International Lessons for Promoting Transit Connections to High-Speed Rail Systems

As the California High-Speed Rail (HSR) project becomes reality, many communities involved in, or affected by, the California HSR project have considered how to connect the new HSR passenger services to local urban transportation systems – such as bus and light rail systems – and how they can take advantage of HSR accessibility and speed throughout the state. European and other overseas systems have decades of experience in forging connections between HSR and various transportation options. This study examines international HSR stations and identifies patterns in transit connections associated with stations on the basis of size, population levels, and other characteristics. Additionally, a closer examination is made of the lessons that can be learned from a strategic sample of overseas HSR stations, correlated to similar cities in the planned California system. Generally, the findings from the comparison suggest that California cities must make significant strides to approach the level of integration and ease of access to other modes that systems outside the U.S. now enjoy

High speed rail: benefits that add up

This report argues that Australian could gain $48 billion of benefits from adopting high speed rail. High speed rail (“HSR”) now exists on every continent except for Australia and Antarctica. There is a great deal of international experience and analysis available to assess the likely costs and benefits of HSR. As with all nation-building infrastructure projects, the costs of HSR are more straightforward to assess than the benefits. This is because the costs tend to be monetised and straightforward, whereas the benefits are mostly externalised and spread across the broader economy. Costs are incurred up front, whereas the benefits accrue over decades. This is certainly the case with HSR. This report has identified some$48 billion of benefits from HSR, including direct user benefits and also externalities to society. The Phase 1 Report into high speed rail (HSR), published by the Australian Government in 2011, quantified the likely costs to build a HSR on Australia’s east coast, at about $80 billion. The benefits of HSR will be quantified in the Phase 2 Report, due to be completed this year. The benefits, once quantified, are significant. They include both direct benefits to HSR users and operators (i.e. through time savings and profits, respectively) and indirect benefits to society (called externalities). The main externalities include fewer accidents, lower greenhouse gas emissions, less air and noise pollution, less congestion on roads and at airports and substantial time savings to users. There are significant benefits to regional Australia in towns where the HSR passes through, agglomeration benefits and benefits to cities with a HSR station. Agglomeration and regional rebalancing benefits are not quantified in this report, although they have been in some other recent reports. This report places indicative values on the externality and user benefits

HIGH-SPEED RAIL IN THE MIDWEST UNITED STATES: POTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS

This paper assesses the potential for successful provision of high-speed rail (HSR) in the Midwestern United States, and concludes by identifying major lessons that other states and regions in the United States interested in developing HSR can draw from Midwest’s experience. These lessons include development of a vision for national HSR; identification of a dedicated federal source of funding for HSR; securing strong local political leadership; involvement of private railroads; development of consensus on the benefits of HSR; ensuring that the state and local governments are ready to commit their share; and development of synergistic relationships with the airline, and local transit companies.High Speed Rail; Midwestern USA, Incremental HSR; Chicago HUB.

Survey on Kuala Lumpur to Singapore High-Speed Rail (KL-SG HSR) Project among Pagoh Residents

The Kuala Lumpur to Singapore high-speed rail (KL-SG HSR) project is the first HSR that will be built in Malaysia. This project aim is to facilitate the journey between Malaysia and Singapore. The total length of the KL-SG HSR project is 350 kilometers, it covers 335 kilometers in Malaysia and 15 kilometers in Singapore which can shorten the traveling time between Malaysia and Singapore within 90 minutes compared to four or five hours taken currently by road, seven hours by classic rail service or three hours by air transport. The issues about the HSR project started after the 14th general election when Tun Dr. Mahathir said that this project was not necessary and could be scrapped. After two weeks later, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad clarified that this HSR project was not being scrapped but merely postponed for a few years. Because of this situation, it is crucial to get public opinion and reaction regarding this issue. The study focuses on the public's opinion toward the HSR project among Pagoh residents. Pagoh is selected because, in the planning of this HSR project, there will be a station to be developed in Pagoh. This study determines the awareness of Pagoh residents on the HSR project, identifies the most important source they get the information about the HSR project, and studies their opinion about the implementation of HSR project according to the general scope of HSR, economy, and the future expectation of the project. The data collected using questionnaires distributed online and by face to face. The methods used to analyze the survey data are the Pareto analysis, Chi-Squared, Cramer's V, and Mann-Whitney U test. 263 respondents participated in this study and the results found that the majority of the respondents are aware of the HSR project, but they still have lack knowledge and information about the project. Television is the most important source for the respondents getting information on the HSR project and most of the respondents have positive responses toward the HSR project

