Evaluating New Track Construction Costs of Two Different Options: Conventional Trains vs. Tilting Trains

Abstract

Infrastructure costs could be greatly reduced if the need for bridges and tunnels was reduced, or if the line could be shortened. Tilting trains might be a less costly alternative to building new tracks with large curve radii, because tilting trains can negotiate tighter curves without having to decrease their speeds. Tracks built for tilting trains would be cheaper, as they require fewer bridges and tunnels. This paper compares the construction costs of two different options for the new Dodam-Yeoncheong section on the Central line, which includes 148.65 km of new electrified double-track with a design speed of 250 km/h. The first option is to straighten the high-speed line. The second option is to build a line with small radii curves and run tilting trains on the line. In the first option, tunnels would account for about 51% of the new section. In comparison, the second option would have shorter curves and fewer tunnels and bridges which would reduce construction costs. Furthermore, alignment modifications could be made to several segments on the straight line, making the most of the existing roadbed. The analysis concluded that the line suited to tilting trains would be 95.7 million USD cheaper to build the straight route. That is a savings of 2.8% of the total project cost. However, this option would increase the total travel time of the route by 1.2 minutes, which means it is not necessarily the best choice.