Petra Todorovich Director of America 2050 Regional Plan Association Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Policy Focus Report Release Atlantic Wharf, Boston, MA September 26, 2011 RPA Board Briefing Arup New York City November 10, 2011 1

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE WITH HIGH-SPEED RAIL CHAPTER 1: INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE WITH HIGH-SPEED RAIL

High-Speed Rail around the World First year of operation Country First year of operation Top Speed (mph) Miles Annual Ridership* China 2003 220 3,914 290,540,000 Japan 1964 190 1,655 288,836,000 Spain 1992 1,278 28,751,000 France 1981 200 1,178 114,395,000 Germany 1985 798 73,709,000 Italy 574 33,377,000 South Korea 2004 256 37,477,000 USA 2000 150 362 3,200,000 Taiwan 2007 214 32,349,000 Turkey 2009 160 146 942,000 Belgium 1997 130 9,561,000 The Netherlands 75 6,005,000 United Kingdom 70 9,220,000 World Total   10,513 928,362,000 Source: UIC 2011 *China's annual ridership is based on various news reports. Actual ridership is a source of controversy. America's annual ridership reflects total FY 2010 ridership on Amtrak's Acela Express service on the Northeast Corridor. Almost 1 billion high-speed rail riders annual around the globe. (In perspective, New York City has over a billion annual subway riders.)

Rail Spending Dwarfed by Other Modes Source: Congressional Budget Office 2010.

Where High-Speed Rail Works Best HSR works best under specific conditions: Our research on high-speed rail has taken two general tracks, 1) where does it work best, and 2) Why build it? What are the economic and community benefits of high-speed rail. Through our research we have found that high-speed rail works best in megaregions, which also happen to be around 600-800 miles in length, composed of major urban centers, often strung together in linear corridors that would be perfectly suited for high-speed rail. Corridors 100 – 600 (up to 1,000) miles in length, Connecting major population and job centers, and In Megaregions

Cascadia Northern California Front Range Great Lakes Southern California Front Range Great Lakes Northeast Sun Corridor Piedmont Atlantic Texas Triangle We see America 2050 as a clearinghouse for research on the emergence of megaregions and a resource for megaregion planning efforts nationwide. Its aim is to advance research on the emergence of this new urban form while promoting planning solutions to address challenges that span state and regional boundaries, demanding cooperation and coordination at the megaregion scale. Now, over the last few years we have taken our megaregions research with us on a deep dive on the somewhat more narrow issue of high-speed rail. Why? Gulf Coast Florida 6

U.S. Corridors are Comparable to Global Examples

POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF HIGH-SPEED RAIL CHAPTER 2: POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Transportation Benefits Shorter travel times Mode shift Safety Reliability Capacity Efficient Land Use New capacity – more efficient utilization of existing assets, such as highways, airports, freight rail, etc.

Source: Martin Prosperity Institute Economic Benefits Higher wages and productivity Deeper labor and employment markets Direct job creation Higher productivity, increases wages Source: Martin Prosperity Institute Source: Intenova

Economic Benefits 4. Spatial agglomeration (fosters economic synergies among industries across greater distances) Image: University of Pennsylvania, Northeast Megaregion Studio, 2005

Economic Benefits 5. Urban regeneration and station area development 6. Expanded tourism and visitor spending. Eurostar Station and development, Lille, France

Case Study: Montabaur & Limburg, German ICE Rail Stations Found annual increase of 2.7% in overall economic activity. (Ahlfeldt and Feddersen 2010) Small towns of 12,500 and 34,000. Ahlfeldt and Feddersen (2010) found a 2.7% annual increase in overall economic activity. HSR increased access to Frankfurt and Cologne and helped attract new residents, which increased local employment pools and consumer markets, and eventually attracted new businesses that helped to drive growth.