Promoting Intermodal Connectivity at California’s High Speed Rail Stations

High-speed rail (HSR) has emerged as one of the most revolutionary and transformative transportation technologies, having a profound impact on urban-regional accessibility and inter-city travel across Europe, Japan, and more recently China and other Asian countries. One of HSR’s biggest advantages over air travel is that it offers passengers a one-seat ride into the center of major cities, eliminating time-consuming airport transfers and wait times, and providing ample opportunities for intermodal transfers at these locales. Thus, HSR passengers are typically able to arrive at stations that are only a short walk away from central business districts and major tourist attractions, without experiencing any of the stress that car drivers often experience in negotiating such highly congested environments. Such an approach requires a high level of coordination and planning of the infrastructural and spatial aspects of the HSR service, and a high degree of intermodal connectivity. But what key elements can help the US high-speed rail system blend successfully with other existing rail and transit services? That question is critically important now that high-speed rail is under construction in California. The study seeks to understand the requirements for high levels of connectivity and spatial and operational integration of HSR stations and offer recommendations for seamless, and convenient integrated service in California intercity rail/HSR stations. The study draws data from a review of the literature on the connectivity, intermodality, and spatial and operational integration of transit systems; a survey of 26 high-speed rail experts from six different European countries; and an in-depth look of the German and Spanish HSR systems and some of their stations, which are deemed as exemplary models of station connectivity. The study offers recommendations on how to enhance both the spatial and the operational connectivity of high-speed rail systems giving emphasis on four spatial zones: the station, the station neighborhood, the municipality at large, and the region

A Consumer Logistics Framework for Understanding Preferences for High-Speed Rail Transportation, MTI Report 05-04

The prospect for high-speed rail (HSR) service for the San Francisco-Los Angeles corridor and beyond first arose eight years ago. The plan remains to connect California’s major cities in the next 15 years at a total cost of $25 billion. The purpose of this study is to reach a fuller understanding of consumers’ perceptions of such a service. Consumer logistics theory is used in the study as a framework to begin to provide this understanding of consumer perceptions and to inform future efforts to develop and market HSR service. This study uses the consumer logistics framework to help understand how various demographic groups, various groups defined by public transportation usage frequency, and various groups defined by HSR usage intention level perceive various logistical aspects of HSR service. The consumer logistics framework is also be used to develop a macro model that examines the relationship between performance of consumer logistics functions, perceptions of HSR travel value (consisting of travel efficiency and effectiveness), and HSR travel intention for intercity business commuters. The results show the manner and the extent to which the logistics of HSR are likely to lead to customer intentions to use it for inter-city transportation and how HSR service providers, by enhancing their consumer logistics capabilities, can encourage intended HSR usage between San Francisco and Los Angeles for business commuter

When trains go faster than planes: the strategic reaction of airlines in Spain

Plans for the development of high speed railways lines (HSR) in Spain are widespread. At the beginning of 2010 four HSR lines were operating in routes where the air transport mode used to be dominant. In this paper we examine through econometric means the air carriers' reaction to these HSR entrances by using data at the route level. We test whether the HSR have changed both, the airlines' frequencies and the market shares. Our results show that it has reduced on average the number of air transport operations by 17 percent. On the other hand the demand has increased substantially, though the weight of air transport in the total market has been reduced, as it has been reduced the weight of the dominant Spanish air carrier Iberia on air markets.

Formulating a Strategy for Securing High-Speed Rail in the United States, Research Report 12-03

This report presents an analysis of information relating to attacks, attempted attacks, and plots against high-speed rail (HSR) systems. It draws upon empirical data from MTI’s Database of Terrorist and Serious Criminal Attacks Against Public Surface Transportation and from reviews of selected HSR systems, including onsite observations. The report also examines the history of safety accidents and other HSR incidents that resulted in fatalities, injuries, or extensive asset damage to examine the inherent vulnerabilities (and strengths) of HSR systems and how these might affect the consequences of terrorist attacks. The study is divided into three parts: (1) an examination of security principles and measures; (2) an empirical examination of 33 attacks against HSR targets and a comparison of attacks against HSR targets with those against non-HSR targets; and (3) an examination of 73 safety incidents on 12 HRS systems. The purpose of this study is to develop an overall strategy for HSR security and to identify measures that could be applied to HSR systems currently under development in the United States. It is hoped that the report will provide useful guidance to both governmental authorities and transportation operators of current and future HSR systems