Themiclesian High Speed Rail
Themiclesian High Speed Railway (abbreviated THSR) is a high-speed inter-city railway network and operation in Themiclesia, consisting of three trunk lines and a number of branch lines that do not have high-speed service but are designed to connect its users to the closest HSR station. It exists and operates in parallel to Themiclesia's conventional railway, which has roughly 80 times THSR's mileage. Its total cost to date is estimated to be over OSD$200 bn, though total costs have never been tallied. As of 2017, THSR's routes total over 2,000 miles in length, the last addition being made in 1980. Themiclesian railway legislation defines the term "high-speed railway" as any line capable of passenger service at or exceeding 121 MPH (194 km/h), the speed limit on the express main lines.
History
Precursors and Proposals
High-speed railway service is a concept that is almost as old as railway itself in Themiclesia. In 1837, when the first railway line opened in the port city of Ghwap-bow', an express service was already offered, though it did not achieve that effect by running any faster, but by stopping at fewer stations, where other trains would be shunted away to await its passage. After the nationalization of railways in the 1890s, express service was extended to all trunk lines, which connected all major cities at that point; Tuehn-ghwang was connected in 1887. Limited express services were added in 1902, stopping at as few as one or two stations and using the fastest possible locomotives. In 1924, the Inland Main Line and Coastal Main Line were expanded as 4-track route, with the inner tracks reserved for fast-moving passenger traffic. By 1959, demanding schedules required steam-hauled ltd. exp. trains to hit 110 MPH consistently on the long, straight tracks between major cities, and the C30 series locomotives surpassed that requirement by a significant margin, often achieving 120 MPH in regular service on good days. Diesel locomotives were unable to deliver the same speed without serious technical issues, though their ability to haul long, heavy trains certainly found themselves a place in freight service.
Further speed improvements were ruled out quite promptly by the National Railway Company, since existing main lines were already straightened as much as realistically possible and laid with the heaviest rail (92kg/m), at tremendous expense; attempting to straighten the tracks even more could only be accomplished by completely relaying the greater part of the route, which would be prohibitively disruptive to all traffic and not worth its costs to gain marginally faster speeds. Steam technology also seemed to have been perfected, with few promising leads towards better performance. Electricity and diesel were both previously considered, but diesel was disqualified for express passenger service due to an inability to produce gearing that would operate stably at the speeds required, leaving electricity as the sole viable option for swifter passenger transport. Electrifying the Inland Main Line would also disrupt the IML's railway traffic to an unacceptable extent, so electrification was abandoned as a concept in 1950, though branch lines, formerly serviced by tank engines, were electrified and saw the introduction of EMUs, or where not done, of DMUs.
Yet by the mid-1950s, the post-war boom led to exponential growth in railway ridership, and the IML, already a 4-track route, was utilized beyond design capacity, creating a multitude of maintenance difficulties, which could not be easily addressed as trains still ran at night and even a brief interruption for maintenance work would be intolerable and disastrous. Starting in 1955, various proposals were tabled before the Board of Governors of the NRC, and electric multiple units (EMU) were favoured as having the best potential to equal the performance of the best steam engines of the age. As it was absolutely essential to keep the IML running, the NRC decided to construct an entirely new route expressly designed for EMUs, with the stated hope that one day they would be able to surpass steam technology as far as speed was concerned; this would be no mean task, as Themiclesia's fastest running EMU, the K6, used for lengthy branch line express services, could only achieve 75 MPH in 1957. The project, billed the "Electrified Main Line" (電化幹線) was publicly announced in 1957.
Construction
Land acquisition began the same year as the project was legitimized by the NRC; with a purely inter-city traffic to service, urban areas were avoided both to create a straighter line between the two termini and to suppress purchase costs; however, it was elected to integrate the THSR stations with existing railways stations to encourage ridership. A rigorous bidding war ensued between several major contractors, which slightly delayed the contracting process but resulted in marginally lower prices. The line consisted of land sections, elevated sections, and tunnels underground and through mountain ranges. Construction began in 1958 and would last more than four years, before the last piece of track was laid in late 1963, totalling 552 miles.
