Petra Todorovich

Director of America 2050Regional Plan Association

RPA Board BriefingArupNew York CityNovember 10, 2011

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE WITH HIGH-SPEED RAIL

CHAPTER 1:

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 190 1,278 28,751,000

France 1981 200 1,178 114,395,000

Germany 1985 190 798 73,709,000

Italy 1981 190 574 33,377,000

South Korea 2004 190 256 37,477,000

USA 2000 150 362 3,200,000

Taiwan 2007 190 214 32,349,000

Turkey 2009 160 146 942,000

Belgium 1997 190 130 9,561,000 The Netherlands 2009 190 75 6,005,000

United Kingdom 2003 190 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.

High-Speed Rail around the World

Rail Spending Dwarfed by Other Modes

Source: Congressional Budget Office 2010.

Where High-Speed Rail Works Best

HSR works best under specific conditions:

Corridors 100 – 600 (up to 1,000) miles in length, Connecting major population and job centers, and In Megaregions

NortheastGreat Lakes

Piedmont Atlantic

Florida

Gulf Coast

TexasTriangle

FrontRange

SunCorridor

SouthernCalifornia

NorthernCalifornia

Cascadia

U.S. Corridors are Comparable to Global

Examples

POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF HIGH-SPEED RAIL

CHAPTER 2:

1. Shorter travel times

2. Mode shift

3. Safety

4. Reliability

5. Capacity

6. Efficient Land Use

Transportation Benefits

1.Higher wages and productivity

2.Deeper labor and employment markets

3.Direct job creation

Source: IntenovaSource: Martin Prosperity Institute

Economic Benefits

Image: University of Pennsylvania, Northeast Megaregion Studio, 2005

4. Spatial agglomeration

(fosters economic synergies among industries across greater distances)

Economic Benefits

5. Urban regeneration and station area development

6. Expanded tourism and visitor spending. Eurostar Station and development, Lille,

France

Economic Benefits

Case Study: Montabaur & Limburg, German ICE Rail

Stations

Found annual increase of 2.7% in overall economic activity. (Ahlfeldt and Feddersen 2010)

Energy efficiency and carbon benefits depend on: • Ridership• Energy mix• Technological

innovation

Environmental Benefits

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

CHAPTER 3:

A New Federal Commitment

to High-Speed Rail (?)

Photo: Tim Birch

• Passage of rail legislation (PRIIA) in 2008

• $8 billion in Stimulus Bill in 2009

• $2.5 billion in FY 2010

• Zero in 2011

A Sharp Increase in Rail Funding

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

U.S. Funding of Passenger and High-Speed Rail 1991 - 2010

Amtrak Total

High-Speed Rail

Passenger Rail Total

Do

llars

(0

00

s)

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:

Center of City : Lleida, Spain

41 trains daily

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.

Center of City: Leida, Spain

Edge of City: Avignon, France

65 trains daily

Lessons Learned

• Physical barriers separate station from city center prevented economic synergies.

• Unclear economic development impacts.

Edge of City: Avignon, France

Case Study – Exurban: Tarragona

46 trains daily

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.

Exurban: Tarragona, Spain

Special Use: CDG Airport, France

46 trains daily

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.

Special Use: CDG Airport, France

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

CHAPTER 5:

Northeast and California among most promising

markets

• $3.6 federal funding

• $9 billion California Bond Act

• EIS hearings underway for first Central Valley segment

High-Speed Rail in California

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 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

• 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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