Survey of Current High-Speed Rail Planning Efforts in the United States

Abstract

Characteristics of the corridors being considered by state and regional agencies for high-speed rail service (HSR) in the United States were surveyed. Through use of a data set of 21 systems at various stages of development, the study shows that initiatives under way involve 64 corridors, tracks of 21 freight railroads, and 15,552 unique mi of route. Findings show that these corridors reach 163 of the 250 largest metropolitan areas in the continental United States. More than 87% of the existing railroad mileage identified for high-speed service is operated by freight-oriented railroads, with 74% being single track. The choice of technology and the need to acquire nonrailroad land to support the development of corridors differ sharply between interstate and intrastate routes. These and other findings illustrate the many opportunities—and challenges—facing proponents of HSR throughout the country.

A Sustainability Analysis on the Wuhan-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway in China

“…To a large extent, HSR and the megaregion coincide geographically. Schwieterman and Scheidt (2007) indicate that about 63% of the proposed mileage for HSR service in the United States is included in HSR corridors that cross state lines. All but one of the 43 states proposing routes on the HSR system have at least one interstate corridor slated for consideration.…”

Getting up to Speed

“…Jurisdictions that have pursued specific HSR projects include the U.S. federal government; California (twice or three times, depending on whether Amtrak California services are counted), Florida (twice), Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington, D.C. (12,17). Many of these efforts were abandoned before implementation, some initiatives yielded fragmentary results such as acquisition of rights-of-way segments that could later be used for HSR, and a few delivered step changes in the incremental modernization of infrastructure or rolling stock.…”

Tarptautinio keleivių vežimo geležinkeliais proceso kokybės tyrimo daugiatikslis modelis

“…Geležinkelių pramonei veriasi tokios šalys, kaip Alžyras, Argentina, Persų įlankos šalys, Izraelis ir Indija. JAV, kurioje išplėtotas automobilių ir oro transportas, taip pat peržiūrėjo savo transporto politiką ir diegia greituosius geležinkelius (Schwieterman, Scheidt 2007). Šiaurės Amerikoje padidėjusios lėšos iš keleivių ir krovinių vežimo geležinkeliais yra investuojamos į naują infrastruktūrą (Dingler et al 2009).…”