Since the line only passed through three major cities, and the eventual route was level enough, most of the tracks were laid on land and not elevated, brining its own set of complications (such as provision of fences, level crossings, and dealing with soft terrain). Sections in the cities were mostly laid underground, with some parts as deep as 30 meters underground, to minimize disturbance to buildings on the surface and their foundations. Integration was carefully planned in cities with large train stations. In Kien-k'ang, for example, THSR platforms were located eight stories under the station, as several railways already converged there. Engineering challenges in integrating THSR facilities with existing and often cramped premises were perceived by contemporaries to be achievements as momentous as completing the longest bridges over rivers.
Testing
Testing commenced in December, 1963 on schedule and continued until the end of 1966. The initial phase saw unmanned trains (except engineer) operating at very low speeds (3 MPH), with more trains added later to test its signal blocking system, which was done eletronically with the aid of a computer system. Speed and intensity were stepped up until they reached 105% of desired operational speed (127 MPH) through 1964; then, the process was repeated with live passengers. The NRC allocated additional temporal allowances of several months, during which the public were invited to ride the trains for a reduced fare at operational speeds, though these services were subject to occasional interruptions, to uncover and resolve the last of operational problems after technical ones had been resolved.
Amongst the issues that surfaced during testing, the media covered with at great length the inability of the pantograph to make consistent contact with the overhead power lines; this issue in fact was resolved rather quickly as the tension of the power lines and pantograph were attuned optimal levels. Such issues were generally quickly resolved as a solution to one instance could be applied generally. Issues in track quality also received much coverage, and many segments had to be re-laid in order to reduce misalignment and temperature issues that were not considered in sufficient detail when the railway was designed. Eventually, the engineering team resorted to using track segments of slightly differnt lengths to combat warping. NCR anticipated testing to last one year at most, yet three fully
lapsed before the line passed all safety tests that the government imposed. The NCR's attitude towards safety, sometimes at fiscal expense and that of public criticism, continues in its later enterprises; particularly, the NCR would later require almost all lines to be tested continuously for one full year, no matter the length, so that they could experience all seasonal climatic conditions and thereby expose any shortcomings in design.
The most critical failure came in the winter of 1963, when it was discovered that erratic signalling was caused by insufficient insulation of wires carrying digital information to and from the central computer; moisture crystalized in the frigid Themiclesian snow and breached the plastic insulators, causing shorts on what experts estimated to be over 65,000 locations. The NRC announced that it will essentially re-do the entire digital infrastructure with this requirement in mind; the lines were then used for higher-speed motor tests without signalling, with only one train travelling on the entire track at any given time. In mid-1964, after a 6-month hiatus on signalling testing, a new system was installed and survived the winter of 1964, which was when the line was released for live passenger testing.
Though initial tests were embattled with issues, fortunately none were hurt in its process. When the Chairman of the NRC Board of Governors was confronted with the comment that the public were eager to use the service still in testing, while the NRC would not open it pending a seemingly unending series of tests, he replied, "We know that the public are eagre, but we are more eager still." In Jan. 1967, after four whole years of testing, the THSR was opened by the Prime Minister, after an issue-free year in live passenger and operational testing.
Later Expansion and Improvements
Expansion of the THSR network was in construction before the first line had been completed, and the Traverse Main Line (TML) was equally over-burdened with passenger traffic as the IML. Naturally, it was selected as the second trunk line to be relieved by an HSR service. Construction began in 1964 and ended in 1968, with testing to early 1971. With the experience of the first line, construction sped up considerably, though land acquisition and route planning proved more challenging on the narrow isthmus between Kien-k'ang and Ghwap-bow'; nevertheless, the very flat landscape made for a relatively straightforward construction; special attention was paid to protecting electrical equipment from saline erotion due to their proximity to the seas. A third line linked the coastal and manufacturing cities of Tuanning and Kwang'-tu, inaugurated in 1980. This line was parallel to the Coastal Main Line in several parts, making it slightly less direct than others, due to the more densely-settled demographic of the coastal area. It also intersected the line; a transfer station was planned at the intersection. Meanwhile, the terminus in Glak-lang was moved to Drjang-'an in 1975, after the line had been extended there.
In terms of speed, advances in breaking and motor technology made higher speeds possible and also controllable; more sophisticated aerodynamics held a crucial role in ensuring operational stability. Ballastless tracks were introduced in the 1980s to the end that the maximum speed on the Drjang-'an to Kwang'-tu Line increased by 25 MPH, though this was not extended to the second and third lines until the 90s. Since then, THSR operated at 190 MPH across the entire network.
