In Pursuit of Speed: New Options for Intercity Passenger Transport New Options for Intercity Passenger Transport -- Special Report 233 (1991) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary American travelers returning from Europe or Japan remark upon the pleasing experiences they have enjoyed riding trains- especially high-speed trains. Why, they ask, can't the United States offer similar experiences?
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2 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED 2005 to maintain 1985 system performance but is unlikely to be built because of right-of-way restrictions and costs. The Federal Aviation Administration projects that 39 U.S.
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Executive Summary 3 nomic development benefits might justify government subsidy gave a more promising answer. It is clear that the United States does not have the institutional and financial mechanisms to evaluate HSGT alternatives within the context of a national transportation system.
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4 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED electrification of existing railroads can raise speeds to 125 mph on conventional (Class 6+ waiver) tracks.
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Executive Summary 5 nications systems must all be designed and sized for higher speeds. Finally, energy costs increase in proportion to the square of the speed.
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6 lN PURSUIT OF SPEED opportunities for expanding other modes or utilities or developing new recreational facilities. In certain corridors speed can be increased and rail service improved without constructing new HSGT systems.
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Executive Summary 7 The lower bound of the HSGT travel market is set by private automobiles, which , although they have lower operating speeds than HSGT systems, have a travel time and convenience advantage for trips of less than 150 mi because they do not require the terminal access and waiting time of HSGT systems. The upper bound is set by air travel because faster air service speeds provide it with considerable competitive advantage for trips of more than 500 mi (Figure ES-1 shows the relationships between trip time and distance that form the basis for these bounds)
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8 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED of terminals in large urban areas. Because of this similarity, they should appeal to similar segments of the intercity travel market.
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Executive Summary 9 Subsidy per Passenger ($) 200 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 150 100 I 2 3 S -50 ' -- ~~ -- '-"'-" -- ..__-'-"~ -- -'.__._~~___.J' -- -- -~~-'-~~-'-.....__~_._~~___.J 0 2 3 4 5 6 Annual Passengers (millions)
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10 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED systems might generate additional user and nonuser benefits that are not accounted for by farebox revenues, and these could justify public support. The direct beneficiaries of new HSGT systems would be the users; they would choose HSGT because of the service and price advantages it offers over other modes.
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Executive Summary 11 sistent with decisions regarding the other modes and with overall transportation policy objectives. They tend not to be based on a comparison of the overall benefits and costs of the full range of modal alternatives; they do not necessarily channel public subsidies to the most attractive mode.
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12 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED Finally, there are no U.S. regulations pertaining to maglev systems.
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Executive Summary 13 Deployment and Funding of HSGT Systems The U.S. Department of Transportation and the states should develop the capacity to evaluate HSGT systems in the context of alternative intercity travel mode investments and ultimately to make funding decisions (or resource allocations)
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14 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED uses might be missed-but these risks would be small in comparison with the future benefits if ROWs were preserved now. In addressing intercity travel needs, states, special authorities, and the U.S.
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Executive Summary 15 Research and Development Maglev transportation systems are less developed than HSR, but they seem to offer the potential for higher operating speeds and technological breakthroughs that could lead to lower costs . However, realizing such potential requires substantial additional research and development.
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1 Introduction Intercity travel in the United State continues to grow, but the transportation infrastructure to upport this growth is becoming more difficult to provide. Increasing highway capacity and building new airports can cause pollution and environmental disruption, create noise, and encourage greater use of valuable energy resources.
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18 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED In 1971 the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) assumed responsibility for the bulk of passenger rail service in the United States, but rail ridership was shrinking as a share of total intercity passenger travel.
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Introduction 19 nologies in the United States. The federal government recently announced its National Maglev Initiative, a public-private partnership aimed at examining the possible role of maglev transportation systems.
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20 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED • Reviewed and assessed the performance characteristics, availability, and costs of the various HSGT technologies proposed for intercity passenger service, including the trade-offs between increased costs and reduced travel times for each increment of speed; • Identified the high-density U.S. travel markets and corridors that could be served by these technologies and reviewed the status of U.S.
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Introduction 21 because ofright-of-way restrictions and costs (U.S. Congress.
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22 IN P URSU IT OF SPEED turing capability, particularly for a second-generation maglev technology leapfrogging current foreign R&D efforts , could foster U.S. equipment suppliers and increase the probability of technological spinoffs for other U.S.
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Introduction 23 market potential? What effect would fares have on the selection of the HSGT mode?
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24 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED REFERENCES ABB RE VIA TIO NS DOT FRA RSPA TRB TSC USA CE U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration Research and Special Programs Administration Transportation Research Board John A
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2 High-Speed Technologies and U.S. Proposals Technol.ogical advances have made available a wide range of approaches for improving the speed of intercity travel in the United States.
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26 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED to track and signal systems, and the ability to use tilt train technologies (Hopkins 1990, 3-7)
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High-Speed Technologies and U.S. Proposals 27 FIGURE 2-1 Typical pantograph for electrified wheel-on-rail technology (photograph courtesy Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer, France)
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28 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED FIGURE 2-2 Tilt train technology: coach body in tilted position [drawing courtesy ASEA Brown Boveri (ABB)
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Train "balance speed" is speed at which trains negotiate banked (superelevatcd) curves without causing discomfort to passengers If actual speed is higher than balance speed, centrifugal force can cause discomfort to passengers, pushing them toward outside of curve If it is desirable to operate train at speeds higher than balance speed, lhe effect of centrifugal force can be offset partially or fully by tilting mechanism on train, which effectively "adds" to track banking (superelevation)
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30 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED can be justified (PBQD 1990, 1-1)
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High-Speed Technologies and U.S. Proposals 31 ~ !
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32 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED forces imposed on the track as the train traverses the curves. For routes with significant curves, smooth transitions are nearly as serious a constraint on operating speed as the degree of curvature itself (Hopkins 1990, 9)
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-TABLE 2-1 TYPICAL GEOMETRIC STANDARDS FOR AUTOMOBILE, FREIGHT RAIL, HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER RAIL, AND MAGLEY ALIGNMENTS (CIGGT 1990) System and Speed• Freight High-Speed Rail Maglev Automobile, Rail, -- Characteristic 65 mph 40 mph 125 mph 186 mph 250 mphb 300 mphb Minimum horizontal 1,500 650-5,700 6,200-8,200 20,000 13,700 21 ,425 curvature (radius, ft)
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34 IN PU RSUIT OF SPEED etry than rail ROW (Table 2-1)
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High-Speed Technologies and U.S. Proposals 35 mph are pressure sealed to protect passengers from air pressure buildup when the trains enter and leave tunnels (Hopkins 1990, 6)
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36 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED On sections of the more recently constructed lines that have the geometry and track structure to accommodate higher design speeds, 172-mph operation is achieved (CIGGT 1990, 5-63)
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High-Speed Technologies and U.S. Proposals 37 reached between 270 and 320 mph for very short time periods and distances on test tracks (CIGGT 1990, 4-3)
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38 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED stopping. The small size of the gap requires the guideway to be constructed to very close tolerances, typically ± 2 mm in 25 m (Coffey and Johnson 1989, 44)
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High-Speed Technologies and U.S. Proposals 39 FIGURE 2-7 Transrapid maglev concrete guideway structure (photograph courtesy Transrapid International)
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40 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED the thrust forces for vehicle acceleration, maintenance of speed, and deceleration (OTA 1983, 16; CIGGT 1990, 6-22)
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High-Speed Technologies and U.S. Proposals 41 duction prototype vehicle is under way; the TR-07 vehicle reached a test speed of 270 mph and has been extensively operated on the 20-mi Emsland test track since 1989, following extensive testing of a precursor vehicle (Hopkins 1990, 17)
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42 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED FIGURE 2-8 Tiltrotor aircraft concept as demonstrated by the V-22 Osprey (drawing courtesy Bell Helicopter-Textron)
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High-Speed Technologies and U.S. Proposals 43 could reduce the cost of bringing a commercial tiltrotor aircraft to the marketplace (Hopkins 1990, 31)
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44 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED control while in the lanes (Mobility 2000 1990, 18)
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TABLE 2-2 CANDIDATE URBAN AREAS FOR HIGH-SPEED TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION (O 'Donnell et al.
