Cost of Speed: Analysis of Capital Cost Estimates for High-Speed Ground Transportation Systems

1997 ◽  
Vol 1584 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-21
Author(s):  
John A. Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Capital Cost ◽  
Travel Times ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Cost Estimates ◽  
Capital Costs ◽  
Trip Time ◽  
Wide Range

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 required the U.S. Department of Transportation to evaluate the commercial feasibility of high-speed ground transportation—a family of technologies ranging from incremental rail improvements to high-speed rail and magnetic levitation (Maglev) systems—in selected urban corridors. The evaluation involved estimating travel times, capital costs, operation and maintenance costs, and ridership for proposed service frequencies and then computing the potential return on investment from fares and other potential revenues. The results are documented in a U.S. Department of Transportation report generally referred to as the commercial feasibility study (CFS). Two elements of the CFS are addressed here: travel times and capital costs in four illustrative corridors—Chicago to St. Louis; Los Angeles to San Francisco; Eugene, Oreg., to Vancouver, B.C.; and Miami to Tampa via Orlando. Analysis of the results reveals common cost trends: for average speeds up to about 200 km/hr (125 mph), the initial investment required is generally in the range $1.6 to $3 million per route-kilometer ($2.6 to 4.8 million per route-mile). Above this speed regime (which varies by corridor), the initial investment increases steadily with speed, generally reaching $10 to $12 million per route-km ($16 to $19 million per route-mi) for very-high-speed rail systems and from $14 to $19 million per route-km ($23 to $31 million per route-mi) for Maglev systems. Analysis of the capital cost estimates reveals that despite the wide range of initial costs for the high-speed options, the cost per minute of trip time saved is remarkably consistent in corridors of similar length and with similar terrains. Cost-effectiveness plots are provided, allowing the reader to compare the performance of each of the four corridors in terms of trip time savings and cost per route-kilometer.

scholarly journals A train to nowhere: acesso à justiça e interesse público na construção de uma política pública nos Estados Unidos

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Márcio De Paula Filgueiras
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Palo Alto ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Public Interest Litigation ◽  
Politica Publica

Neste texto vou apresentar alguns aspectos de um conflito que acompanhei na Califórnia, entre 2010 e 2011, em que representantes de algumas cidades localizada na Baía de San Fancisco, como Palo Alto e Atherton, desafiaram judicialmente uma agência estadual porque o projeto do trem de alta velocidade (High Speed Rail Project) que ligaria Los Angeles a San Francisco incluiria uma rota que atravessaria suas vizinhanças, causando efeitos ambientais e financeiros indesejados. Ações legais deste tipo, voltadas para a proteção do interesse público, são conhecidas naquele país pelo termo genérico public interest litigation. A partir deste caso, mostrarei alguns aspectos dos modelos de acesso a direitos e das noções de interesse público que podem ser visualizada em ação nos Estados Unidos. No final do artigo apresentarei um contraste, ainda que limitado, com o que pude observar no Brasil, a respeito da administração judicial de conflitos coletivos.

Prediction of the in-service performance of a railway hydraulic damper

2016 ◽  
Vol 231 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-32
Author(s):  
Wenlin Wang ◽  
Dingsong Yu ◽  
Rui Xu
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Service Performance ◽  
Relief Valve ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Hydraulic Damper ◽  
Damping Characteristics ◽  
Model And Simulation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Entrained Air

In this study, an improved physical parametric model with key in-service parameters was established and experimentally validated for a high-speed railway hydraulic damper. A subtle variable oil property model was built and coupled into the full model to address the dynamic flow losses and the relief-valve system dynamics. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the accuracy and robustness of the full damper model and simulation, which determined the damping characteristics over an extremely wide range of excitation speeds. Further simulations with in-service conditions and excitations were performed using the validated model, and the results revealed that improper key in-service parameters, such as improper rubber attachment stiffness, entrained air ratios and small mounting clearances, can greatly degrade the damping capability of a hydraulic damper. The obtained physical model includes all the influential factors that have an impact on the damping characteristics, so it will serve as a useful basic theory in the prediction of in-service performance, optimal specification and product design optimization of hydraulic dampers for modern high-speed rail vehicles.

