High-speed rail in The Furbish Islands

High speed rail in The Furbish Islands consists of a network of lines connecting many major Furbish cities.

History

During the Second Great War, several Furbish military planners believed new higher speed railways will help the military logistic network. This view was shared by planners in Fluvannia. In 1941, the Fluvannian firm XXX, and Furbish firms Dubuisson and Richard Melberg and Associates, drew up plans for trains that can travel up to 300-350 m/h (210-245 km/h), along with plans for networks in their respective countries. The Furbish government approved the construction of a test track which was completed in 1943, and approved construction of a line between Boston and Noorderstein later that year, called the Hubert Brinkers High-Speed Railway. Construction was to be managed by the Furbish Railway Company and carried out by Bohšsa & Šakvin, Krumperman Broers, and Richard Melberg and Associates.

The rolling stock, called the Flying Onslander, was built by Furbish based Dubuisson and Fluvannian based XXX, and could travel at 300 m/h (210 km/h), but the railroads were built to accommodate faster speeds as companies believed technology will improve. Though the railroad was not originally intended to carry passengers, the Furbish government amended the plans to connect to train stations inside major cities as well as factories and military bases along the route and ordered the companies to make a passenger version of the trains.

Revenue passenger service began on the Hubert Brinkers High-Speed Railway shortly after the end of the Second Great War in mid-1946. It cut travel times between the two cities in half, from 6 hours on the conventional track to 4 on the stopper service and 3 on the express. The service not only became an immediate commercial success, but it was also far more popular than expected. As part of the postwar recovery plans, Furbish government approved the construction of more lines: extension of the Hubert Brinkers Line to La Nouvelle-Lyon (which later became the Northwest High-Speed Railway), the XXX High-Speed Railway from Boston to Angoulême, the XXX High-Speed Railway from Deventer to Kitchener, and the Trans-Nyevestligeland High-Speed Railway (nicknamed the Viking Line) from Stoholm to Holmsbu. Local and regional routes were prioritized over the cross-country routes in the original plans, as air travel was believed to be better for long distances. By the end of 1975, XXX miles (XXX km) of high-speed rail lines existed in Isla Sin Valor and Tasmana, carrying XXX million passengers in that year.

In 1973 The Furbish Islands passed the Railroad Liberalization Act, which opened its entire railroad network, including high-speed rail, to competition from private companies. It also split the Railway Management Company from the Furbish Railway Company, with the former maintaining tracks and controlling dispatching while the latter operated trains. The law's effects would not be seen until the end of the Third Great War, but it would prove successful as ridership increased drastically, and it would become a model for liberalization in other countries.

The oil crisis faced by The Furbish Islands during the Third Great War caused the government to reevaluate plans for the network. A new focus was made on long distance connections and connections to previously unconnected islands. As part of the postwar recovery plans, two long distance lines were planned, a north-south line between Fredericksburg and Urdaneta, and an east-west line that goes between Boston and XXX. These lines included already completed lines and new sections. The recovery plan also had the Furbish Railway Company invest in high-speed sleeper trains and a budget high-speed train service. Loans were offered to them and to private companies to start train services. Later governments began funding even more ambitious high-speed rail projects, including several undersea tunnels.

Lines in operation

Existing lines

Line	Connected cities/stations	Opening	Operational top speed	Length
Hubert Brinkers High-Speed Railway	Boston-McIntire · Bristol · Plymouth · Noorderstein	2/6/1946	500 m/h 349.4 km/h

Under construction

Line	Connected cities/stations	Opening	Operational top speed	Length
Boston Bay Tunnel	Birmingham · Penistone	2030	500 m/h 349.4 km/h

Rolling stock

Name	Operators	Family	Manufacturer	Maximum speed			In Service	Notes	Picture
				Operated	Designed	Record
Faucon		Faucon	Dubuisson	500 m/h 349.4 km/h	600 m/h 419.3 km/h		2022	EMU
Flèche 1		Flèche	Dubuisson				1995	EMU
Flèche 2		Flèche	Dubuisson				2004	EMU
Flèche 3		Flèche	Dubuisson				2013	EMU
Grande Flèche 1		Grande Flèche	Dubuisson				2003	EMU, double-decker
Grande Flèche 2		Grande Flèche	Dubuisson				2011	EMU, double-decker
Grande Flèche 3		Grande Flèche	Dubuisson				2020	EMU, double decker
Grande Vitesse 1		Grande Vitesse	Dubuisson Fleming G&M Macks Brothers				1978	Locomotive hauled
Grande Vitesse 2		Grande Vitesse	Dubuisson Fleming G&M Macks Brothers				1987	Locomotive hauled
Grande Vitesse 2T		Grande Vitesse	Dubuisson Fleming G&M Macks Brothers				1991	Locomotive hauled, double-decker
G1000		G4X	Gunneman				1992	EMU
G2000		G4X	Gunneman				1999	EMU
NT 1		NT	Dasseler Fleming Watton Werfel				1981	Locomotive hauled
NT 2		NT	Dasseler Fleming Watton Werfel				1988	Locomotive hauled
Zwaardvis 1		Zwaardvis	SBB				1989	EMU
Zwaardvis 2		Zwaardvis	SBB				1997	EMU
Zwaardvis 3		Zwaardvis	SBB				2003	EMU
Zwaardvis 4		Zwaardvis	SBB				2008	EMU
Zwaardvis 5		Zwaardvis	SBB				2015	EMU
Zwaardvis 6		Zwaardvis	SBB				2021	EMU