Shinkansen operator JR East to advise HS2

[upnorth71]

ONLY two weeks after Hitachi said it was moving its global rail headquarter to London, high speed rail operator East Japan Railway (JR-East) announced today it is to open offices in the City– initially with what it described as a ‘landmark contract’ with HS2 Ltd, but with the clear aim of doing business long-term with Britain’s booming rail industry, as well as with other European suppliers.

...Prof McNaughton said of particular importance was JR-East’s experience of running trains off its high speed network onto the ‘classic’ system, which would help HS2 and Network Rail in planning how best to serve towns and cities not directly on the planned ‘Y’ network.

The initial contract will see JR-East advising HS2 on a range of technical issues – including aerodynamics in tunnels, reducing noise from pantographs and helping decide whether to use slab or ballasted tracks – to long-term planning for reliability and station management, especially how best to look after passengers on a busy system.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/04/03-japanese-operator-agrees-hs2-contract.html

 

[higthomas]

Glad to hear that HS2 is going to be getting advice from the best. Although I wonder how they have much experience in running high speed trains onto the classic network, since they are different gauges? :?

 

[TheKnightWho]

Glad to hear that HS2 is going to be getting advice from the best. Although I wonder how they have much experience in running high speed trains onto the classic network, since they are different gauges? :?

Dual gauge track onto the mini-Shinkansen, I believe?

EDIT:

It seems like they have experience with narrow loading gauges, as they've converted lines to standard gauge without increasing the loading gauge. Perfect experience for dealing with the sort of thing we have here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini-shinkansen

 

[higthomas]

Seems like a good idea, I couldn't seem to find any info on this, but do you know how that worked with regards to other trains to other places on those lines, or are the mini-Shinkansens the only ones that use them?

 

[TheKnightWho]

Seems like a good idea, I couldn't seem to find any info on this, but do you know how that worked with regards to other trains to other places on those lines, or are the mini-Shinkansens the only ones that use them?

I suspect they're the only ones, due to the gauge having been converted. Although they also have a Gauge Change Train in the works, which is quite interesting.

 

[gordonthemoron]

doesn't Spain already use gauge changing? Why import experience from the other side of the world when there's plenty across the channel (France, Spain & Germany)?

 

[DownSouth]

doesn't Spain already use gauge changing?

Yes, but I wouldn't think their technology (or the other systems used in Eastern Europe) would be of much use in Japan where the gauge changes in question are Cape (1067mm) and Standard (1435mm) rather than Iberian (1668mm) or Russian (1524mm) and Standard.

Why import experience from the other side of the world when there's plenty across the channel (France, Spain & Germany)?

To get the best expertise rather than the most convenient. The convenience will come anyway once the offices in London are opened.

 

[gordonthemoron]

who built HS1?

 

[DownSouth]

Are you suggesting that HS1 is such a paragon of excellence, efficiency and reliability that HS2 can do without any consideration of how to do things better?

You should have posted that on Tuesday morning.

 

[TheGrew]

I think getting some Japanese input into HS2 would be good. The Japanese network has far more in common with HS2 than many of the European networks.

 

[gordonthemoron]

HS2 bears more than a passing resemblance to the High Speed line between Frankfurt Airport and Siegburg-Bonn, also the line under construction between Nuremberg and Berlin

 

[WatcherZero]

who built HS1?

Swiss Bank S. G. Warburg, Bechtel (US engineering firm), London Electric (power company, since taken over by EDF) and National Express were the contract winners. By the time of construction it was Arup, Bechtel, Halcrow, Systra, EDF, National Express, SNCF.