Railway Network
Aside from the principal expectation of relieving the over-burdened IML ltd. exp. services, the initial niche of the THSR was competition against domestic air travel; the lack of road infrastructure between airports and the cities they serviced (generally some distance apart) made air travel rather cumbersome. The NCR hoped to replace air travel with slower but more convenient railway travel, disembarking from which the traveller was already at the centre of town. This is reflected in both route layout and station locale. Few cities outside the most populous and commercially important ones possessed stations, the presence of which generally meant the route had to take a detour from the most economical and speedy one possible. The opportunity to develop a settlement by means of placing a station in its vicinity was evidently not deeply considered.
In later development, railway lines were planned to relieve the lines operating closest to or over capacity, such a policy is to ensure that the new THSR line will have a nigh-guaranteed source of ridership.
Statistics of the networks are as follows:—
| Line | Route | Year started | Year Completed | Total mileage | Max. speed (MPH) | # of stations | Avg. station distance (mi) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IML HSR | Glak-lang to Kwang'-tu | 1959 | 1967 | 775.5 | 210 | 16 | 65 | |
| TML HSR | Kien-k'ang to Ghwap-bow' | 1965 | 1971 | 762.3 | 200 | 14 | 52 | |
| IML HSR Extension | Drjang-'an to Glak-lang | 1971 | 1975 | 762.3 | 200 | 3 | 59 | |
| CML HSR | Tuan-ning to Kwang'-tu | 1974 | 1980 | 510 | 200 | 10 | 51 |
Major Stations
On the Drjang-'an to Kwang'-tju Line
| Station | Drjang-'an | Trjo-tju | Rak-lang | Sjin-'an | Kien-k'ang | Tsjins-'an | Kwe-rjom | Kwang'-tju |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mileage | 0 | 132 | 270 | 338 | 423 | 523 | 680 | 775 |
On the Kien-k'ang to Ghwap-bow' Line
| Station | Kien-k'ang | Kju'-krong | Gwrei-neng | Rjem-hme | Rjan-ghwjon | Rjem-tsrji | Gupple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mileage | 0 | 80 | 202 | 390 | 502 | 641 | 762 |
On the Tuan-ning to Kwang'-tju Line
| Station | Tuan-ning | Tung-lang | Nga-hjeng | Gwaps-kii | Rjem-hme | Sjen-gwai | Nem-hme' | Kwang'-tju |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mileage | 0 | 49 | 102 | 164 | 258 | 372 | 453 | 510 |
Station Architecture
Most stations newly constructed for the THSR were designed by a single architect, Eric E. Ericson of the Organized States. Ericson described himself as a man of many contradictions and compromises, and in his work one easily sees harmoniously combined elements of classical, modernist, and brutalist architecture. He drew inspiration from the traditional form of the train station, with its long, wide concourses, tall open spaces, and striking simplicity; yet he also found many architectural elements of the classical school overly "artificial and spurious" as they were applied in Casaterran train stations in the 19th Century. In addition, he also adored the generous use of glass and the streamlining of heavy stone pillars by steel arches and girders. When commissioned to design 4 stations for the first THSR line, he asked the authorities to find a backup architect in case he could not finish on time; eventually, he offered his designs three months before the deadline.
The four stations he created consisted of masterfully incorporated grand concourses, mostly covered by glass, supported by steel girders, and supported by angular concrete columns. Classical influence were provided whenever he found them convenient and appealing, often by partial arches, abstracted capitals, and flourishes in bas-relief. The exteriors were made to Classical proportions but executed with concrete and glass, with patches of brick for accent and character. Moreover, the station buildings were unobtrusive and pleasant to the eye. Critically acclaimed, Ericson was invited for the second and third time in 1969 and 1977 to apply his genius and artistry to the stations on the two newer lines. In total, 15 stations were designed by his hand, and existing stations that were to host THSR services also received renovations by him in the sections used by THSR. Though initially comically scaled for the towns they serviced, later patrons came to appreciate the space that Ericson granted to the station buildings; as those cities grew, partly to the credit of THSR, passenger volume doubled between 1968 and 1990, filling the once deserted concourses with travellers.
