The long-promised book by High-Speed Rail Canada founder Paul Langan, on the history of Bombardier's JetTrain, will now be released on December 2nd, 2024.  What can we learn from the failed attempt to have high-speed trains in Canada and USA in the early 2000's? What has changed and what challenges still remain in 2024? Author Paul Langan, does a historical review of newspaper accounts from that time as well as an interview with Lecia Stewart, who was Bombardier’s Vice-President of High-Speed Rail at the time of the JetTrain project. It will be available worldwide on Amazon.  

High-Speed Rail Canada has added a new video on the 2002 Bombardier JetTrain to their youtube channel. The JetTrain was proposed for different routes in the USA and Canada. Top speed was 240 km/h. Unfortunately, over 20yrs later, Edmonton and Calgary one of the proposed routes still does not have passenger trains. View the video HERE.

As I drove by the abandoned Rona home improvement store in my community, I wondered if the sale of Bombardier to Alstom would result in substantial job losses in Canada. In 2016, the American hardware giant Lowe’s bought Quebec-based Rona Inc. The result was the closing of 34 stores.  In 2017, the transportation giants France based multinational Alstom and Germany based multinational Siemens AG wanted to merge to fight off the growing threat of the national Chinese rail company, China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC). Bombardier was also trying to merge with Siemens AG. Siemens AG picked Alstom to merge their train divisions with. European competition authorities nixed the idea. Now France-based multinational Alstom has come to an agreement to buy the half-a-century-old train division of Bombardier Transportation for US $6.7 billion. According to the Montreal Gazette newspaper, the deal will see the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec become Alstom’s biggest shareholder ...

Environment a Priority at Lausanne Youth Olympic Games 2020 Putting the environment as a priority when hosting large scale events is a challenge. But for the organizers of the Youth Olympic Games 2020 (Lausanne) and the SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) their commitment to the environment when dealing with transportation is commendable. Bombardier Twindexx Trains for SBB For the first time in Olympic history, transport for the 1880 athletes and their thousands of accompanying persons from the Olympic Village to the competition sites will be by train. It was "very complex planning," explained SBB spokesperson Ottavia Masserini. In addition, the SBB and Lausanne2020 recommend that the public use public transport to get to the competition sites without the stress of traffic jams and without worrying about parking. Athletes and the public will be riding in style on the Bombardier built Twindexx trains.  These  are modern, comfortable, double-deck train for long-distance t...

High Speed Rail Canada adds a Bombardier Zefiro playlist to their Youtube Channel. In 2005, Bombardier announced a new series of very high speed trains called "Zefiro". Over the years this brand has included a variety of high speed trains. The trains were advertised as: Unrivalled flexibility of applications Speeds ranging from 200 to 380 km/h Flexible train length up to 429 m or 16 cars Scalable traction power Interior and exterior noise reduction Automatic train protection (ATP) for the highest levels of safety and flexibility Here is an example of the Zefiro trains that were developed and are operating. Zefiro 250 (China Railways CRH1) Zefiro 300 (Bombardier in association with AnsaldoBreda to Trenitalia, the Italian national railway)  Zefiro 380 China Railways CRH380D Zefiro Express Bombardier Zefiro Express EMU Train to Run in Sweden The latest addition to the Zefiro family is the Zefiro Express. In 2018, Bombardier Transportation o...

Opinion Column - I have blindly supported Bombardier for decades in hopes they would lead a passenger rail renewal in Canada. Sadly recent events have lead me to the conclusion that it may be time to look outside of Canada for passenger rail companies. These companies are willing to lobby the government for modern passenger rail service, build their trains here and deliver them on time. Here are a couple events in Bombardier's past.. In 2002, I advocated strongly for Bombardier and their Jet Train. They made the large financial decision to actually build a demonstration vehicle. They promoted the Jet Train for corridor use in several locations in Canada and the USA. Sadly the timing was wrong as both the Canadian and USA governments were being run by anti-passenger rail leaders in 2003 and funding was never given to buy any Jet Trains. I even supported Bombardier in 2004 when their Canadian made Las Vegas monorail had parts fall off the monorail vehicles to the gro...

Globe and Mail - While Bombardier Inc. chief executive officer Alain Bellemare is fighting a battle to save the company’s aerospace division, Laurent Troger is fighting to keep the other half of the company – the train business – competitive as Asian train companies roll into the market. Read the whole article here.   http://tinyurl.com/bombardierz

The head of Canadian train maker Bombardier said on Dec. 23 that his company would invest in Turkey’s high-speed rail network construction. Speaking to Anadolu Agency in Berlin, Bombardier head Laurent Troger said Turkey was one of the world’s most important railway markets as it connects Europe and the Middle East. As Turkey invests in a high-speed railway network to connect the Turkish capital Ankarawith other provinces, Bombardier would participate by investing in a manufacturing plant and maintenance center in the country, Troger said.  “The modernization process is proceeding very fast and government’s commitment of $45 billion investment to the railway sector boosts this importance to further levels,” said Troger, who on Dec. 9 was named president of the company. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/bombardier-plans-to-invest-in-turkeys-high-speed-rail------.aspx?pageID=238&nid=9290 9

BEIJING—A Bombardier Inc. joint venture has secured a US$165 million contract to build 80 CRH1E-250 high speed sleeper train cars for China’s fast-growing high speed rail network. Bombardier Sifang Transportation Ltd., a 50/50 partnership between the Montreal-based company and CSR Sifang Rolling Stock Co., will build the cars for China Railway Corp. http://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/procurement/bombardier-wins-us165m-high-speed-rail-car-contract-159444/

Railway Gazette International - CHINA: China Railway Corp has ordered a further 15 eight-car CRH380D high speed trainsets from Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation for 2·4bn yuan. Announcing the order on September 2, the BST joint venture of Bombardier and CSR Sifang Rolling Stock Co said it had begun delivering an initial batch of 70 CRH380D trainsets in the first quarter of this year, and the early follow-on order showed CRC’s confidence in the product. The CRH380D has eight aluminium-bodied cars, with three classes of seating and a dining car. It is designed for a maximum operating speed of 380 km/h, with Bombardier Mitrac propulsion and control systems supplied by the Bombardier CPC Propulsion System Co joint venture.

