Rules now exist in the states for trains up to 220 mph, would Transport Canada harmonize with them?
https://www.wired.com/2016/11/feds-finally-make-safety-rules-high-speed-rail/
Edit:
Proposed rules now exist, lol.
Very interesting article!
Whether Cdn DoT leads or lags on this remains to be seen. Certainly for HFR there's still some details to be clarified, not least the 'crashworthiness' aspects and how that meshes with temporally separated operation. Canada could have trainsets 'off the shelf' in short order if this was the case.
From the article:
[On the crashworthiness front, the draft regs touch on engineering arcana like emergency systems, brakes, and windows (those used on slower trains would create a ton of drag and noise, inside and out).
[...]
Before, faster trains had to go through a lengthy bureaucratic process to get each element of their design approved. It’s easier to plan when everyone knows the rules.
But of course, this is government we’re talking about: There is more bureaucracy before these regulations are finalized. The railroad regulators will go through an open comment period, where industry, consumer advocates and general train nerds will submit comments. By early 2017, it should finalize these rules.
The proposed standards are particularly industry-friendly because they borrow from international standards. It shouldn’t surprise you that experienced rail engineers are mostly overseas, working for folks like Siemens, Nippon Sharyo, and Alstom, in places where they can actually, you know, build railroads. Federal rules say heavy infrastructure must be built stateside, but the whole enterprise gets a jump start by borrowing from foreign smarties.]
[...]