Station Layout
Designed by a single architect, all stations possessed a long, wide concourse separated by pillars into three or five corridors lenghwise. THSR tracks generally ran parallel to the length of the concourse on its rear. Ticketing booths are scattered throughout the track-side of the station, against its rear wall, discouraging queues concentrated in a single section. THSR ticketing was done electronically and centrally from its very inception, a mainframe computer having been ordered as early as 1964 for this very purpose; ticketers each have access to a video terminal, through which vacancies are searched and seats reserved. Most stations have dedicated underground parking lots, and long-term parking is available in nearby lots. A circular driveway is generally present before the station building, with reserved lanes for buses and taxis. Benches are common throughout stations, and on their underside a pair of electrical outlets are available.
After purchasing tickets, travellers must pass through a gate located between the rear wall to have their tickets clipped for admittance; such gates are present on the entire length of the wall joining the station to the platform, though during times of lower traffic some gates may not be manned and thus are not operational. After being admitted to the platform, which is always wide and covered with a glass canopy, four underpasses are available, distributed across the platforms' length, if the traveller needs to access the other platform(s). Ericson specifically required each station to have four underpasses situated at identical positions as to preserve the uniformity he desired to see in his designs. Electronic Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) are found natively on the platforms, with parts of the stations' architecture specifically meant for their installation. If a traveller does not care for carrying his own luggage onboard a train, redcaps are usually available for a tip. Amenities such as newspaper stands are ubiquitously present on THSR platforms.
Security
Due to the rise of terrorism in Septentrion, the NRC has studied extensively how to implement security measures without inconveniencing passengers; however, in the absence of any consensus on the level of security required and the extent to which passenger conveneince can be sacrificed, the only security measure implemented so far is the addition of a police booth and emergency telephones at each station.
Depots
- Glak-lang Depot
- Kien-k'ang Depot
- Drjang-'an Depot
- Kwang'-tu Depot
- Ghwap-bow' Depot
Testing Facility
Operation
Scheduling
THSR operates both daytime and nighttime services, with at least one departure in each direction per half-hour during daytime, and more frequently during peak hours and holidays. Trains depart in both directions from the termini between 5:00 each morning and 11:00 at night; the time outside of which is dedicated to maintenance tasks, such as track grinding, and construction.
Currently, THSR trains operate according to two speeds, dubbed the Electric Express (E. Exp.) and the Electric Limited Express (E. Ltd.) There is no difference between the rolling stock or maximum operation speeds assigned to these two categories; they differ only in the number of calls along their routes— E. Exp. stop at every station, while E. Ltd. only at major cities, of which there are only four or five on each route. These two categories were only instituted in 1982, after dozens of new stations were constructed on the lines, hampering the total travel time in an age when all services stopped at all stations. Passengers could also purchase through tickets from origin to the next stop serviced by an E. Ltd. train and vice versa. The ratio between E. Exp. and E. Ltd. services are roughly 2.5:1; that way, more communities could be served, while competitiveness against air travel was retained for those who needed it.
Classes of Service
THSR offers currently offers two classes of service, Standard and Business Classes. Originally, a First Class existed, but it was cancelled in 1973. Unlike the conventional railway, which possesses carriages split between classes, the THSR's rolling stock are all single-class carriages. The First/Second/Third Class nomenclature was abolished in 1970, as part of fare restructuring, and replaced with the modern Standard/Business Class.
Standard Class
This is the usual class of service on the THSR, accounting for a majority of the rolling stock. Seats are arranged in a 2 + 2 abreast per row, and there are 18 rows per car. The pitch is 1200mm, comparable to the prototypical Second Class service on the conventional railway, and most amenities are derived from that class too, such as cushioned seats with a small pillow, cup holder, overhead stowage room, foot rest, and adjustable reclining seats.
Launched in 1968 as Third Class, it was the understood to be the most-patronized class of service on THSR in both design and reality. In order to attract customers, Standard Class wwas priced as a third-class service, but the facilities it offers are actually second-class in all but name. The Third Class on the conventional railway, which also sat passengers in a 2 + 2 pattern but with only 900mm of pitch, was judged outdated for the new THSR. It acquired its present name in 1970, when passenger classes were eliminated as part of a fare system reform.
Business Class
Originally Second Class, this is the higher level of service on THSR. It is aimed towards travellers on commercial business and tourists who desire more spacious accommodation. Currently, Business Class cars account for around 1/4 of all rolling stock. When onboard Wi-Fi was introduced in 2006, Business Class was first to enjoy its use, only spreading to Standard in 2009. Seating is arranged in a 1 + 2 pattern per row, with around 16 rows with 1300mm of pitch. Seats are lined with premium leather and reclinable. Starting from the K16 series, Business Class seats also adopted the "shell" type structure, providing greater privacy and more amenities, such as a personal reading light, headphones, and electrical outlet.
