Implementing High-Speed Rail (HSR)

by

Chee Jen NgehMechanical Engineering

The Ohio State University (614) 3300-831ngeh.1@osu.edu

Prepared forThe Congress of the United States

February 26, 2014

Abstract: As the population of the United States increases each day, alternative transportation infrastructures other than the Interstate Highway are needed to connect America’s densely packed regions. Passenger rails have been operating in the U.S. for the past 100 years but until now, it is not an efficient alternative mode of transport. Implementation of high speed rail systems in major cities will place the United States at a better position to attract tourism and business. In addition, it will serve as a major step towards solving global warming while relieving congestion on highways and runways. Also, research shows that railways are proven to be safer than cars. Although it may seem expensive to implement this system, it would be beneficial in the long run as it is more efficient and eco-friendly.

Implementing High Speed Rail

INTRODUCTION

Statement of ProblemIn a country with a population of 300 million, the United States needs to make some decisions to accommodate the growing amount of people to keep the country moving forward. Although the Interstate Highway has been successful linking the country together for decades, it is getting obvious that transportation systems are becoming more jammed every single day with the ever-growing population. In addition, the increase of auto vehicles leads to an increase of air pollution that causes global warming and harms public health. Another problem is that Car travel is the major killer in the United States. In an average year between 2000 and 2009, 43,239 people died in transportation incidents and 94.4% of the fatalities occurred on the highway [1].

ObjectiveThis proposal will first discuss the problems that arise from current transportation systems. A solution is then presented tackle the problems individually as well as provide a more efficient and environmentally friendly transportation system. This proposed system will not only benefit the public but will also boost local economies. The costs of the implementation will also be included.

SignificanceEven with the interstate roads or the existing railway system, long distance traveling is tiring for most people as it takes a long time to go from a place to another. Therefore, with the implementation of High-Speed Rail connecting cities in the U.S., traveling time can be reduced by more than half and passengers can rest comfortably without stress in the passenger car instead of trying to stay alert while driving on the road.

Besides benefiting the public, having a good transportation system connecting various places in a country will also help the government improve on tourism as it would be convenient for tourists to travel around the country quickly and this would boost the local economy. High-Speed Rail had been a success in Europe for over three decades across many different countries and its success can also be replicated here in the U.S. if this system is implemented.

In addition to convenience, high-speed rail has also been proven that it saves energy and protects the environment. 95% of the energy used for the transportation system in the United States comes from oil. [2] The oil is not just used in cars but also airplanes and other vehicles. Although U.S. only consists of 4.5% of the world’s population, it emits nearly one-fifth of the world’s global warming emissions. [3] The transportation sector is responsible for 33% of these emissions in the U.S. whereas transportation only accounts for about 19% of total emissions in Europe. [2] These pollutants can be reduced by implementing high-speed rail and this will make U.S. seen to the world as an eco-friendly country.

Car travel is the major killer in the United States. In 2009, 33,808 people died on America’s highways and this figure is astonishingly high despite being the fewest of any year since 1950. Safe traveling is an important aspect that is needed to be considered. Based on a recent American Public Transportation Association (APTA)’s survey, a high percentage of people know the benefits of high-speed rail and they demand safe and reliable transportation to travel across the

Implementing High Speed Rail

country. [2] With high-speed rail system, the number of fatalities on the road can be reduced as high-speed rail has been proven to be a very safe mode of transport. Over thirty years of high-speed rail operations, there were only three accidents that happened to date. However, it is still safer to travel by high-speed rail compared to cars.

PROPOSED PROGRAM

Description A proposed solution to this issue is to implement a high-speed rail system to connect cities. There are several benefits of having high-speed rail includes safe and reliable mode of transport, environmental friendly as well as improving the economy. Recently, the American Public Transportation Association conducted a survey and revealed that about two-thirds of people surveyed would be willing to choose high-speed rail over air or car travel if available. The finding confirms that many Americans understand the potential benefits and convenience of fast intercity train travel and that reflects the need for high-speed rail in the U.S.  [4]

The image below shows the phasing plan for high-speed rail which would first connect the major cities and then spread it all over the U.S.

Source: America 2050

Implementing High Speed Rail

Benefits:Safer than highwaysThe two oldest and most well-travelled high-speed rail lines have excellent track record. These two lines are the Japanese Shinkansen and the French TGV. The Japanese Shinkansen has been running for 50 years and there has been no injury or death despite carrying about 340 million passengers per year. The Shinkansen employs automatic train control, which will automatically decelerate or halt the train based on the conditions of the route ahead and distance to preceding trains. [2]

Similarly, during its 34 years of service, the French TGV have an impressive safety records as there was no fatality due to an accident during any high-speed operation of the TGV trains, despite carrying 48 million passengers per year. French TGV railcars are designed such that adjacent TGV cars rest atop a shared two-axle connector, which decreases weight and increases speed, but also prevents the cars from dangerously jack-knifing during a collision as would a conventional train. [2]

Even with the safety features, accidents are still possible but only three accidents that have occurred up to date are due to human error and not by the train [2]. However, several designs of trains have been improved over the years to prevent accidents and high-speed rail is still proven to be much safer than car travel which has been a major killer in the United States for years.

Reliable and ConvenientTraveling on the interstate during rush hours is a huge waste of time, energy and money. Planes on the other hand tend to be delayed during bad weather. High-speed rail is generally more comfortable and reliable than air or car travel as it can travel in most weathers without any delays. The average delay on Japan’s Shinkansen system is 36 seconds. In Spain, the railway operator offers a money-back guarantee if train-related delays exceed five minutes.[5] One can travel from downtown to downtown almost as fast as airplanes with a fraction of the cost and in most weathers compared to flying which have the tendency to have delays depending on the weather.