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46 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED FORECAST ANNUAL AtA CARRIER DELAY (1997) e Greater Than 100,000 Hours 0 75,000 lo 99,999 Hours e 50,000 to 74,999 Hours • 20,000 to 49,999 Hours FIGURE 2-9 omparison of proposed HSGT corridors with locations of projected congested airports (O'D0nnell et al.
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High-Speed Technologies and U.S. Proposals 47 HSGT projects.
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TABLE 2-3 SUMMARY OF MAJOR U.S. HSGT CORRIDOR STUDIES AND STATUS OF PROPOSALS Corridor and Length (Project Study Sponsor Technology Studv Project Report)
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Pittsburgh Airport line, 19 mi Tampa-OrlandoMiami, 314 mi (BAAi 1986; BAAi et al.
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TABLE 2-3 (continue
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St. Louis-Kansas City (mileage not stated)
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TABLE 2-3 (continued) Corridor and Length (Project Report)
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High-Speed Technologies and U.S. Proposals 53 based on the German Transrapid system.
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5 4 IN P URSU IT OF SPEED secure the private financing needed before construction can get under way. The Orlando International Airport-Disney World project, which proposes to use Transrapid maglev technology and is privately financed, may be the first maglev revenue system built.
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High-Speed Technologies and U.S. Proposals 55 Union of International Railways (UIC)
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56 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED weight) to maintain performance, changes in braking equipment, and additional truck strength (and weight)
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High-Speed Technologies and U
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58 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED systems to obtain input for their driving decisions and, in the most advanced systems, on IVHS control systems that automate certain driver functions, these systems must be fail-safe and tamperproof. Moreover, driving maneuvers, such as entering and exiting from a moving platoon of electronically linked vehicles, will have to be carefully controlled to ensure the safety of other highway users.
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High-Speed Technologies and U.S. Proposals 59 mental review and permitting process is built on the stewardship role of government in protecting the environment on behalf of the general public (DeSanto 1978)
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60 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED Surface ground transportation technologies are being developed that may achieve maximum operating speeds in excess of 200 mph. A modified French TGV-Atlantique train has already reached a maximum test speed of 322 mph on a newly opened line.
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High-Speed Technologies and U.S. Proposals 61 Several U.S.
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62 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED 2. The advantages of electrification are significant in most potential projects but the decision should be the result of a thorough engineering analysis of the alternatives.
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High -Speed Technologies and U.S. Proposals 63 16.
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64 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED Bing, A.J .
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High-Speed Technologies and U.S. Proposals 65 Hopkins, J.B.
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3 Costs of HSGT Systems System capital and operating and maintenance (O&M) cost.
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68 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED In addition, O&M costs for HSGT systems increase with increases in speed because power requirements (and energy costs) rise at an increasing rate and because HSGT maiJ1tenaoce requirements are more stringent and costly than tbos of a conventional y tern.
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Costs of HSGT Systems 69 tional, and maintenance reasons. Grade-separated ROW with limited curvature, preferably with grades no greater than 3 or 4 percent, is necessary; thus the options for locating such lines are limited.
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70 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED systems developed in conjunction with the rail technology involved (FRA 1991)
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Costs of HSGT Systems 71 costs discussed in this section are in 1991 dollars unless otherwise specified.) These estimates were, for the most part, prepared for rail improvement projects on existing rail ROW.