In line with Standard Class, its original name is also misleading and should be understood with reference with the classes of service on the conventional railway at its inauguration; then, there were two Second Classes available. In 1948–49, the National Railway Company produced an enhanced Second Class carriage with only three columns of seats in 16 rows, intending to put them into service as First Class, which then had two columns of seats in ten rows; the public condemned this as a devious attempt at debasing service quality while retaining the price. Relenting to public pressure, the new carriages entered service as Second but with a special fee, as it was more spacious than the normal Second; starting in 1953, these new carriages, sufficiently well-received to be accepted, were legitimized as Special Second, while the original became Standard Second. The THSR Second Class is the market-placement inheritor of this Special Second, though the NRC decided to simplify matters on THSR by downgrading the Standard Second to Third and shortening Special Second to Second.
First Class (deprecated 1973)
These cars had two columns of seats in ten rows. Seats were plush swiveling armchairs with 1650mm of pitch, lined with velvet. First Class service included two stewards dedicated to the car, who could be summoned to bring comestibles from the train's selection that day; premium food and beverages were available at no additional charge, provided by NRC catering. Surviving menus from the age show that cucumber sandwiches, foie gras, smoked salmon paté, camembert, and imported cold cuts, as well as campaign and cognac, were favourites amongst frequent First Class passengers. There was also an onboard telephone provided, deemed a gerat extravagance at the time. However, there was a dress code: men were expected to be in suits, and women in ankle-length dresses, at all times.
Themiclesian law required three classes of service until 1970. By the late 60s, it was clear to the NRC that First Class was on its way out, since passengers willing to pay the exorbitant First Class fares were more likely to travel by chartered aircraft than rail; yet it was not known that the three-class requirement would be abolished soon after THSR opened in 1967. First Class cars were reluctantly built into a small number of K10 and K11 EMU sets, purely to satisfy the law mandating all three classes of service in both directions on any given route and day. While the two other classes were styled in a fully modern fashion, First Class interior décor was transplanted from the parlour cars of the day; highly ornate and baroque, it felt completely out of place on a service marketed as the state of the art of railway technology. As expected, few patronized it, and the those that did were mostly politicians and senior civil servants, who were entitled to its use ex officio.
Proposed Sleeper Service
When the TML HSR was still under construction, NRC leadership seriously considered the possibility of a nighttime sleeper service between Glak-lang and Ghwap-bow', via Kien-k'ang. The rationale was that daytime service between these two locations would take more than eight hours at the speeds then possible, consuming most day hours, thereby adding another night at a hotel in the destination city; a sleeper service would solve this problem by leaving at night and arriving by the next morning. Two K10 trainsets were constructed as sleeper trains, and as required by law First, Second, and Third Class sleepers were built into the train. First Class sleepers were individual suites, divided into sleeping area, sitting area, and a bathroom; six such suites were present on the train. Second Class sleepers came in three varieties, a personal compartment, a duplex compartment, or a quadruple compartment. Third Class sleepers came in quadruple compartments or open berths.
Experts criticized this idea almost from the very moment it was announced. They allege that such a service would be indistinguishable from existing services on the conventional railway, on which the very same journey could be covered in thirteen hours, meaning that the traveller would only have to board slightly earlier on the travelling day to arrive on the same time on the following morning. It was put, "If one had to spend a night on a train anyway, what difference would it make if one board the train at sunset or after dinner?" The NRC eventually did implement this idea during the testing phase of the TML HSR, but heavily negative response provided by test-riders, noting, amongst other issues, loud noises that prevented them from sleeping, meant that the NRC never put the sleeper trains into revenue service, and they were quietly converted into normal trains in 1972.
Fares
Fares for the THSR are calculated on the basis of mileage and several surcharges. Each mile costs the traveller $0.21, last adjusted in 2002. Each ticket also sells with a ticketing charge of $4—, a seat assignment charge of $5—, and a tea duty of $1—; the seat assignment charge is omitted if the traveller chooses to forego an assigned seat. The mileage is inflated by a factor of 35% if the seat is assigned in a Business Class carriage or deflated by a factor of 20% if the purchaser has eschewed assigned seating. A compounding upcharge of 20% on mileage is applied if the traveller chooses an express service.
