High-speed rail in The Furbish Islands

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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

Planned lines

Operators

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

Travel times