Couldn't happen here ....

From Airwise:

Volcanic Ash Turns North Europe Into No-Fly Zone
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April 15, 2010
A huge cloud of ash from a volcano in Iceland turned the skies of northern Europe into a no-fly zone on Thursday, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded.
Details: http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1271322385.html

RCAA comments:

RCAA has long advocated a second full-service regional airport in case Sea-Tac should be closed.  RCAA also advocates high-speed rail for the region.  A major volcanic eruption would likely close all airports (including a new regional facility), but would probably have no impact on a maglev rail system.  It's not just Iceland that has active volcanoes.  Remember 1980?  Can you say Shasta, Hood, St Helens, Adams, Rainier, Baker?  And bear in mind, the Kamchatka Peninsula, with a large number of active volcanoes, lies West of us -- upwind, & only half as far northwards as Glasgow is from Iceland.

For up-to-date coverage from the UK, visit http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7592867/Volcanic-ash-cloud-latest-news-from-British-airports.html

High-speed rail comes a little closer

Here in Washington the State government has vast plans to work toward passenger rail service that  might some day attain a top speed of 79 m.p.h.  (the Federal speed limit for trains in our State).  Now we learn that the State of California plans some real high-speed rail -- probably to be built by the Chinese.  But several other countries are also interested in selling equipment for real high- speed rail to California.   It's instructive to consider that high-speed rail cannot be built in the U.S., but there are experienced firms in the following countries eager to compete with the Chinese for the California project:  Japan, Germany, South Korea, Spain, France, and Italy.  Whatever happened to good old American know-how?

Read more in this article from the New York Times:

If the link doesn't work, paste this URL into your browser --

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/business/global/08rail.html?hp=&pagewanted=print

Oh, no, that's impossible !

High-speed rail?  Never, oh, never !  That's impossible !

That's what we hear when advocating high-speed rail as one measure to take the pressure for expansion off of over-crowded airports.  

The Federal government helps, by setting a 79 m.p.h. absolute top speed limit on rail in our State.  

But, amazingly -- unbelieavably -- trains CAN & DO go faster than 79 m.p.h. in foreign countries.  Such as China.  See the following article posted on the "Aviation Watch" list earlier this month, & originating as shown. 

High speed rail

Posted by: "Charles R. Miller" atandsf@sbcglobal.net santaferr
Sat Jan 2, 2010 5:52 pm (PST)


Hello, Everyone,

A new HSR route with trains running at 217mph has opened, but not in the United States. Here's a short report from Trains News Wire.

Chuck Miller

China launches world's fastest train


Published: Monday, December 28, 2009
BEIJING — China launched what it says is the fastest train in the world Saturday, with trains running at an average speed of 217 mph on a route covering 664 miles in three hours, Agence France Press has reported. The route links Guangzhou and Wuhan, China, roughly the same distance apart as Chicago and Little Rock, Ark.

Work on the project began in 2005, with the idea of linking Guangzhou with Beijing. Guangzhou is a business hub in southern China, located near Hong Kong. Test runs began earlier this month, and the first revenue trips operated Saturday.

China launched its first high speed train in 2008, a service that connects Beijing and Tianjin. The Chinese government has plans to complete 42 high speed routes by 2012 in an effort to reinvent the country's transportation system. Siemens, Bombardier, and Alstom contributed technology for the new line.