Formerly, each class of service had its own rate. By the Railway Services Act of 1892, as amended in 1969, Third Class rate was fixed at $0.06 per mile, Second Class rate was twice Third Class, and First Class twice Second Class; this made First and Second unmarketably expensive, especially when combined with the Express Surcharge and Limited Express Surcharge (also fixed by the same law), to which all THSR services were liable. In reality, few First Class passengers were paying customers; instead, most were politicians and senior civil servants, entitled to travel First Class free of charge. In 1970, distinct mileage rates were abolished by statute, along with the mandatory provision of three classes of service.
Ticketing
Though electronic ticket sales terminals have replaced the labourious process of checking each individual route's segments for availability, the ticketing procedure remains largely the same as it was done by hand and voice decades ago, save only by a computer. Tickets are printed at the Central Ticketing Press in Kien-k'ang, where pre-printed Edmonson tickets, inscribed with almost every possible route, each varied for class, speed, concessions, and return voucher are produced. Individual stations judge, according to trends, the amount of tickets they require and report the same to the CTP, which prints the tickets requisioned by that station and delivers them to it. Every copy of each permutation is given a 4-digit serial number on its reverse. When a customer wishes to purchase a ticket, the ticketing clerk will inquire into the availability of a seat on a given route on a certain day, and if a positive figure is returned, the computer will list the unassigned seats, and the customer will then choose which seat he prefers; the clerk produces the corresponding ticket and enters the ticket's serial number and assigns the customer to his desired seat, on the terminal, completing the sale. It is possible to purchase a through ticket that combines a THSR and NRC ticket into a singular physical certificate, though such tickets are marketly rarer and may require hand-writing in order to be issued; however, the computer system is capable of making all require inquiries, since it is shared with the NRC.
THSR permits tickets to be reserved up to 90 days in advance of travel; however, the actual sale of the ticket and seat assignment is not done before the day of travel. When reserving a ticket, a customer provides his name and contact information, which the clerk enters into the system for a reservation. If there are seats available, the information is filed electronically, reducing the number of tickets available for that day and route, and the customer is issued a reservation number. This process can be done in person, by mail, telephone, facsimile, or the Internet. On the day he is to travel, he can purchase the reserved seat upon presentation of his reservation number and name. A customer may also cancel his ticket by any of the means above on any day before the day of travel.
Rolling Stock
From its inception, all THSR rolling stock for passenger service are Electric Multiple Units (EMU), with several cars coupled together into operational sets. The early test models of THSR trains were modified versions of the express EMUs used on long branch lines, replacing tank steam locomotives. While they had been earlier considered for main line service, the idea was shelved between 1950 and 1958, since they required the installation of overhead catenaries, which could not be done safely when the essential line was in use. Nevertheless, NRC continued to develop their technology, and by 1958 they were mature enough to offer at least a glimpse of hope of equalling the performance of the C30 steam engine. Developing the K10 EMU was a arduous and frustrating process that did not come to fruition until 1965; the K10 EMU's eventual top speed was 135 MPH, exactly the same as the C30. While not impressive at first glance, the K10 was much, much cheaper and easier to service and far more available than the C30, whose availability was around 25% of the time.
As of the end of 2017, all rolling stock have been domestically manufactured by three suppliers, Tshihen-tan Locomotive Works, Ghwa-chiung Industries, and Krong-lang Transport Company; the first is the privatized successor to the locomotive works that was part of the NRC before 1988. Both manufacturing and assembly are handled by these three enterprises, and deliveries are taken in completed and tested sets. Most of the technology required to manufacture HSR EMUs are developed internally by the NRC, and the suppliers are permitted only to manufacture according to NRC's exact specifications.
All train sets on the THSR consist of cab cars, power cars, motor cars, and trailer cars. Cab cars are unpowered and always positioned at the two ends of the train; cockpits there permit train to be controlled from both ends. Power cars have pantographs extending from above their roofs to receive power from the electric cables suspended overhead, which conduct 22kV electricity. Motor cars are distributed throughout the train to ensure good adhesion and cohesion. Trailer cars are unpowered.
