12 railways to consider as the U.S. high-speed network evolves
A new map, directly below, is once again breathing life into the debate for a next-generation rail system in the United States. Published earlier this month by artist and high speed rail advocate Alfred Twu, the map is one of two competing concepts for a national high-speed rail system.
The other map, designed by the United States High Speed Rail Association (USHSR), is more complex, boasting 17,000 miles of new tracks. Under this plan as many as 80 percent of Americans would have access to high-speed trains by the year 2030. Both plans propose the use of new trains capable of traveling at speeds of up to 220 MPH.
Of course, neither of these proposals comes cheap. The USHSR plan (pictured below) is expected to cost $500 billion. Yet the prospect of a two-hour train trip between Washington, D.C. and New York City sure sounds pleasant. It might also be lucrative. The saving of two hours per rider, per direction, would create hundreds of millions of new workable labor-hours, resulting in potentially billions of dollars in new income.
In an article written for The Guardian on February 6, Alfred Twu went to bat for high-speed rail as a whole. In his estimation, a modern network would not only get us from place to place faster and more efficiently, but operate at a higher profit margin than conventional rail lines. This sentiment is echoed quite often by Vice President Joe Biden. If the U.S. is to bite the $500 billion bullet train (you're welcome), we will need to be sure of the system's benefits. Trains will need to be fast, reliable and safe. They will, in short, need to prove to us that rail is in fact a good alternative to airplanes.
Thankfully, all across the globe other nations have embraced high-speed rail. From Japan to Saudi Arabia and all across Europe, these already-implemented systems have the data we need. It is from their examples that we might glean how a rail system might eventually work within our borders. There is also the Amtrak Acela, the fastest express train currently running in the U.S. Take a look at the gallery below to see how the Acela and Mr. Twu's map stack up against the competition.
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1. Amtrak Acela
Servicing the northeast corridor, the Acela makes stops in cities between Boston and Washington, D.C. Trains travel at up to 150 MPH, though they average something more like 85 MPH for much of their route. These speeds are hardly impressive when compared to what's out there. Despite this, the Acela accounts for 25% of Amtrak's total revenue, raking in $508 million dollars in 2012 alone. There is also a plan in the works to replace the Acela with new tracks and faster trains over the next 30 years. The new trains would be capable of reaching 220 MPH, making the Boston to Washington, D.C. trip in just three hours. Replacement costs are estimated at $117 billion.
2. Japan's Shinkansen
Japan's bullet train network is the oldest in the world. The first generation of Shinkansen trains, which reached speeds of 130 MPH, were up and running in 1964 and were only retired in 2008. Their newer counterparts run at 186 MPH on an ever-expanding grid. As well as being first through the gate, the Shinkansen network has also set the gold standard for excellence. There has never been a fatal accident and trains leave precisely on time — down to the second. Network-wide earnings have been as high as $10.5 billion in a single year.
3. Italy's Italo
An interesting complaint regarding high-speed rail networks is the idea that they cannot possibly be profitable — evidenced by private companies having yet to build them. While this may be true in regard to high speed infrastructure, the same cannot be said for the trains and services. In Italy the privately-owned Italo runs along the same high speed tracks as the government-owned Frecciarossa. Italo pays the government a sum of $156 million or so each year for use of the tracks and seems to be doing just fine despite that. Italy currently boasts 575 miles of high-speed rail lines, not all of which Italo services. However, the Frecciarossa — while not Ferrari-designed — is a competitive alternative and the government has plans to further expand the network over the next few years.
4. France's TGV
Even more so that the stylish Italo, France's TGV is the gold standard by which all other European high-speed rail is judged. Running since 1981, the TGV currently boasts 1,250 miles of high-speed rails — and plans to double that number by 2020. TGV trains are the fastest on wheels, with their fastest, the somewhat inappropriately named TGV POS, topping out at just over 357 MPH. The average start-to-stop speed of a TGV trip is 174 mph — itself a record. The TGV has also expanded beyond the borders of its motherland, servicing Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Northern Europe. TGV is so popular, in fact, that they have an annual ridership of 100 million passengers — a number that is more than double the national population and constitutes roughly 50% of the high-speed rail customers in all of Europe.
5. Germany's ICE
Similar in scope to France's TGV network, ICE provides the German citizenry not only with quick national transit, but quick access to a number of neighboring nations as well. Maxing out at 186 mph, high-speed ICE trains run between most major German cities, hourly. Unfortunately, ICE has experienced a handful of accidents since its debut in 1991. Only one of these, dubbed the Eschede disaster, has been fatal. 101 people lost their lives in the wreck, sparked by a single wheel rim breaking loose. Signaling problems and debris on the tracks have caused the bulk of the remaining accidents on record. Something to bear in mind while we ponder construction of a rail network in an area more than 22 times the size of Germany.
