1. 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

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

3. 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.)

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

5. 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 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

6. 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

7. U.S. Corridors are Comparable to Global Examples

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

9. 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.

10. 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

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

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

13. 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.

14. 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.

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

16. 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

17. 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

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

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

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

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

22. Center of City : Lleida, Spain
41 trains daily

23. 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.

24. Edge of City: Avignon, France
65 trains daily

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

26. Case Study – Exurban: Tarragona
46 trains daily

27. 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.

28. Special Use: CDG Airport, France
46 trains daily

29. 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.

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

31. Northeast and California among most promising markets

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

33. 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 years old
The Susquehanna River Bridge in Maryland was built in 1906.

34. Penn Design Vision for Northeast Dedicated High-Speed Rail

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

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

37. 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)

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

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

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