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TABLE 3-1 COST ESTIMATES FOR MAGLEY INFRASTRUCTURE BASED ON CORRIDOR STUDY REPORTS (Hopkins 1990b) Length Date of Corridor (mi)
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Costs of HSGT Systems 73 ROW and Land Acquisition An HSGT system has significant land requirements whether the track or guideway is at grade, elevated, or in tunnels. ROW dimensions are determined by corridor length and the width requirements of the HSGT system.
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74 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED In some cases existing rail ROW could be used for access to a central urban rail terminal; using a well-established rail corridor would provide a direct connection to an existing terminal. Because HSGT systems require long distances for comfortable deceleration and because potential hazards increase in populated areas, trains would reduce speed in built-up areas and operate at speeds that are not disruptive.
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Costs of HSGT Systems 75 Maglev guideways are characterized by those at the Transrapid test facility in Emsland, Germany, 10 which features several designs for the guideway, piers, and footings (CIGGT 1990)
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76 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED Vehicles and Rolling Stock A variety of European and Japanese HSR rolling stock is currently in use (see Chapter 2)
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Costs of HSGT Systems 77 at high speeds and can support headways down to 4 min safely. The system includes train detection equipment, system and control monitoring equipment, automated determination of train operating strategies, and transmission of operating instructions from the wayside to the train and to automatic switch controls.
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78 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED Design, Engineering, and Contingency Costs In addition to the costs detailed above, design, engineering, and contingency costs are associated with any large engineering construction project. These costs and their percentage of total system costs are as follows: • Preliminary engineering, about 3 to 5 percent; • Final design, about 5 to 10 percent; • Contingencies that reflect unknowns regarding horizontal and vertical alignments, subsoil conditions, land acquisition costs, and final equipment design, between 10 and 20 percent; and • Construction management, project management, inspection, and quality control and quality assurance, about 8 percent.
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Costs of HSGT Systems 79 • Power; and • Other costs related to passenger amenities and systems administration and management. O&M costs are expressed in a number of ways, but costs per passenger-mile, per seat-mile, and per train-mile are used most often.
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80 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED TABLE 3-2 SENSITIVITY OF O&M COSTS TO RIDERSHIP: EXAMPLE FROM NEW YORK-MONTREAL CORRIDOR STUDY (CIDEM 1984) Annual Cost ($ millions)
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TABLE 3-3 MAJOR CATEGORIES OF CAPITAL COSTS AND EXPECTED PERCENTAGES Cost Category Right-of-way Track structure and guideway construction Vehicles and rolling stock Power supply Signals, etc. Maintenance facility Design and construction management Comments Wide range of costs for land parcels inside and outside built-up areas; limited opportunity to use rail and highway ROWs; need to assess the opportunity cost of using such ROW HSR, fully grade-separated double track; maglev, assumed elevated or raised and protected Representative HSR equipment, TGV trainset with two power cars and eight passenger cars; maglev, Transrapid consist HSR, catenary and power distribution system; maglev, guideway power distribution system Includes control and communications systems Enclosed facility for major repairs and to protect sensitive electronic equipment; vehicle storage Detailed engineering design not begun until project is begun; construction management needed for major capital project of this size Portion of Total Cost Up to 10 percent, depending on system length and technology More than 50 percent, depending on system length and technology 10 to 20 percent, depending on fleet size and technology 10 to 20 percent, depending on technology and system length 5 to 10 percent, depending on system length Less than 5 percent, depending on technology and fleet size 10 to 15 percent
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82 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED of a number of factors and conditions; actual costs are uncertain until a project has been completely designed and constructed. The capital and O&M costs reviewed may be summarized as follows.
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Primary Identifying Characteristics for the Hypothetical Corridor (PBQD 1991) Capital Cost Categories Land (urban, suburban, and rural)
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84 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED on system operating assumptions as well as calculated annual seatmiles, annual seat-hours, and annual revenue passengers. The system alternatives are described in the following sections, and the general estimating assumptions and the cost estimates are summarized.
