HSR: High Speed Rail in the West

[Jaspertf]

The FRA has finally updated 49 CFR parts 229, 231, 236, and 238. Effectively they have created a new Tier 3 for high speed trains, also they have finally acknowledged that Crash Energy Management and Crash Prevention Measures are better than building high-velocity bank vaults. Under the new rules, old, heavy trains can now be replaced with lighter, sleeker, more-modern models. European and Asian trains are designed to absorb impacts and avoid collisions in the first place, and they have better safety records. The trains will now be more energy efficient and cheaper thanks to the changes, and they will also be more likely to have features that prevent overcrowding, like open gangways.
As Canada follows the FRA regulations, the development of rail will now be cheaper and more viable.