The X2000 is a slowpoke compared with its overseas cousins, but the Swedish bullet train visiting South Florida this weekend is faster than anything in the United States.
The silver and blue train can motor at 150 mph — on regular tracks — and that makes it a candidate for Florida’s long-sought goal to link Orlando, Tampa and Miami by high-speed rail.
Amtrak, federal and state transit officials, and manufacturer ABB Traction Inc. are taking the train on a nationwide tour, hoping to drum up support.
“This gives people a chance to see and touch one of the technologies that could bring high-speed rail to Florida,” said Barbara Sarff, a state transportation department spokeswoman.
The train will be open for public tours in Dania on Saturday and Miami on Sunday. Politicians, business people and the media have been invited for test rides.
Don’t hold your breath for demonstrations of lightning speed. The X2000 will have to obey the same speed limits as Amtrak: 79 mph in open stretches, much lower in urban areas.
In Germany, the Maglev train can hit 300 mph. France’s TGV zips at 200 mph. The big advantage of the slower X2000 is that it can take curves 40 percent faster than the others.
The train has independent axles that hug the curves. It has a hydraulic system that automatically tilts the cars on curves so passengers don’t fly out of their seats or get motion sickness.
And of interest to Florida officials, the X2000 does not need costly special tracks, a factor that has thwarted high-speed rail so far.
However, Sarff said Florida cannot start any high-speed rail service until it upgrades the tracks and somehow improves safety at hundreds of street-level rail crossings.