Transportation in the City

Global Cities ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Gottlieb ◽  
Simon Ng
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Transportation Systems ◽  
Real Estate Development ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Car Use ◽  
The City ◽  
China’S Cities

This chapter describes and analyzes how Los Angeles became an auto-dominant region, how Hong Kong built a much admired rail passenger system, and how China, in rapid fire succession, witnessed a massive increase in car use and metro development. It identifies the air quality, land use, and mobility shifts associated with these changing transportation systems. It describes how Los Angeles seeks to lessen its car dependence with its new push for rail and increased bike use and walkability strategies; how Hong Kong struggles with congestion due to increased car ownership and car use while still relying on the link between its metro and rail system and concentrated real estate development near metro stops; and how China’s cities, such as Shenzhen, race ahead with new metro and high speed rail development while confronting the environmental problems and challenges related to its enormous growth in car use and the erosion of its Bicycle Kingdom reputation.

scholarly journals How to Choose the Most Efficient Transport Mode for Weekend Tourism Journeys: An HSR and Private Vehicle Comparison

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amparo Moyano ◽  
José M. Coronado ◽  
Maddi Garmendia
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Travel Times ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Transport Mode ◽  
Travel Costs ◽  
Private Vehicle ◽  
Mode Of Transportation ◽  
Efficient Transport ◽  
Interesting Alternative

The present paper focuses on an analysis of the efficiency of High-Speed Rail (HSR) connections in comparison to private vehicles, with the aim of identifying the most convenient mode of transportation for weekend tourism journeys. This efficiency is centred on a person based assessment and will depend on the time available at the destination, the convenience of the timetables and travel times, and the associated costs related to accommodations and travel expenses. Because travel costs may amount to a significant share of the total expenses for recreational travel, individuals and groups may consider using a car to reach their destination, especially for journeys of short distances. However, the development of the HSR system in Spain provides an important increase in accessibility that is generating changes in the way people travel. The accessibility of the HSR service has brought an interesting alternative whose attractiveness (in terms of comfort and speed) rises with the distance travelled. In addition, RENFE (Spanish rail operator) is now reorienting its services and fares to compete in the tourism market, improving the competitiveness of HSR for weekend tourism trips relative to other transport modes. In this framework, the paper demonstrates that HSR is a real alternative, in terms of connection efficiencies, for weekend journeys, as almost half of the Spanish cities served by HSR are more efficiently connected to Madrid through HSR than by private cars. In addition, the paper offers a person-based approach that should be taken into account in future research on transport mode choices.

scholarly journals The potential of high-speed rail freight in Europe: how is a modal shift from road to rail possible for low-density high value cargo?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Boehm ◽  
Marlin Arnz ◽  
Joachim Winter
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Freight Transport ◽  
Operating Speed ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Modal Shift ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Rail Freight ◽  
Transport Chain ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Mode Share

Abstract Purpose A fully electrified transport chain offers considerable potential for CO2 savings. In this paper, we examine the conditions necessary to introduce a fully electrified, large-scale, high-speed rail freight transport system in Europe in addition to high-speed passenger trains, aiming to shift goods transport from road to rail. We compare a novel high-speed rail freight concept with road-based lorry transport for low-density high value goods to estimate the potential for a modal shift from road to rail in 2030. Methods To characterize the impacts of different framework conditions, a simulation tool was designed as a discrete choice model, based on random utility theory, with integrated performance calculation assessing the full multimodal transport chain regarding costs, emissions and time. It was applied to a European reference scenario based on forecast data for freight traffic in 2030. Results We show that high-speed rail freight is about 70% more expensive than the conventional lorry but emits 80% less CO2 emissions for the baseline parameter setting. The expected mode share largely depends on the cargo’s value of time, while the implementation of a CO2-tax of 100 EUR/tCO2eq has an insignificant impact. The costs of handling goods and the infrastructure charges are highly influential variables. Conclusion High-speed rail track access charges are a suitable political instrument to create a level playing field between the transport modes and internalize external costs of freight transport. With the given access charge structure, a reduction of the maximum operating speed to 160 km/h has a positive impact on the expected mode share of rail transport while it still reacts positively to a wide range of the cargo’s time sensitivity (compared to a maximum operating speed of 350 km/h). The flexibility of rail freight’s operating speed is important for an effective implementation. Further research should concentrate on time- and cost-efficient transhipment terminals as they have a significant impact on transport performance.