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Costs of HSGT Systems 85 high-speed segments are closed or grade separated. Additional ROW is purchased to reduce curvature and increase speed; construction of the second track requires additional bridges, increasing the vertical clearance of some of the existing overhead bridges, reconstruction of some bridges to accommodate double track, and installation of the overhead power distribution system.
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86 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED Land ROW purchases in Alternatives 3, 4, and 5 assumed a width requirement of 75 ft. For Alternative 6, ROW width was 25 ft for elevated guideway and 50 ft for at-grade guideway.
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Costs of HSGT Systems 87 of the urban bridges, 50 percent of the suburban bridges, and 40 percent of the rural bridges are affected and require modification. Under-Grade Bridges Rehabilitation of under-grade bridges at a cost equivalent to 25 percent of new structures was assumed to be required for 500 linear feet of bridge per track-mile (lfb/tm)
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TABLE 3-4 CA PIT AL COST ESTIMATES FOR HYPOTHETICAL CORRIDOR (PBQD 1991) Capital Cost($ millions)
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Costs of HSGT Systems 89 Reducing Travel Time Travel times were estimated for each of the alternatives and each of the corridor lengths. In each case, performance was constrained to varying degrees within the urban and suburban segments.
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90 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED corridors become vastly improved because high speeds can be sustained for greater lengths (Figure 3-3)
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Costs of HSGT Systems 91 miles; track-miles; number of stations; annual seat-miles; seat-hours, and annual passengers. The results for the HSR alternative and the maglev alternative, respectively, are as follows: $0.09 and $0.09 per passenger-mile; $0.05 and $0.04 per seat-mile; and $28.05 and $34.11 per train-mile.
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92 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED TABLE 3-5 SUMMARY OF CAPITAL AND O&M COST ESTIMATES Source System Corridor Studies Capital Cost Estimates ($ millions/mile) HSR 8.3 to 32.2 Maglev 11 to 63 Alternative O&M Cost Estimates ($)
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Costs of HSGT Systems 93 4. The French permit track irregularities of no more than 0.16 in.
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94 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED tunneling because of its high cost; however, in Alternative 6 tunneling was assumed to be needed for 10 percent of the urban segment.
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Costs of HSGT Systems 95 Grumman SED, Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc., General Electric Company, Intermagnetics General Corporation, and Brookhaven National Laboratory.
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4 Performance, Ridership, and Fin an c i a I Fe as i bi I ity An analytical basis for assessing how high-speed ground tran por-tation (HSGT) systems might compete with, and complement, other intercity travel modes in the United States is provided in this chapter, first by the examination of the performance of HSGT systems, concentrating on the travel time benefits of added speed, and next by a discussion of ridership and the most likely potential markets for new HSGT systems.
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98 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED TABLE 4-1 TRIP TIME VERSUS SPEED Trip Time Trip Time Speed (mph)
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Performance, Ridership, and Financial Feasibility 99 Average Speed (MPH)
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100 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED systems. Ridership forecasts for specific corridors are beyond the scope of this study, but current and projected passenger volumes are presented to provide a rough indicator of the potential market for a new HSGT system and are used as benchmarks in the parametric analysis of systems costs and revenues reported in the next section.
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Performance, Ridership, and Financial Feasibility 101 east Corridor accounts for more than half of the nation's intercity (noncommuting) rail ridership (DOT 1990, 13-22)
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102 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED Traveler Characteristics Two traveler characteristics are particularly important to intercity mode choice-income and group size. Income influences the value that travelers place on their time and their wiUingne s to pay for reduction in travel time or better pas enger amenities.
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Performance, Ridership, and Financial Feasibility 103 for the majority of potential users-trips for which terminal access and waiting times would be a large part of the total trip time on an HSGT system and would offset any advantage in line-haul speed that the system would afford over automobile travel. 3 The upper bound is defined by trip lengths above which the faster air service speeds would offer a considerable competitive advantage.