6. Spain's AVE
No longer quite in its infancy, high-speed rail in Spain began in 1992. The network is still expanding, but already rivals the German network — except in availability if international destinations. This, however, is only temporary, as a current plan aims to give spain Europe's most extensive network. The current Spanish network is a two-tiered one, with faster trains running major routes and longer distances than slower ones. This is similar to Alfred Twu's new proposal. The difference is that the top speeds offered by the AVE network are closer to one another than those proposed in the US. The AVE trains run at 193 and 155 mph, respectively, while those proposed by Twu would run at 220 and 110 mph.
7. Eurostar and Thalys
While some national rail networks in Europe do cross international borders, other systems are in operation to facilitate such international travel. Both are internationally owned and operated and, in some instances, run on the same tracks. Thalys serves France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany while Eurostar calls at London, Paris and Brussels with plans to expand to Amsterdam as well. In concept, these systems echo the tiered concept of mass transit in the US. Direct routes to major city centers feed slower, local trains which in turn feed bus and subway routes at their final destinations. This moving of large groups of people quickly and directly to major cities seems to have worked in the European model. Thalys' revenue has grown yearly since its inception, amounting to $628 million in 2011 (2012 figures not released yet). Eurostar isn’t hurting for cash either, and plans to introduce a fleet of sexy new trainsby 2015.
8. China's CRH
High-speed rail's latest darling, China Rail High-Speed (CRH) has been making headlines with the opening of the Beijing — Guangzhou line. At 1,200 miles, the route is the single longest in the world. By China's definition, the country now has the world's largest high-speed rail network — 5,800 miles of track, traversed by trains averaging speeds of 124 mph. This, however, is only 1/3 of the area proposed by the USHSR plan. By 2015 the Chinese network is meant to nearly double in size to 11,000 miles of track. The total proposed cost for this Chinese high-speed rail network is $300 billion. That's just about in line with the proposed US plan. A thing that could be worrying, judging by the Chinese record on safety and corruption.
9. Turkey's YHT
A little-talked-about member of the high-speed rail community, Turkey's state railway network has only been operating its high-speed trains since 2009. Currently, Turkey only operates around 550 miles of high-speed track, but they plan to expand that number to 932 miles this year, and a total of 6213 miles by 2023. In the light of these goals, the US plan looks very ambitious. If the track record (you're quite welcome) of high-speed rail networks around the world has taught us anything, it is that these systems take time, and lots of it, to become a reality.
10. Saudi Arabia’s Haramain
Set for completion in 2014, Saudi Arabia’s first high-speed rail line will run between Makkah and Madinah, a 279 mile journey. Trains capable of reaching 200 mph will traverse the distance in just under 2 hours. Stations, designed by Foster + Partners, are designed to accommodate an anticipated 60 million passengers. While this is the first high-speed line in Saudi Arabia, it is a sign of things to come. When all is said and done, Saudi Arabia plans to expand their current total of 745 miles of track to 4350. In fact, all across the Middle East and North Africa there are plans to expand rail lines. Accounting for all current rail expansions, the area will soon see over 20,000 miles of track. These will not all be high-speed tracks, to be clear. They do add up to quite the investment in rail, however. And if the oil-rich Middle East is investing in electric trains, it may be high time to do so stateside.
11. The UK’s High Speed 2
A nation known for its National Rail, the UK is surprisingly behind the rest of the world (the US excluded) when it comes to high-speed rail. Much of the UK’s rail lines were established during the Victorian Era, and while that’s a cool bit of trivia for Steampunk enthusiasts, it isn’t what might be called up-to-date. High Speed 1, the first project to bring high speed trains into the UK, was implemented in 2007 and connects London and Kent, right up to the British side of the Channel Tunnel. High Speed 2 means to extend high-speed transit north, connecting London with Birmingham and later Manchester. Plans have also been drawn up that include destinations as far north as Edinburgh and Glasgow. The UK, however, has yet to break ground on any construction. In fact, planning isn’t due to be finalized until the end of 2014, with construction thought to continue until 2033. And that’s just to lay a mere 330 miles of track. As the UK’s process is further along than our own, the US goal of completing 17,000 miles of track by 2030 looks practically impossible.
12. Japan’s Maglev Trains
While the US is still considering high-speed rail, the technology is in no way new. Japan’s network, for instance, is 49 years old. In those 49 years, high-speed rail has advanced, but so have other high-speed transit models. Ever the industry leader, Japan plans to begin work on a replacement for their Shinkansen trains next year. Fittingly, the track to be replaced is between Tokyo and Nagoya, a portion of the original Tokyo — Osaka track unveiled in 1964. Maglev trains set to traverse the new track have been clocked at 311 MPH. With such technology becoming available, high-speed rail in the US could be a case of too little, too late. Rather than reaching too far, perhaps Mr Twu and the USHSR have not yet gone far enough.