scholarly journals Air Transport versus High-Speed Rail: An Overview and Research Agenda

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoqian Sun ◽  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Sebastian Wandelt
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Air Transport ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Competition And Cooperation ◽  
Demand Distribution ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Multimodal Transport ◽  
Multimodal Transport Systems

The development of high-speed rail (HSR) services throughout the last decades has gradually blurred the concept of competition and cooperation with air transportation. There is a wide range of studies on this subject, with a particular focus on single lines or smaller regions. This article synthesizes and discusses recently published studies in this area, while aiming to identify commonalities and deviations among different regions throughout the world, covering services from Europe, Asia, and North America. Our meta-analysis reveals that the literature is highly controversial and the results vary substantially from one region to another, and a generalization is difficult, given route-specific characteristics, such as demand distribution, network structure, and evolution of transportation modes. As a major contribution, we propose a list of five challenges as a future research agenda on HSR/air transport competition and cooperation. Among others, we see a need for the construction of an open-source dataset for large-scale multimodal transport systems, the comprehensive assessment of new emerging transport modes, and also taking into account the resilience of multimodal transport systems under disruption.

scholarly journals Comparative Study of High-Speed Passenger Rail Deployment in Megaregion Corridors: Current Experiences and Future Opportunities

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevara Melibaeva ◽  
Joseph Sussman ◽  
Travis P. Dunn
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Passenger Rail ◽  
International Experiences ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Rail Service

Deployment of high-speed passenger rail services has occurred around the world in densely-populated corridors, often with the effect of either creating or enhancing a unified economic “megaregion” agglomeration. This paper will review the technical characteristics of a variety of megaregion corridors, including Japan (Tokyo-Osaka), France (Paris-Lyon), and Germany (Frankfurt-Cologne), and their economic impacts. There are many lessons to be drawn from the deployment and ongoing operation of high-speed passenger rail service in these corridors for other countries now considering similar projects, such as the US and parts of the European Union. First, we will review three international cases, describing the physical development of each corridor as well as its measured impacts on economic development. In each case, the travel time reductions of the high-speed service transformed the economic boundaries of the urban agglomerations, integrating labor and consumer markets, while often simultaneously raising concerns about the balance of growth within the region. Moreover, high-speed travel within the regions has had important implications for the modes and patterns of travel beyond the region, particularly with respect to long-distance air travel. An example is the code-shared rail-air service between DeutscheBahn and Lufthansa in the Frankfurt-Cologne corridor. Next, we will examine the implications of these international experiences for high-speed rail deployment elsewhere in the world, particularly the US and Portugal, one of the EU countries investing in high-speed rail. Issues considered include the suitability of high-speed passenger rail service in existing megaregions as well as the potential for formation of megaregions in other corridors. By understanding the impact of high-speed passenger service on economic growth, labor markets, urban form, and the regional distribution of economic activity, planners can better anticipate and prepare countermeasures for any negative effects of high-speed rail. Examples of countermeasures include complementary investments in urban and regional transit connections and cooperation with airlines and other transportation service operators. High-speed passenger rail represents a substantial investment whose implementation and ultimate success depends on a wide range of factors. Among them is the ability of planners and decision-makers to make a strong case for the sharing of benefits across a broad geography, both within and beyond the megaregion (and potential megaregion) corridors where service is most likely to be provided. This paper provides some useful lessons based on international experiences.

scholarly journals Learning from the LA Aqueduct

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 68-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Hiltzik
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Private Investment ◽  
End Users ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Rail Line ◽  
Sacramento Delta

This article considers major infrastructure spending projects on the table in California (a high-speed rail line connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco, a peripheral canal in the Sacramento Delta, higher education) and compares their funding models to that of the Los Angeles Aqueducts. Whereas William Mulholland convinced Angelenos in 1905 to pay for the aqueduct for the benefit of future residents, modern California voters are more likely to insist infrastructure is paid for with a mix of public and private investment, or solely by its end users. Hiltzik argues California’s leaders could learn from Mulholland, whose foresight, adept campaigning, and willingness to shade the truth benefited millions of people.

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