic and financial US High Speed Rail Association http://www.ushsr.com/
capabilities; marketing; and management. Engineering capabilities continue to be BBC Documentary on Japanese Bullet Train http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPLx9j-bBHo
essential. Today, many types of engineers are needed to develop new high-speed American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association http://www.arema.org/
passenger rail lines and to upgrade the existing ones, including: UCONN Railroad History Archive http://railroads.uconn.edu/
Civil engineers are important to determining where and how new lines should be built Shanghai MagLev Train http://www.china-family-adventure.com/shanghai-maglev.html
and existing lines should be improved.
Electrical engineers plan and design the power systems and the propulsion systems
of trains. They also develop the signal control that regulate train speeds and minimize Common Core State Standards (CCSS): Mathematics
crashes.
• CCSS.Math.Practice.MP1, MP3, MP4, & MP5
Electrical, mechanical and metallurgical engineers design the locomotive and the
train cars. Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE): Science Framework
There are several of these types of programs at Connecticut universities. A few schools, • Scientific inquiry is a thoughtful and coordinated attempt to search out, describe, explain
such as the University of Illinois, have programs in railroad engineering. and predict natural phenomena.
• Scientific numeracy includes the ability to use mathematical operations and procedures
to calculate, analyze and present scientific data and ideas.
MEET THE ENGINEER • Various sources of energy are used by humans and all have advantages and disadvantages.
I am a transportation engineer and planner who has worked throughout the U.S. and These are just a few of the standards. For more see CSDE: Science and CSDE: Mathematics
Canada as well as several countries abroad. I grew up in Chicago where streetcars
and elevated trains fascinated me at an early age. I earned a bachelor’s degree
in civil engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology and did graduate work in
highway transportation at Yale University. This year I received an honorary doctorate
in engineering from the Illinois Institute of
Technology. As an independent consultant, my
focus is on making each means of travel safer and
making communities more accessible and livable.
In my spare time, I enjoy playing chess.