Investing in High-Speed Rail
New legislation supports trains that can compete with planes for travel between major American cities.By Eliza Krigman
November 21, 2008
A Japanese-made high-speed train arrives in a station during a test run in Taipei, Taiwan. (AP Photo)Vice President-elect Joe Biden uses the Acela Amtrak train to commute from Wilmington, Delaware, to Washington, D.C. He’s a reminder that many people are starting to look to high-speed rail as an alternative to traditional auto commutes. The demand for alternatives to automobiles and airplanes could not be higher in the face of volatile oil and gas prices, heightened environmental concern, and increased congestion on our roadways. A big part of the solution to those problems could be high-speed rail.
Sen. John Kerry introduced the High-Speed Rail for America Act this week. The legislation proposes the creation of a central office to oversee the development of high-speed rail and, over the course of six years, provides $8 billion in tax exempt bonds, $10 billion in tax credit bonds for super high-speed intercity rail facilities, and $5.4 billion in tax credit bonds for rail infrastructure.
Compared to Europe and parts of Asia, the United States is many years behind in its development of high-speed rail (HSR). The Eurostar Rail connects London, Paris, and Brussels at speeds up to 186 mph. Japan’s bullet train travels at 180 mph and they are investing heavily in a train that will exceed 200 mph. Taiwan has trains also capable of reaching 186 mph. The only high-speed passenger train in the United States is the Acela (which operates in the Boston-New York-Washington Northeast Corridor), which can travel up to 150 mph but averages less than 86 mph between Washington, D.C. and New York City because of poor infrastructure and track conditions.
The main reason other countries are so far ahead in HSR is simply because they are investing more. France spends 20 times as much per capita as the United States on rail. This breaks down to $67.66 per person in France versus $3.28 per person here. As this legislation works its way through Congress and as transportation issues become increasingly important over the next few years, here are the facts about high-speed rail.
What is high-speed rail?
The Federal Railroad Administration defines HSR as a series of technologies involving trains traveling at speeds of 90 to 300 miles per hour (mph). However the Kerry legislation pushes for all new HSR projects to travel at 150 mph and many state initiatives set the bar at 110 mph.
On many rail systems, 110 mph can be obtained by making improvements to the current tracks. But to achieve the speeds of our European and Asian counterparts, a real overhaul is needed to create dedicated track lines and no at-grade crossings. It’s not safe for vehicles or pedestrians to cross HSR tracks because should they get stuck, the trains would not be able to stop in time.
What are the benefits?
HSR and increased intercity passenger rail would dramatically reduce travel times, improve safety and provide highway and airway congestion relief. On trains traveling an average of speed of 140 mph, it would take an hour and 45 minutes to get from downtown Washington, D.C. to downtown New York City versus a conservative estimate of four hours and 15 minutes traveling on the highway on a car. Trains also save on delays and aggravations associated with air and auto travel such as check-in lines, traffic, and re-fueling.
Passenger rail travel results in significantly fewer deaths than automobile travel. According to a 2007 report prepared by the Passenger Rail Working Group (PRWG), the death rate per 100 million passenger miles in automobiles is 0.8 versus 0.03 in rail travel. The United States has more than twice as many traffic deaths per million people than many European countries that are more rail-friendly. In 2000, traffic crashes cost Americans a total of $230.6 billion to $32.6 billion in medical expenses alone, and only 25 percent of overall crash costs were paid by those involved in the crash.
HSR is also more environmentally friendly and energy efficient than car travel. On average, intercity passenger trains produce 60 percent fewer CO2 emissions per passenger-mile than the average car and half the greenhouse gas emissions of an airplane. The PRWG report found that Amtrak consumes 17 percent less energy per passenger mile than airlines and 21 percent less than autos. Trains also have a much higher occupancy count than cars and planes, which amplifies the benefits of trains’ energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions.
It’s also worth noting that expanded rail service would foster economic development and emergency preparedness. After our nation’s two most recent national disasters, 9/11 and Katrina, emergency workers relied on rail to evacuate people from a disaster area. In the case of 9/11, rail was the only mode of transportation in and out of Manhattan while highway bridges and tunnels were closed.
What’s holding back high-speed rail in America?
The attempts to move forward with the HSR have been set back by environmental concerns, right-of-way disputes and inconsistent political support. The FRA has designated eleven high-speed corridors across the country, which allows a corridor to receive specially targeted funding for highway-rail grade crossing safety improvements and recognizes that area as a center of HSR activity. Amtrak is willing to operate “Acela Regional” service in other state-sponsored corridors if given the funds for the necessary upgrades.
