Bombardier Takes The Challenge
In 1998, Bombardier Transportation stepped up to meet a multi-faceted challenge put forward by the Federal Railroad Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation (FRA). The ultimate goal was to develop a commercially feasible high-speed intercity passenger rail transportation product for the United States.

The FRA had research and development funding earmarked for their ‘Next Generation High-Speed Rail’ initiative. But the solution would require matching private funding, as well as a series of innovative technological solutions to meet a series of challenges, including:

	1.	Reduce trip times
	2.	Minimize infrastructure improvement costs
	3.	Address operational constraints
	4.	Ensure safety in mixed traffic
	5.	Address funding constraints
	6.	Minimize environmental impacts

A Commitment to Innovation Far Beyond Words
Bombardier was the only private sector company with the vision and the willingness to accept the technology challenge and the monetary risk of the FRA public private technology demonstration partnership. In addition to our 50% share of the total $26 million R&D budget, professionals from throughout the company collaborated to develop robust solutions for each of the requirements.

In October 1998 the partnership between the FRA and Bombardier Transportation was finalized. By June 2000, a successful solution had been developed for each of the challenges. The prototype locomotive performed at 156 mph at the FRA Pueblo test track in the summer of 2001. And on October 15, 2002 the Bombardier JetTrain locomotive was unveiled at Union Station in Washington D.C.