| Model | K10 | K11 | K12 | K13 | K14 | K15 | K16 | K17 | K18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | 1964 | 1969 | 1975 | 1983 | 1990 | 1997 | 2004 | 2005 | 2014 |
| Withdrawn | 1990 | 1990 | 2007 | 2010 | — | — | — | — | — |
| # produced (sets) | 20 | 25 | 40 | 70 | 30 | 120 | 40 | 40 | 35 |
| # in service (sets) | — | — | — | — | 15 | 104 | 39 | 40 | 35 |
| Max. speed (MPH/KM/H) | 135/217 | 145/233 | 160/257 | 190/305 | 190/305 | 200/320 | 200/320 | 225/360 | 245/394 |
| Consist | 4T/S/F/S/5T | 4T/S/F/S/5T | 4T/3S/5T | 5T/2S/5T | 5T/2S/5T | 5T/2S/5T | 5T/2S/5T | 5T/2S/5T | 5T/2S/5T |
| Capacity | 676 | 668 | 716 | 816 | 816 | 816 | 816 | 816 | 816 |
| Nickname | Puffin | Grouse | Penguin | Dove | Golden Pheasant | Owl | Swallow | Eagle | Albatross |
| Notes | — | — | — | — | Tilting | — | Tilting | See Menghe | Tilting |
Designation
Since THSR is not administrative independent from the conventional railway, its rolling stock designation is inherited from its brethren.
| Legend | Meaning |
|---|---|
| EFC | First Class Passenger Car |
| ESC | Second/Business Class Passenger Car |
| ETC | Third/Standard Class Passenger Car |
| C | Cab |
| P | Power (pantograph) |
| M | Motor |
| T | Trailer |
Inidividual designations are combined in manner following:
- ESC T 17 001 means the car #1 of series 17, and it is a Business Class Passenger Car on an EMU and a trailer (non-powered) car.
Designation of Adhesion
Due to the varying characteristics and tolerances in different segments of THSR's lines in addition to those of different EMU sets, it is often necessary to decide which trains may run on which lines, how quickly they may run, and how they should be composed. The degree of variation is far greater on the conventional railway than it is on THSR, and the latter is being actively streamlined to make THSR's rolling stock operable on as many lines as possible; yet THSR is still a 50-year-old railway, and standards have changed from its inception. Most of the tracks laid in the 1960s were only designed to accommodate trains running at speeds up to 175 MPH, though that has since been surpassed by later trains. Alterations on sections to permit switfter travel, where it is practical, have been preferred; on sections where it is not, tilting trains were introduced in order to negotiate the tighter turns with greater nimbleness and less reduction in speed.
- EA—Limited to 190 MPH, applicable on K13–16 trains running on the Drjang-'an to Kwang'-tu and Kien-k'ang to Ghwap-bow' Lines.
- ΔEA—Limited to 190 MPH, applicable on K15 and K16 trains running on the Tuan-ning to Kwang'-tu Line.
- EB—Limited to 175 MPH, applicable on K13 and K14 trains running on the Tuan-ning to Kwang'-tu Line.
- EC—Limited to 120 MPH, applicable on all trains running non-passenger services at night.
Export
Menghean HSR
Relations in railway operation between Menghe and Themiclesia began in the 1990s after the former underwent the Decembrist Revolution and adopted an open economy. The Menghean Railway was initially interested in only conventional railway technology to improve existing lines, which Themiclesia was in a position to supply; the DE19 and DE20 diesel-electric locomotives, used in Themiclesia for general passenger services on non-electrified lines, were exported in Menghe in the mid-90s after both governments made amiable gestures towards each other, often relying on similarity in language and culture as a pretext to reform what was previously regarded by international analysts as a hostile dynamic.
Expressing interest, the Menghean Ministry of Transport dispatched observers in 1997, with Themiclesian acquiescence, to the THSR, that they may investigate the feasibility of creating a similar system in Menghe; this is one of several active relationships between the NCR and the Menghean Railway. A commission by the NCR also landed in Menghe to assess its suitability for a HSR and to facilitate communication between the Ministry and its counterpart in Themiclesia. In 1999, the Department of Transport of West Chonro Province left the nation in surprise by announcing a bid for the construction for a HSR line in its territories, and the NCR held high hopes for the fruition of this project, which may lead to its invitation to other provinces to construct similar projects; however, the 1999 Menghean financial crisis compelled the NCR to reassess its priorities, and eventually it did not tender an offer in the wake of massive amounts of lost equity in foreign assets in Menghe.