The At the state level, California has taken the lead on the campaign to implement HSR. They established the California High-Speed Rail Authority in 1996 yet still haven’t established a high-speed rail system. Earlier this month, the Golden State moved forward on this initiative by passing a proposition to sell nearly $10 billion in bonds to propel an 800-mile system of bullet trains that could speed along at 200 mph, linking the Bay Area and Southern California and the cities in between. The total system is estimated to cost around $40 billion. A ticket in between Los Angeles and San Francisco (a trip that would only take two hours and 38 minutes on HSR) is estimated to cost around $60.
The Amtrak Reauthorization Measure, recently passed in the House, is also relevant to this discussion. The bill authorizes $14.4 billion for Amtrak over the next five years and permits construction of a high-speed rail line between Washington, D.C. and New York City. The Amtrak bill includes roughly $300 million in grants for HSR.
“The nation needs a functioning inter-metropolitan area network for passenger rail travel,” Robert Puentes, an infrastructure expert in the Metropolitan Studies Program at the Brookings Institution, wrote in an email. “Americans should have access to safe, reliable, and convenient choices. By not providing these options the U.S. stands out from its global competitors. The federal government should take the lead role in establishing a new frame for inter-metropolitan area rail that is flexible and responsive to the different travel needs of the nation. Doing so will move us to a more integrated, sustainable, and competitive future.” Today, we pay a heavy price in wasted time and fuel inefficiency with our country’s outdated auto-based transportation infrastructure—a high-speed rail system is a good first step toward resolving those problems.
Eliza Krigman is an Editorial Assistant at the Center for Responsive Politics where she writes for Capital Eye, the organization’s money-in-politics blog. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2005.
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Comments
Dear Ms. Kringman:
— Hitoshi Maruyama - Nov 22, 02:48 PM - #Your article was excellently prepared. We need far better transportation network throughout the US.
Because it is indispensable to be independent from foreign oil. The network should be built around HSR corridors that are criss-crossing in the continents. If we considered only intercity systems, we will have serious problems in future. For example, after the HSR between Washington, DC and New York will be completed, passengers who want to go further south have to take slower systems. I think that the US should build at least five corridors for East-West bound and six for North-South
bound.
For that, I believe that the NY-DC line should be run at 200 mph so that the line can be extended to the tip of Florida.
I also strongly advise that all HRS and other lines including Amtrak are electrified so that they will be free from oil or biodiesel. I don’t think that biodiesel cannot supply enough needs for the train systems.
Electricity should be generated from all sources available from this huge country.
I was born in Japan and am familiar with all sorts of public transportation modes including HSR. Americans should wake up and change their way of thinking from CAR-based to other possibilities.
I have a concrete proposal for nation-wide transportation networks. I would like to share it with you. Please let me know where is sent.
Dear Ms. Kringman:
— Hitoshi Maruyama - Nov 22, 02:49 PM - #Your article was excellently prepared. We need far better transportation network throughout the US.
Because it is indispensable to be independent from foreign oil. The network should be built around HSR corridors that are criss-crossing in the continents. If we considered only intercity systems, we will have serious problems in future. For example, after the HSR between Washington, DC and New York will be completed, passengers who want to go further south have to take slower systems. I think that the US should build at least five corridors for East-West bound and six for North-South
bound.
For that, I believe that the NY-DC line should be run at 200 mph so that the line can be extended to the tip of Florida.
I also strongly advise that all HRS and other lines including Amtrak are electrified so that they will be free from oil or biodiesel. I don’t think that biodiesel cannot supply enough needs for the train systems.
Electricity should be generated from all sources available from this huge country.
I was born in Japan and am familiar with all sorts of public transportation modes including HSR. Americans should wake up and change their way of thinking from CAR-based to other possibilities.
I have a concrete proposal for nation-wide transportation networks. I would like to share it with you. Please let me know where is sent.
Dear Ms. Kringman:
— Hitoshi Maruyama - Nov 22, 02:49 PM - #Your article was excellently prepared. We need far better transportation network throughout the US.
Because it is indispensable to be independent from foreign oil. The network should be built around HSR corridors that are criss-crossing in the continents. If we considered only intercity systems, we will have serious problems in future. For example, after the HSR between Washington, DC and New York will be completed, passengers who want to go further south have to take slower systems. I think that the US should build at least five corridors for East-West bound and six for North-South
bound.
For that, I believe that the NY-DC line should be run at 200 mph so that the line can be extended to the tip of Florida.
I also strongly advise that all HRS and other lines including Amtrak are electrified so that they will be free from oil or biodiesel. I don’t think that biodiesel cannot supply enough needs for the train systems.
Electricity should be generated from all sources available from this huge country.
I was born in Japan and am familiar with all sorts of public transportation modes including HSR. Americans should wake up and change their way of thinking from CAR-based to other possibilities.
I have a concrete proposal for nation-wide transportation networks. I would like to share it with you. Please let me know where is sent.
Dear Ms. Kringman:
— Hitoshi Maruyama - Nov 22, 02:49 PM - #Your article was excellently prepared. We need far better transportation network throughout the US.
Because it is indispensable to be independent from foreign oil. The network should be built around HSR corridors that are criss-crossing in the continents. If we considered only intercity systems, we will have serious problems in future. For example, after the HSR between Washington, DC and New York will be completed, passengers who want to go further south have to take slower systems. I think that the US should build at least five corridors for East-West bound and six for North-South
bound.
For that, I believe that the NY-DC line should be run at 200 mph so that the line can be extended to the tip of Florida.
I also strongly advise that all HRS and other lines including Amtrak are electrified so that they will be free from oil or biodiesel. I don’t think that biodiesel cannot supply enough needs for the train systems.
Electricity should be generated from all sources available from this huge country.
I was born in Japan and am familiar with all sorts of public transportation modes including HSR. Americans should wake up and change their way of thinking from CAR-based to other possibilities.
I have a concrete proposal for nation-wide transportation networks. I would like to share it with you. Please let me know where is sent.
Dear Ms. Kringman:
— Hitoshi Maruyama - Nov 22, 02:49 PM - #Your article was excellently prepared. We need far better transportation network throughout the US.
Because it is indispensable to be independent from foreign oil. The network should be built around HSR corridors that are criss-crossing in the continents. If we considered only intercity systems, we will have serious problems in future. For example, after the HSR between Washington, DC and New York will be completed, passengers who want to go further south have to take slower systems. I think that the US should build at least five corridors for East-West bound and six for North-South
bound.
For that, I believe that the NY-DC line should be run at 200 mph so that the line can be extended to the tip of Florida.
I also strongly advise that all HRS and other lines including Amtrak are electrified so that they will be free from oil or biodiesel. I don’t think that biodiesel cannot supply enough needs for the train systems.
Electricity should be generated from all sources available from this huge country.
I was born in Japan and am familiar with all sorts of public transportation modes including HSR. Americans should wake up and change their way of thinking from CAR-based to other possibilities.
I have a concrete proposal for nation-wide transportation networks. I would like to share it with you. Please let me know where is sent.
Dear Ms. Kringman:
— Hitoshi Maruyama - Nov 22, 02:49 PM - #Your article was excellently prepared. We need far better transportation network throughout the US.
Because it is indispensable to be independent from foreign oil. The network should be built around HSR corridors that are criss-crossing in the continents. If we considered only intercity systems, we will have serious problems in future. For example, after the HSR between Washington, DC and New York will be completed, passengers who want to go further south have to take slower systems. I think that the US should build at least five corridors for East-West bound and six for North-South
bound.
For that, I believe that the NY-DC line should be run at 200 mph so that the line can be extended to the tip of Florida.
I also strongly advise that all HRS and other lines including Amtrak are electrified so that they will be free from oil or biodiesel. I don’t think that biodiesel cannot supply enough needs for the train systems.
Electricity should be generated from all sources available from this huge country.
I was born in Japan and am familiar with all sorts of public transportation modes including HSR. Americans should wake up and change their way of thinking from CAR-based to other possibilities.
I have a concrete proposal for nation-wide transportation networks. I would like to share it with you. Please let me know where is sent.
Dear Ms. Kringman:
— Hitoshi Maruyama - Nov 22, 02:49 PM - #Your article was excellently prepared. We need far better transportation network throughout the US.
Because it is indispensable to be independent from foreign oil. The network should be built around HSR corridors that are criss-crossing in the continents. If we considered only intercity systems, we will have serious problems in future. For example, after the HSR between Washington, DC and New York will be completed, passengers who want to go further south have to take slower systems. I think that the US should build at least five corridors for East-West bound and six for North-South
bound.
For that, I believe that the NY-DC line should be run at 200 mph so that the line can be extended to the tip of Florida.
I also strongly advise that all HRS and other lines including Amtrak are electrified so that they will be free from oil or biodiesel. I don’t think that biodiesel cannot supply enough needs for the train systems.
Electricity should be generated from all sources available from this huge country.
I was born in Japan and am familiar with all sorts of public transportation modes including HSR. Americans should wake up and change their way of thinking from CAR-based to other possibilities.
I have a concrete proposal for nation-wide transportation networks. I would like to share it with you. Please let me know where is sent.
Dear Ms. Kringman:
— Hitoshi Maruyama - Nov 22, 02:49 PM - #Your article was excellently prepared. We need far better transportation network throughout the US.
Because it is indispensable to be independent from foreign oil. The network should be built around HSR corridors that are criss-crossing in the continents. If we considered only intercity systems, we will have serious problems in future. For example, after the HSR between Washington, DC and New York will be completed, passengers who want to go further south have to take slower systems. I think that the US should build at least five corridors for East-West bound and six for North-South
bound.
For that, I believe that the NY-DC line should be run at 200 mph so that the line can be extended to the tip of Florida.
I also strongly advise that all HRS and other lines including Amtrak are electrified so that they will be free from oil or biodiesel. I don’t think that biodiesel cannot supply enough needs for the train systems.
Electricity should be generated from all sources available from this huge country.
I was born in Japan and am familiar with all sorts of public transportation modes including HSR. Americans should wake up and change their way of thinking from CAR-based to other possibilities.
I have a concrete proposal for nation-wide transportation networks. I would like to share it with you. Please let me know where is sent.
Dear Ms. Kringman:
— Hitoshi Maruyama - Nov 22, 02:49 PM - #Your article was excellently prepared. We need far better transportation network throughout the US.
Because it is indispensable to be independent from foreign oil. The network should be built around HSR corridors that are criss-crossing in the continents. If we considered only intercity systems, we will have serious problems in future. For example, after the HSR between Washington, DC and New York will be completed, passengers who want to go further south have to take slower systems. I think that the US should build at least five corridors for East-West bound and six for North-South
bound.
For that, I believe that the NY-DC line should be run at 200 mph so that the line can be extended to the tip of Florida.
I also strongly advise that all HRS and other lines including Amtrak are electrified so that they will be free from oil or biodiesel. I don’t think that biodiesel cannot supply enough needs for the train systems.
Electricity should be generated from all sources available from this huge country.
I was born in Japan and am familiar with all sorts of public transportation modes including HSR. Americans should wake up and change their way of thinking from CAR-based to other possibilities.
I have a concrete proposal for nation-wide transportation networks. I would like to share it with you. Please let me know where is sent.
Dear Ms. Kringman:
— Hitoshi Maruyama - Nov 22, 02:49 PM - #Your article was excellently prepared. We need far better transportation network throughout the US.
Because it is indispensable to be independent from foreign oil. The network should be built around HSR corridors that are criss-crossing in the continents. If we considered only intercity systems, we will have serious problems in future. For example, after the HSR between Washington, DC and New York will be completed, passengers who want to go further south have to take slower systems. I think that the US should build at least five corridors for East-West bound and six for North-South
bound.
For that, I believe that the NY-DC line should be run at 200 mph so that the line can be extended to the tip of Florida.
I also strongly advise that all HRS and other lines including Amtrak are electrified so that they will be free from oil or biodiesel. I don’t think that biodiesel cannot supply enough needs for the train systems.
Electricity should be generated from all sources available from this huge country.
I was born in Japan and am familiar with all sorts of public transportation modes including HSR. Americans should wake up and change their way of thinking from CAR-based to other possibilities.
I have a concrete proposal for nation-wide transportation networks. I would like to share it with you. Please let me know where is sent.
Far, far too much money to spend on something with very limited, small application.
Better to spend the same amount of money on resources for bicycles which are used far more frequently for shorter trips.
— Robert Kastigar - Nov 28, 07:28 PM - #Very well done, timely and very hopeful. As to Mr Kastigar’s comments, I can only say similar comments were made when they first proposed building the London subway system. Imagine trying to ride your bike in London today? And this morning it snowed in Milwaukee again, not the exact weather for biking either a short or a long distance. Isn’t about time we started to really think about our children’s and grandchildren’s future? Ms Krigman, please get into public policymaking and once there – DO IT.
— Terrence M Hansen - Dec 6, 11:00 AM - #