Environmental Benefits Energy efficiency and carbon benefits depend on: Ridership Energy mix Technological innovation Efficiency: HSR is more efficient on a per passenger mile basis than competing modes. For example, Shinkansen trains are estimated to use one-quarter the energy of airplanes and one-sixth that of private automobiles per passenger mile (JR Central 2011a). Energy mix: Europe – chart. Shinkansen trains use up to 56% geothermal and hydro power (Tan 2011). Technological innovation: Current model Shinkansen trains use nearly one-third less energy than those in the mid-1960s, and travel significantly faster. Switched from concentrated traction to distributed traction system. Weight and crashworthiness issues.

U.S. POLICY & PROGRAMS FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL INVESTMENT CHAPTER 3: U.S. POLICY & PROGRAMS FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL INVESTMENT

A New Federal Commitment to High-Speed Rail (?) Passage of rail legislation (PRIIA) in 2008 $8 billion in Stimulus Bill in 2009 $2.5 billion in FY 2010 Zero in 2011 Photo: Tim Birch

A Sharp Increase in Rail Funding FRA – 800 person agency 20 people in passenger rail planning and policy - Has doubled to 40 people Source: National Association of Railroad Passengers

High Speed Intercity Rail Program (HSIPR) A competitive, state-led, grant program Includes three categories of passenger rail service. Most projects are conventional rail.

Four Rounds of Grant Making/ Reallocation Jan 2010 – May 2011 Source: US DOT

Rail Projects Underway and Creating Jobs Images: on Maine track workers: Patricia Quinn, NNEPRA

STATION LOCATION & DESIGN: A TYPOLOGY & CASE STUDIES CHAPTER 4: STATION LOCATION & DESIGN: A TYPOLOGY & CASE STUDIES

Center of City : Lleida, Spain 41 trains daily

Center of City: Leida, Spain Lessons Learned Strategic location Comprehensive urban design plan and public realm investments. Connected to regional rail and local, regional bus network. Benefits to tourism, economy, region.

Edge of City: Avignon, France 65 trains daily

Edge of City: Avignon, France Lessons Learned Physical barriers separate station from city center prevented economic synergies. Unclear economic development impacts.

Case Study – Exurban: Tarragona 46 trains daily

Exurban: Tarragona, Spain Lessons Learned Tarragona already has good links to Barcelona via conventional rail and bus. Because of existing connections, investment in bringing train into center may not be justified.

Special Use: CDG Airport, France 46 trains daily

Special Use: CDG Airport, France Lessons Learned Complements air service by connecting airport to provincial destinations. Difficult to quantify economic impact. Frees up capacity at CDG for long haul flights. Charles de Gaulle Airport Station.

THE PROMISE OF HIGH-SPEED RAIL IN CALIFORNIA & THE NORTHEAST CORRIDOR CHAPTER 5: THE PROMISE OF HIGH-SPEED RAIL IN CALIFORNIA & THE NORTHEAST CORRIDOR

Northeast and California among most promising markets

High-Speed Rail in California $3.6 federal funding $9 billion California Bond Act EIS hearings underway for first Central Valley segment

The Northeast Corridor Today Amtrak service and 8 commuter railroads operate on 455-mile route 260 million annual passengers; 13 million are Amtrak $8.8 billion state of good repair backlog Many bridges over 100 years old The Susquehanna River Bridge in Maryland was built in 1906.

Penn Design Vision for Northeast Dedicated High-Speed Rail

Northeast Corridor Management Structure Separate infrastructure from operations Create Northeast Corridor Infrastructure Corporation Attract private financing

FUNDING & FINANCING OPTIONS FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL CHAPTER 6: FUNDING & FINANCING OPTIONS FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Funding and financing options Reallocate or increase transportation fees, (gas tax, upstream oil tax), ticket surcharge Expand federal loan programs (TIFIIA, RIIF) Public private partnerships State gas tax or fees (i.e. payroll tax)

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL IN THE U.S. CHAPTER 7: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL IN THE U.S.

Recommendations Strengthen the federal planning role and management framework Prioritize corridors that meet investment criteria Establish new mechanisms for corridor management

Recommendations Plan for maximum land development benefits Focus initially on the Northeast Corridor and California Secure adequate and reliable funding

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