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104 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED lower bound of200 mi; Hopkins (1990a) suggests that HSGT systems would be most competitive for a range of 150 to 300 mi; OTA (1983)
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Performance, Ridership, and Financial Feasibilily 105 TABLE 4-2 SUMMARY OF SELECTED RIDERSHIP FORECASTS FOR HSGT Corridor Southern California-Las Vegas" Tampa-Orlando-Miamib Philadelphia-Pittsburghc Detroit-Chicagod New York-Montreale Dallas-Houston-Austin-San Antonio! Dallas-Houston-Austin-San AntonioK Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnatih Annual Ridership Forecast (year)
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106 lN PURSUIT OF SPEED constant in real terms in the future is reasonable. Forecasting travel for specific corridors 5 to 10 years in the future is relatively easy.
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Performance, Ridership, and Financial Feasibility 107 must be performed at the corridor level with reference to specific alignments, station locations, and service characteristics. Market Potential Guidelines Although new HSGT systems would certainly divert some travelers from private automobiles and would induce some travel that would otherwise not occur, the primary potential market in most corridors would be air travelers.
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108 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED nonbusiness travel over 250 mi by individuals traveling alone; private automobiles dominate husiness travel under 150 mi, nonbusiness travel under 250 mi, and nonbusiness travel over 250 mi when individuals are traveling in groups. Thus unless a new HSGT system offers fares that are considerably lower than those for air service, relatively little automobile diversion seems likely under current conditions; automobile users already have a fast, higher-cost alternative available but prefer their automobiles.
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TABLE 4-3 U.S. DOMESTIC AIR TRAVEL BETWEEN CITY PAIRS SEPARATED BY LESS THAN 600 MI, 1989 One-Way Trips" Between Los Angeles (4)
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110 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED TABLE 4-4 CITY PAIRS SEPARATED BY 600 MI OR LESS WITH OVER 1 MILLION ANNUAL AIR PASSENGERS IN 2010 One-Way Trips" Between Los Angeles (4) b and San Francisco (3)
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Performance, Ridership, and Financial Feasibility 111 additional ridership potential, for example, Chicago-Detroit via South Bend or Lansing (or both) , San Francisco-San Diego via Los Angeles, and Dallas/Ft.
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112 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED Range of Costs and Fares The range for ROW and structures cost was based on Alternative 5 of the hypothetical corridor analysis presented in Chapter 3 (PBQD 1991, 8)
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Pe1f ormance, Ridership, and Financial Feasibility 113 even annual passenger volumes range from 2.6 million to 17 .0 million in the four cost cases (high and low ROW and structures cost together with high and low O&M cost) (Table 4-5)
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TABLE 4-5 BREAK-EVEN PASSENGER VOLUMES AND SUBSIDIES FOR VARIOUS LEVELS OF COSTS AND FARES Fare ($/passenger-mile)
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Performance, Ridership, and Financial Feasibility 115 Subsidy per Passenger ($)
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116 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED For xampl a 4 -mi lin - would have an average ROW and structure ost per mil f $17 milli n in the Alternative e timate (see Chapter 3: PBQD 1991 8) m are I with $1 million f r the 200-mi line.
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Performance, Ridership, and Financial Feasibility 117 or terminals decline, making a system more attractive to potential users . However, travel time savings for equal increments of added speed diminish as speed increases, and building and operating systems with higher and higher speeds becomes increasingly costly.
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118 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED In a region with very low costs for ROW and construction (e.g., $9 million per mile or less) an HSGT system could break even with between 3 million and 4 million annual passengers, provided operating costs were also moderate (e.g., $0.07 per seat-mile or less)
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Performance, Ridership, and Financial Feasibility 119 7. In March 1990, one-way air fares were $82 ($0.32/mi)
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120 JN PURSUIT OF SPEED FAA FRA OTA PBQD TRB TSC Federal Aviation Administration Federal Railroad Administration Office of Technology Assessment (U.S. Congress)
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5 Public Support of HSGT Systems High-speed ground transportat ion (HSGT) system are costly and unlikely to pay for themselve under reasonable projections of ridership and farebox revenues, as discussed in Chapter 4.