Having high-speed rail will provide people who cannot afford flying an alternative to long distance travel. This alternative way of travel can provide Americans with a safe and reliable way to reach their destinations on time compared to driving as freeway congestion that would cause drivers to waste a lot of time on the road. In addition, a single railroad track can carry as many people as a ten-lane highway at a fraction of the cost. It has more benefits for short-haul travelers to shift from air to rail as airport congestion contributes to delays that are frustrating for passengers to wait for such a long time to travel a short distance.

The image below shows that the total travel time is shorter than flying for short to medium travel and even though it might be longer for long distance, it is certainly more comfortable.

Implementing High Speed Rail

Source: Zoi Environment Network

Saves Energy and Environmental FriendlyOil dependence for transportation is a serious problem for the U.S. as it is a major contributor to both global warming and air pollution problems in cities throughout the nation [6]. A solution to this problem is to implement high-speed rail trains which saves energy and are environmental friendly.

Replacing oil with electricity makes zero emissions possible. Energy savings translate into reduced emissions of pollutants that cause global warming or respiratory problems, particularly when railroads power their trains with renewable energy. In Sweden, the country’s high-speed trains are powered entirely with renewable energy, cutting emissions of global warming pollutants by 99 percent. In Japan, the Shinkansen system is continuously improved over time, such that today’s trains use nearly a third less energy, while traveling significantly faster, than the trains introduced in the mid-sixties. In Europe, high-speed rails use approximately a third as much energy as a car or plane trip which makes it really efficient.

The image below shows the amount of CO2 produced by high-speed rail compared to other modes of transport.

Implementing High Speed Rail

Source: Alstom

Improve the EconomyCurrently, America’s energy sector is just one part of an aging infrastructure badly in need of repair.  

“Ask any CEO where they’d rather locate and hire -- a country with deteriorating roads and bridges, or one with high-speed rail and Internet; high-tech schools, self-healing power grids.  The CEO of Siemens America -- a company that brought hundreds of new jobs to North Carolina -- said that if we upgrade our infrastructure, they’ll bring even more jobs.  And that’s the attitude of a lot of companies all around the world” - Barack Obama. [7]

With the implementation of high-speed rail, downtown train stations will pull jobs, people and business back into the country’s central cities thus reversing sprawl. High speed rail reduces the need for new outlying highways and airports which exacerbate sprawl. A high-speed rail network will pull together the regional economy and promotes intra-regional business growth. The development of improved rail service can provide a significant boost to travel and tourism by facilitating weekend leisure trips by families from smaller towns to the major cities and vice versa.

Implementing High Speed Rail

BUDGETThe average construction cost for high-speed lines in Europe is about US$15.1 million/km (US$24.31million/mile). Based on the average cost, the first phase for the high-speed lines in the U.S. is estimated to be US$78billion.[8]

First Phase Construction CostRegion Cost in billion

(US$)Distance covered

(miles)California 12 505Midwest 32 1296

Northwest 5 225South Central 12 513

Florida 8 318Southeast 9 391

Total US$78 billion

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

I am a third-year Mechanical Engineering student at The Ohio State University, admitted into the major for Autumn Semester 2013. I have taken courses concerning Mechanical Engineering such as Strengths of Materials and Numerical Methods. Also, I am currently taking System Dynamics, Thermodynamics, and Design and Analysis of Machine Elements courses. During my sophomore year, I was part of a four person Advance Energy Vehicle (AEV) team. We were tasked with designing, constructing, and testing an Advance Energy Vehicle that was powered by propellers and it is hung on a single rail. We had to program it to carry out specific tasks within a given course.

Finally, I have put hours of research on related topics of my proposal using the Ohio State University’s library database and articles on the web.

CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, high-speed rail is the future of U.S. as it provides a safe, reliable and environmental friendly transportation system which would also contribute to the country’s economy. However, to have a world-class high-speed rail, the government will need to subsidize them. But, this investment would be small compared to the billions spent on highways and airports. Once built, high-speed rail will pay for itself.

Implementing High Speed Rail

REFERENCES[1] I. Savage, “Comparing the fatality risks in United States transportation across modes and

over time,” J. Research in Transportation Economics, vol. 43, no.1, pp. 9-22, July 2013.[2] P. Baxandall et al., “A Track Record of Success: High-Speed Rail Around the World and Its

Promise for America,” U.S. PIRG Educ. Fund, Washington, D.C., Rep., Nov. 10, 2010.[3] U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, International Energy

Statistics, [Online]. Available: http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/iedindex3.cfm?tid=90&pid=44&aid=8

[4] M. Taylor. (2012, Jul. 17). Survey Shows Americans Ready to Embrace High-Speed Rail. [Online]. Available: http://www.america2050.org/2012/07/survey-shows-americans-ready-to-embrace-high-speed-rail.html

[5] P. Nussbaum. (2010, Aug 10). Europe's high-speed rail revolution may spread to U.S. [Online]. Available: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20100808_Europe_s_high-speed_rail_revolution_may_spread_to_U_S_.html

[6] E. Ridlington et al., “State Leadership and the National Clean Cars Program: Reducing Oil Dependence and Cutting Global Warming Pollution,” Environment America Research & Policy Center, Boston, MA, Rep., Mar. 2010.

[7] B. Obama. Topic: “Remarks by the President in the State of the Union Address.” U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., Feb. 12, 2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/12/remarks-president-state-union-address

[8] J. Arduin and J. Ni, “French TGV Network Development,” Japan Railway & Transport Review, vol. 40, pp.22, Mar. 2005. [Online]. Available: http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr40/pdf/f22_ard.pdf

APPENDIX 1: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY