Why some airport-rail links get built and others do not : the role of institutions, equity and financing

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Political Science, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 122-129).The thesis seeks to provide an understanding of reasons for different outcomes of airport ground access projects. Five in-depth case studies (Hongkong, Tokyo-Narita, London- Heathrow, Chicago- O'Hare and Paris-Charles de Gaulle) and eight smaller case studies (Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Shanghai-Pudong, Bangkok, Beijing, Rome- Fiumicino, Istanbul-Atatirk and Munich- Franz Josef Strauss) are conducted. The thesis builds on existing literature that compares airport-rail links by explicitly considering the influence of the institutional environment of an airport on its ground access situation and by paying special attention to recently opened dedicated airport expresses in Asia. It is found that sustained government support and a sense of urgency for better airport access are the main motivating forces that need to be present if a dedicated airport express is to be constructed. For these reasons a number of dedicated airport express systems were constructed in Asia (Hong Kong, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Shanghai, Bangkok), where they were conceived simultaneously with the airports they serve. In cases with less focused objectives (Chicago, Paris, Chicago) lengthy planning periods have not yet led to the construction of an airport-rail link. London was the first airport-rail link in the Western world and exhibited strong government support for rail investments during a period of generally favorable conditions, which jointly led to the construction of the Heathrow Express. Five of eight dedicated systems that are studied exhibit underestimation of ridership and underestimation of delivery time. The finding replicates for Asian examples (Hong Kong, Seoul, Bangkok, Shanghai) Flyvbjerg's (2009) observations on UK and US examples that transportation projects tend to systematically overestimate project benefits. The enduring and systematic overestimates of ridership hint at deliberate strategic misrepresentation rather than psychological optimism bias or technical error as reason for the erroneous estimates. Planners are advised to be aware of incentives for strategic misrepresentation among public and private agencies that prepare technical studies as basis for decision making. In a number of systems that have dedicated rail service to an airport and are generally considered successful, fierce competition from buses has emerged recently (Hong Kong, Tokyo, London). It is recommended to planners of airport-rail links today to consider realization through bus rapid transit on dedicated rights-of-way in addition to airport-rail links because of their lower cost, wider scope in dropoff and pick-up destinations and easier scalability of capacity in times of low demand.by Julia Nickel.S.M

Flexible system development strategies for the Chuo Shinkansen Maglev Project : dealing with uncertain demand and R&D outcomes

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2007.Includes bibliographical references (p. 153-158).As a large-scale, long-term transportation project, the Chuo Shinkansen Maglev Project in Japan includes various uncertainties. Among them, two major uncertainties are identified in this thesis: the uncertainty of demand and the risk of R&D. Because each Maglev train requires a dedicated Power Conversion System (PCS) but a different one as it moves along the route, it is required to estimate the future demand accurately to determine the number of PCSs to construct. At the same time, the R&D to advance the technologies of PCS has the possibility of improving the project value by enabling staged flexible system development strategies. Since it is difficult to correctly estimate demand and R&D results, a framework that can evaluate projects with explicit considerations of these uncertainties is needed. In the light of the above background, this thesis develops a quantitative model that is appropriate for evaluating the Chuo Shinkansen Project. More specifically, this thesis applies the hybrid real options model, which is suitable for appraising projects with both market risks and R&D risks, in an innovative manner, addressing four major complexities that arise when applying the model to the project:(cont.) the difficulty of estimating the demand of a new train system, identification of the possible system designs that vary depending on R&D results, necessity to incorporate capacity constraints into analysis, and the selection of the appropriate discount rate. Analyzing the data and the characteristics of the Chuo Shinkansen Project, this thesis develops an evaluation model that addresses above issues. Using the quantitative analytic model developed herein and assuming reasonable estimates of R&D costs, probability of success in R&D project, demand growth, volatility of demand, and the discount rate, this thesis estimates the value of the Chuo Shinkansen Project and concludes that it will be advantageous to invest in the R&D of the PCS technology despite its large cost. The thesis also conducts sensitivity analyses to demonstrate how the evaluation model developed in this thesis can be used to analyze the effects, on the project value, of changes in the probability of R&D success (in relation to R&D costs), demand growth and its volatility, and the discount rate, to obtain implications for the development strategies for the Chuo Shinkansen Project.by Masaki Ishii.S.M