BE IJING, April 29(Reuters) - China's top two trainmakers have been in discussions with Bombardier Inc about possibly buying a controlling stake in the Canadian company's railway unit, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. China CNR Corp Ltd and state-owned CSR Corp Ltd , now in the process of merging to create the world's biggest railway company, are exploring a stake purchase of the Bombardier unit, complementing China's plan to sell its high-speed rail technology abroad, the sources said. But discussions can not move forward until after the Chinese trainmakers complete a planned $26-billion merger next month, said a person close to one of the Chinese companies.

Well Rick Mercer's fantastic video clip about Canada being a leader in high speed rail studies made me think. Exactly how many Ontario - Quebec high speed rail studies have been done? Here is the list that we have come up. Feel free to add your comments at the bottom identify the studies we have missed. 1. 1970 - Inter-City Passenger Transport Study - Canadian Transport Commission 2. 1980 - Alternative to Air: A Feasibility Concept for the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal Corridor  - Canadian Institute of Guided Ground Transportation on behalfd of the Transportation Centre of Transport Canada. 3. 1984 - High Speed Passenger Rail in Canada, VIA Rail Canada 4. 1989 - Review of Passenger Rail Transportation in Canada, VIA Rail Canada, 5. 1989 - Pre-feasibility Study of High Speed Rail Services in the Quebec-Montreal- Ottawa/Hull-Toronto Corridor, Bombardier 6. 1990 - Sprintor, Pre-feasibility Study, Windsor-Quebec Rail Corridor, ABB Canada Inc. 7. 1991 - Ontario/Quebec Rapid ...

It always makes our day when we find footage of Bombardier's Jet Train. We still hold out a slim hope that this engine will be introduced some day. For background on the Jet Train go to this good summary on the TRAINoftheWEEK BLOG .We have also added a Bombardier JET TRAIN PLAYLIST on are very popular Youtube Channel.

Bombardier Transportation has been granted a $440-million contract to design and supply major components for the next generation ICx high-speed trains for Deutsche Bahn AG. The order comes under a framework agreement with Siemens AG signed in May 2011. DB AG recently expanded its original order by an additional 170 coaches. Bombardier Transportation, a division of Montreal-based plane and train maker Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD.B), said in an announcement Monday that it will supply Siemens with all the body shells as well as trailer bogies and other components for the new ICx fleet. Bombardier will also carry out the final assembly of all end coaches and of some intermediate coaches. The steel car bodies, which promise significant reductions in energy consumption, are being developed in the Bombardier factory in Hennigsdorf, Germany, and are being manufactured in Gorlitz, Germany. Hennigsdorf is responsible for the final assembly of all ICx end coaches. Bombardier will also carry o...

Innovations in rail technology open a window to a future in which high speed is not just about travelling faster but also smarter Berlin , - Rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation presented the case for sustained investment in high speed rail at a recent seminar on high speed train technology in Beijing, China. The event was part of the Modern Railways 2012 exhibition. Johan Palm, Very High Speed (VHS) Product Manager, Bombardier Transportation, presented alongside China’s Ministry of Railways and other members of the global rail industry. He focused on the BOMBARDIER ZEFIRO family, featuring the world’s most economical and eco-friendly VHS trains, as well as the landmark Green Train research product in Sweden and the latest double deck technology that combines speed with comfort as never before. Congestion and pollution pose serious. read more http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=166681

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/bombardier-riding-a-rail-revival/article4555435/?cmpid=rss1

China's Railway Ministry changes Bombardier's order for high-speed trains

High Speed Rail Canada in cooperation with the Princess Twin Cinema present an evening full of presentations, guest speakers, and video about high speed trains. To news editors for immediate release…….. October 14th, 2010 The Princess Twin Cinema in cooperation with High Speed Rail Canada on Wednesday November 18th, 2010 at 7pm is hosting a premier high speed rail event in Waterloo Ontario . “High Speed Rail in Canada – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” will be a multimedia event featuring video, slide presentations and guest speakers from two of the largest passenger rail manufacturers in the world, Alstom and Bombardier and from High Speed Rail Canada. From a vintage 1967 promotional 4 minute film on Canada ’s legendary high speed Turbo Train to modern video of the record breaking 574km/h high speed train run in France , this event promises to educate and entertain. Guest speakers include Paul Larouche -Bombardier, Ashley Langford – Alstom and Paul Langan – High Speed Rail Canada...

It all started innocently enough. For some reason the last few months I have received several emails asking the whereabouts of Bombardier’s Jet Train. The Bombardier Jet train, with its turbine engines has not been seen since it was on display in Florida in 2003. Unfortunately, the development and introduction of the Jet Train was during a time when a guy named Bush was president in the USA and another guy named Bush the governor of Florida. Combine that bad luck with a finance minister in Canada who used to own a bus company. The end result was no money was allocated to purchase Bombardier’s Jet Train. Fast forward a few years and things have changed a whole lot in the USA with pro-rail President Obama investing in and improving existing rail corridors that would suit the Jet Train. In Canada since the government has no plan for passenger rail it is hard to imagine those in power doing anything proactive like utilizing the Jet Train to improve VIA’s present service. But if the governm...