Very, very slow indeed...

A $226 million contract to build 32 higher speed diesel locomotives, capable of reaching 125 mph, was awarded to the team of the German conglomerate, Siemens AG and Indiana-based engine maker Cummins, Inc over Peoria, Ill. based Caterpillar, Inc.

The money for these trains has been sitting around for five years. That's one thing. Another is that the trains we in the Northwest are getting out of this deal, will be considerably slower than the ones the government purchased for the Northeast—which, like the futuristic trains in Asia and Europe, run on electricity and can reach speeds beyond 150 MPH. Nevertheless, even if we were finally to get the German "higher speed" trains for our corridor, they would, if I understand correctly, require, to be fully effective, a less curvy course between our cities (and particularly between Seattle and Portland—what all of this rail dreaming really comes down to). Meaning, we need new tracks. And new tracks are not in the business of coming cheap. Indeed, the Spanish Talgo trains that currently operate between Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver cannot reach their top speeds because of the state of our tracks.