Hs2,etc.....

[Grandpappy]

Given that the HS2 train weighs several hundreds of tonnes and that it will travel at several hundreds of miles per hour,what sort of damaging 'vortex' is it going to pull behind it? and who will pay for the resulting damage,if any?
Have the Government asked themselves this question or does it not need asking?
Discuss!

[factor-fiction]

I am pretty sure these things are simulated at a very early stage and then tested at a later stage

[mushroom25]

this technology has been in use in France since the 1980s. Any issues arising are already well understood and mitigated against.

[rojash]

The weight is entirely irrelevant to any disturbances of the air. They are entirely dependent on the speed and the aerodynamic properties.

[heathfield]

At high speed, the draught set up underneath, and at the rear, of high speed trains tends to lift the ballast from the track. In winter, hard-packed ice and snow can accumulate under a train, then fall onto the track, rebound, and cause damage to the underside. It also sends ballast flying. If this happens when two trains are passing, it has been known to smash carriage windows. On the continent, high speed trains run at reduced speed after a snowfall. But the problem is well-known and a lot of research continues on the aeodyamics of the underside and rear of trains.