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122 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED from competing modes, principally airlines but also, in some cases, automobiles. The diversion of travelers to HSGT may reduce congestion at airports and on highways, lower U.S.
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Public Support of HSGT Systems 123 capacity, diverting these shares of their traffic to HSGT could reduce delays and congestion significantly. A proposed HSGT route between Houston and Dallas/Ft.
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124 I N P URSU IT OF SPEED to reduce congestion by charging air travelers or motorists the fuii costs of the facilities they use (thereby dampening demand) than to provide additional capacity in the form of subsidized airport, highway, or HSGT investments.
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Public Support of HSGT Systems 125 the power sources of competing travel modes. For example, highspeed rail (HSR)
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126 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED take place away from residential or urban areas; HSGT stations and lines could be sited away from residential and community centers. However, locating an HSGT system too far from residential centers could make it difficult to use, increasing access costs and reducing ridership.
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Public Support of HSGT Systems 127 Economic Development Some argue that HSGT projects would bring added income, employment, and economic development to the areas they serve, further justifying public support. An HSGT system can stimulate the local economy both directly and indirectly.
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128 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED sidies may create jobs on the new system (and job iosses eisewhere) , but taxpayers would then have less money in their pockets to spend for other goods and services .
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Public Support of HSGT Systems 129 HSGT is most likely to be economically viable, however, in growing areas with strong travel demand. Because these areas are unlikely to have chronically high unemployment rates, building and operating an HSGT system is likely to bid resources away from other productive activities and thus would provide little economic gain.
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130 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED Which Level of Government Should Pay? One of the most difficult issues is , to the extent that there are public or external benefits, who should provide the public support for HSGT?
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Public Suppor/ of HSGT Sys/ems 131 To the extent that HSGT reduces congestion on federally aided airports and highways, it might be appropriate to use some of the federal air ticket or motor fuel tax receipts to subsidize the new service. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS The users of HSGT would receive its primary benefits, but others might also benefit.
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132 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED as the primary potential market for HSGT and used air travel volumes as a rough indicator of the size of the potential HSGT market. The committee recognizes that an analysis of specific HSGT corridor benefits should allow for the possible diversion of both automobile and air travelers and that changes in the cost bases for the different modes could change the results.
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Appendix A Cost and Travel Time Estimation for a Hypothetical Corridor Presented here are the methodology and re ults of a study prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade and Douglas Inc.
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Primary Identifying Characteristics for the Hypothetical Corridor (PBQD 1991) Capital Cost Categories Land (urban, suburban, and rural)
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Cost and Travel Time Estimation for a Hypothetical Corridor 135 Definition of Alternatives Alternative 1: Intercity Passenger Railroad In Alternative 1 it is assumed that two large cities are connected by an existing rail line without passenger service. The line is Class 3 single track with passing sidings and an automated block signaling system that permits the introduction of 79-mph passenger service without additional tracks or signal system upgrades .
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TABLE A-1 CHARACTERISTICS OF HYPOTHETICAL CORRIDOR Alternative and Maximum Speed (mph) Characteristic 1 (79)
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Electrification N.A.
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138 lN PURSU IT OF SPEED installation of the overhead power distribution system. A new passenger terminal is constructed to accommodate the improved service in one of the cities; the suburban beltway stations in both cities are expanded.
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Cost and Travel Time Estimation for a Hypothetical Corridor 139 General Assumptions Vehicle Requirements For each alternative, assumptions were made regarding the service level, that is, train frequency (round trips per day) , and standard train consist.
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140 IN PURSUIT OF SPEED TABLE A-2 ESTIMATED VEHICLE FLEET SIZE AND VEHICLE COSTS (PBQD 1991) AJternative 1 2 3 4 5 6 200-Mile Corridor Round trips per day 6 10 18 18 32 32 Trip time (hr:min)
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Key Terms
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