A consortium of Japanese companies is planning to propose Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.’s bullet train technology for use in a high-speed rail link in California.
The technology is based on Kawasaki’s efSET, short for environmentally-friendly super express train, and is designed to achieve an operational speed of 350 kph.
Eyeing competition from Germany’s Siemens AG and others, Kawasaki says efSET is adapted to stress energy conservation, ride comfort and safety, including fire resistance — qualities often demanded in bids for overseas rail projects.
The Japanese alliance including Kawasaki and East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) is hoping to outbid its Chinese rivals, who are known to offer competitive pricing, believing its train excels in performance on high-speed runs as well as in safety.
Kawasaki has built vehicles for the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines as well as the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line, which just opened an extended sector between Nagano and Kanazawa in March. It has also built trains for Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp.
Photo: global.kawasaki.com
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