Mythologizing a 'Zone City': Urban Fantasies of and in Songdo, South Korea

Songdo is a city built within Koreas first Free Economic Zone (FEZ). The city has become imbued with three distinct yet interrelated fantasies a grand state project envisioned to guide the country towards modernity; a blank slate onto which an organized and efficient utopian community can be built; and an urban node in a frictionless world. In this thesis, I present an anthropology of and in the city by exploring the relations between the urban imagination of Songdo and particular groups in the city. I argue that Songdos fantasies shape the behaviours, perceptions, and material practices of people working and living in the city, who in turn interpret and act upon Songdos physical and symbolic spaces. I attempt to demonstrate that while Songdos mythologies and their concomitant practices link to global trends, the production and experiences of the city reflect a situated and locally embedded urban form

Proceedings of the 4th International Conference and Exhibition: World Congress on Superconductivity, volume 1

The papers presented at the 4th International Conference Exhibition: World Congress on Superconductivity held at the Marriott Orlando World Center, Orlando, Florida, are contained in this document and encompass the research, technology, applications, funding, political, and social aspects of superconductivity. Specifically, the areas covered included: high-temperature materials; thin films; C-60 based superconductors; persistent magnetic fields and shielding; fabrication methodology; space applications; physical applications; performance characterization; device applications; weak link effects and flux motion; accelerator technology; superconductivity energy; storage; future research and development directions; medical applications; granular superconductors; wire fabrication technology; computer applications; technical and commercial challenges, and power and energy applications

Sustainability and Related Factors of High Speed Railways

High-Speed Railways (HSR), which represent a safe and sustainable mode of transportation, provide access and mobility for the society, and support the growth of the economy in addition to creating new jobs, supporting welfare, and promoting local business activities. This research addresses the shortage of knowledge in evaluating the performance of selected HSR systems and in distinguishing the factors that contribute to the sustainable performance of HSRs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the sustainability of selected HSRs and identify factors that affect such sustainability. The objectives of this research are to evaluate productivity, technical and technological efficiency of the selected HSRs, define the factors that can affect productivity and efficiency scores and make suggestions for improving the sustainability of HSRs. The secondary data methodology has been used, supported by empirical evidence. Most of the data was gathered from the Internet, research in depth of the high-speed railways in the selected countries, and International Union of Railway’s websites in addition to analysing railway statistics and data from European and institutional publications. This includes the use of a multi-stage approach of applying three specialised software packages, namely, NVivo, DEA, and ISM SPSS. The main findings show that HSRs in Asia has higher productivity and higher efficiency scores than that of HSRs in Europe. The research found that the key factors among all the identified factors that affected the productivity and efficiency of HSRs are; density of population, average traction power of HSR trains, average time that passengers spend on trains and average distance that passengers travel on the HSR. The findings of this research can help develop strategic guidelines to improve the performance and, by the result, the sustainability of HSRs. The recommendations are drawn for more research expansion, including the consideration of other HSRs, particularly their best practices

Energy: A continuing bibliography with indexes, issue 20

A bibliography is presented which lists 1250 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System from October 1, 1978 through December 31, 1978

Understanding Quantum Technologies 2022

Understanding Quantum Technologies 2022 is a creative-commons ebook that provides a unique 360 degrees overview of quantum technologies from science and technology to geopolitical and societal issues. It covers quantum physics history, quantum physics 101, gate-based quantum computing, quantum computing engineering (including quantum error corrections and quantum computing energetics), quantum computing hardware (all qubit types, including quantum annealing and quantum simulation paradigms, history, science, research, implementation and vendors), quantum enabling technologies (cryogenics, control electronics, photonics, components fabs, raw materials), quantum computing algorithms, software development tools and use cases, unconventional computing (potential alternatives to quantum and classical computing), quantum telecommunications and cryptography, quantum sensing, quantum technologies around the world, quantum technologies societal impact and even quantum fake sciences. The main audience are computer science engineers, developers and IT specialists as well as quantum scientists and students who want to acquire a global view of how quantum technologies work, and particularly quantum computing. This version is an extensive update to the 2021 edition published in October 2021.Comment: 1132 pages, 920 figures, Letter forma