Bruce Gagnon is coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space.
He offers his own reflections on organizing and the state of America's declining empire....
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Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Built in Bath?
China is experiencing a breakthrough in high-speed rail. China Railway High-speed trains (HCR) close the 1,318 km distance from Beijing to Shanghai in just 4 hours and 18 minutes, reaching up to 350 km per hour. Since its high-speed rail program started in 2007, new lines have been sprouting up all over the country, which already boasts the largest high-speed network in the world by far.
A young journalist from Belarus travels for work with RTD on the new Fuxing, or Rejuvenation, train while a rural Chinese pensioner takes a much-anticipated pleasure trip on the previous generation Hexie or Harmony trains. RTD also visits a plant where the trains are built with one of its technicians and hears from a designer about the challenges involved in building a train for the 21st century.
Imagine if these were built in Bath, Maine at the current naval shipyard. Instead of 'destroyers' we could build something useful that helps us get out of carbon spewing automobiles.
It's a fascinating video.
ReplyDeleteAs a kid, I remember when my father [exec. Director of the Northern Berkshires Development Corporation][whose family roots lie in ship-builders in Bath 8 generations ago] brought in a few manufacturing reps from a company in Canada and we saw their product tested on the snow-covered access road up to the top of Mt. Greylock (3500_ feet). Notch Road… you can look it up. (It winds past the reservoir above Harriman Airport.) I think I still have a clipping.
The company was Bombardier. The product was one of the first snowmobiles, a SkiDoo. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardier_Recreational_Products
Bombardier Inc. - Wikipedia
In 2005, it launched the Bombardier Zefiro high-speed rail, with speeds of 200-380 kilometres per hour, for the Ministry of Railways (China).
“… “Replacing old rail cars is part of a comprehensive plan to improve the Red and Orange Lines that include improvements to aging tracks, signals, and other infrastructure, with the goal of providing a first-class transit system that meets the needs of our customers.”
“We are very appreciative of the largest railway car manufacturing company in the world, CRRC, building their North American base right here in Springfield,” said Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno. “The creation of hundreds of good paying jobs, the spin-off benefits to our vendors, the linkage to our students at Putnam Vocational Technical Academy, Western New England University and the use of our labor unions’ workforce spreads the wealth. Also, I’m very thankful to Governor Baker, state and city officials for their continued belief and investment in our Springfield.”
https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/rapid-transit/massachusetts-rail-car-manufacturing-return-next-stop-china/
“Replacing old rail cars is part of a comprehensive plan to improve the Red and Orange Lines that include improvements to aging tracks, signals, and other infrastructure, with the goal of providing a first-class transit system that meets the needs of our customers.”
“We are very appreciative of the largest railway car manufacturing company in the world, CRRC, building their North American base right here in Springfield,” said Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno. “The creation of hundreds of good paying jobs, the spin-off benefits to our vendors, the linkage to our students at Putnam Vocational Technical Academy, Western New England University and the use of our labor unions’ workforce spreads the wealth. Also, I’m very thankful to Governor Baker, state and city officials for their continued belief and investment in our Springfield.”
BoyDownTheLane