Nevertheless, bilateral discussions were held throughout the rest of the decade, and, the fiscal stability of Menghe restored, the NRC decided to bid for a project that was conducted under the auspices and fiscal support of the Menghen central government (as opposed to a regional one), culminating in a contract in 2002 for the construction of a complete HSR system, related infrastructure, first batch of rolling stock, and eventual technological transfer. A special act of parliament, required for the export of HSR technology, passed in 2001 without much controversy, in anticipation of much revneue and international reputation. While the NRC called for caution, an ambitous schedule providing for full operation in 2006 was proclaimed by the Menghean government, arousing some doubt within the Themiclesian railway scene as to whether the system could be completed safely within four years. Some detractors even claimed that the NRC could not finish testing in four years, let alone an entire railway.
The Themiclesian staff were greatly amazed by the amount of dedication that the Menghean government awarded to the enterprise; land acquisition, after surveying, required astonishingly little time. Equally surprised by the efficiency of the Menghean construction contractors, track-laying was complete by the close of 2005. NRC had internally anticipated an optimistic date of 2008. Constructional pace aside, completely testing the railway within a single year was something that had not been done previously in Themiclesia; under mounting government pressure, the Themiclesian engineers expedited this process by testing sections of track at low speeds with older rolling stock as they were finished, so when the whole network was complete, higher-speed testing could be done at once. At the same time, Menghean railway staff were sent to Themiclesia to become acquainted, at close distance, with the modus operandi of the Themiclesian HSR, which provided the soft infrastructure of the Menghean HSR; not only with the technical, but also the operational, administrative, and commercial aspects of the system.
In line with the government's promise of an operational railway by the end of 2006, testing was done around the clock during the final months that year. Menghean dignitaries opened the railway in December 2006. Themiclesian administrative and technical staff remained on site for supervision and guidance until 2010, when the Menghean staff fully assumed the duties of operating it and expanding it independently.
Disputes
- When successful tests of the K17 EMU in Menghe yielded speeds of 220 MPH, a conspiracy theory began circulating in Themiclesia that the fastest trains had been exported to Menghe, while those that could only run at 190 MPH were retained in Themiclesia. This rumour first appeared on 5chan.com in 2005. Initially, the NRC refused to respond officially to such an "absurd" suggestion and intended to allow the rumour to fade away naturally. Later on, experts began to comment on this story, saying that the theory is self-defeating because the NRC would not have developed a new series of EMU just to run in Menghe, as doing so would have more than eaten away any profits that the NRC could expect from the installation of HSR in Menghe. Moreover, undisclosed sources in the NRC also denied the rumour's credibility, stating that the 20 EMU sets sold to Menghe were selected long after they had been completed, making it impossible for a design difference to have existed between the domestic and export versions. Nevertheless, the rumour did not die away as easily as the NRC hoped, and in June 2009 a large number of witnesses were invited onboard a domestic K17 EMU to see that it was capable of running at 220 MPH, only that it may not do so in regular service due to speed limits.
- In the unfolding stages of the Menghean HSR disaster in 2015, some commentators suggested that the NRC should accept partial responsibility for the fatal accident. The NRC, expressing profound regret and condolences for the families of the victims, declined to comment on matters of responsibility. Two months later, the NRC reported to the public that the route in question was designed and built by the Menghean High Speed Rail Corporation without any Themiclesian involvement, and that it could not accept responsibility for its occurrence. Nevertheless, the NRC did offer technical assistance to the Menghean authorities for whenever they may require it.
Future Development
Continental Line
At the Menghean government's instigation, the Nukkumaan, Themiclesian, Dzhungestani, Menghean, and Dayashinese governments published a memorandum of association in 2015 to jointly construct an regional HSR line, from Antla in Nukkumaa, through Themiclesia, Dzhungestan, and Menghe, to Nakazara in Dayashina. The completed line will have both passenger and freight services, linking several existing HSR lines in the participating nations and is planned to be 8,800 km in length, traversing tundra, desert, multiple rivers, and two other large bodies of water.
Extension to Tun-ghwang
Having been discussed since the late '70s, an extension of the lines from Drjang-'an, the present northern terminus of the inland line, to Tuehn-ghwang has found much parliamentary opposition due to extreme costs of extending HSR service into a very sparsely populated region. Citizens of Tuehn-ghwang have long held the view that an HSR extension to their city would do wonders for its economic development, though the government is unsure as to whether an HSR service will compensate for its natural and extreme disadvantage of remoteness.