High Speed Rail

Handbook on High-Speed Rail and Quality of Life outlines global experiences of high-speed rail development, including its construction, impacts, and planning, with a special focus on countries that are planning implementation in the coming decade. High-speed rail infrastructure can bring considerable socioeconomic benefits that cannot be captured through econometric modeling alone. Thus, analysis of the true impacts requires a scalar as well as a temporal lens. The studies in this handbook discuss transport infrastructure projects of varying geographic scale and describe the underlying complexities of developing an infrastructure system while focusing on the aspects that can enhance quality of life. The cases, concepts, and ideas presented in this handbook were discussed and refined during a conference and seminar series held at the Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo and special sessions on transport and quality of life at the 15th World Conference on Transport Research at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in Mumbai. The special sessions were jointly organized by the Asian Development Bank Institute and World Conference on Transport Research Society Special Interest Group A4, "High-Speed Rail: Policy, Investment, and Impacts". The conference and special sessions highlighted critical issues and delivered key messages on the broad research on high-speed rail and quality of life.

In January 2009, the Government established High Speed Two Ltd (HS2 Ltd) to consider the options for a new high speed rail network in Britain, starting with a costed and deliverable proposal for a new line from London to Birmingham. HS2 Ltd's report concludes that there is a strong business case for a new London to Birmingham line, and sets out detailed recommendations for the design of its route, together with a range of options for how it might be extended to serve other conurbations. The Government has evaluated these proposals in respect of their costs and benefits for enhancing capacity and connectivity in a sustainable way, which is its key strategic objective for inter-city transport. It has also considered other realistic options for meeting the UK's inter-urban capacity needs over the next 30 years, including carrying out a detailed analysis of the potential costs and benefits of major improvements to existing rail and road networks. This Command Paper sets out both the Government's response to HS2 Ltd's recommendations and its assessment of the case for an initial core British high speed rail network. The Government proposes to begin formal public consultation in the autumn, to cover three key issues: HS2 Ltd's detailed recommendations for a high speed line from London to the West Midlands; the strategic case for high speed rail in the UK; the Government's proposed strategy for an initial core high speed rail network.

The technological revolution linked to high speed rail (HSR) has been accompanied by myths and claims about its contribution to society and the economy. Although HSR is unquestionably a technological advance that has become a symbol of modernity, this review and analysis of the international experiences shows that the conditions necessary to have a positive impact, economically, socially and environmentally, are enormously restrictive. The Economics and Politics of High Speed Rail: Lessons from Experiences Abroad, by Daniel Albalate and Germà Bel, introduces the main questions policy makers and scholars should examine when considering and studying HSR implementation, with particular emphasis on the US’s recent interest in this technology and possible application in California. Albalate and Bel then review the experiences of the most significant implementations of HSR around the globe. This in-depth international perspective includes chapters on the pioneers of HSR (Japan and France), the European followers (Germany, Spain and Italy), as well as Asian experiences in China, Taiwan, and Korea. Albalate and Bel’s study provides a clear distinction between the myths and realities associated with this transportation innovation. Among the most relevant findings, this study highlights how HSR projects that do not satisfy highly restrictive conditions—on mobility patterns, measured costs, and economically rational designs—that make it desirable have been the source of huge financial debacles and the economic failure of HSR in most cases, which result in unfortunate consequences for taxpayers. The Economics and Politics of High Speed Rail is a rigorous investigation of the economic and political challenges and ramifications of implementing new public transportation technology.

High-speed Rail (HSR) is a technological transportation advance that has raised the interest of policy makers and researchers worldwide. The study of High-speed Rail is a recent phenomenon but has received increasing attention due to the extension of this mode of transportation around the globe. Evaluating High-Speed Rail contains some of the most recent and cutting edge studies on HSR from different disciplines. The book is organized around a variety of key topics related to the evaluation of High Speed Rail projects and experiences. These topics include: the economic appraisal and evaluation of High-Speed Rail projects; the evaluation of indirect and direct effects of High-Speed Rail; its territorial, redistributive and environmental impacts; its contribution or limitation to urban growth; and the management of challenges created by the arrival of High-Speed Rail lines to core cities. It also covers the contribution of High-Speed Rail to tourism and its impact on intermodal competition, with especial consideration to air transportation. Chapters analyse the expected effects of introducing on-track competition and designing public-private contracts to develop new lines. This cutting-edge volume offers rigorous analysis from top researchers in the field with a clear intention to deliver policy implications and provide the latest analysis on the impact of High Speed Rail. This book is suitable for students and academics interested in transportation infrastructure, economic impacts of public investments, mobility, planning and urban affairs, as well as researchers and policy makers in the transportation and infrastructure sector.

Presenting an analytical approach to assessing the socioeconomic impact of high speed rail in China, and using a multilevel spatial analysis approach at both the national and the regional level, this book emphasizes capturing the spatial spillover effects of rail infrastructure development on China’s economic geography in terms of land use, housing market, tourism, regional disparity, modal competition, the economy and environment.

High-speed railway system is interdisciplinary subject that covers infrastructure, mobile equipment, traction power supply, communication signal, operation and maintenance, and transportation organization. The purpose of this book is to give readers a basic understanding of the technology behind of China's high-speed rail network.In this book, the author mainly focusses on the innovations of products and processes, especially product innovation, which involves the selection of technology route, technology system and technology source. Therefore, the innovation in HST here refers to the selection of technology route, technology system and technology source, as well as, the new products developed and manufactured according to the selection. With the in-depth study, the author would like to provide outlook for development in this area in the next stage.

This book examines the history of high speed trains around the world, beginning with Japanese bullet trains of the 1960s. It covers not just the trains, but the problems and solutions for the lines on which they run, leading up to and including the latest Chinese locomotives. Table of Contents include: A History of Fast Trains, 1885 to 1981 * The Technology for High Speed: Track, Signalling, Power * Considerations for High Speed Rail in Australia * Japan - The Shinkansen: New Gauge, New Track, New Trains * France - The TGV: New Trunk Lines but Compatibility to Use Existing Termini * Britain - The HST: Fast Diesel Trains and Electric Successors * The US and the Northeast Corridor * Germany - The ICE: Massive Engineering Combined With Compatibility * The High Speed Diaspora in Europe * Spain - Imported and Local Designs: AVE and Alvia * China, Korea, and Taiwan - Progressive Development * Australia - Potential Limited by Trackwork

This book systematically summarizes the latest research findings on high-speed railway track dynamics, made by the author and his research team over the past decade. It explores cutting-edge issues concerning the basic theory of high-speed railways, covering the dynamic theories, models, algorithms and engineering applications of the high-speed train and track coupling system. Presenting original concepts, systematic theories and advanced algorithms, the book places great emphasis on the precision and completeness of its content. The chapters are interrelated yet largely self-contained, allowing readers to either read through the book as a whole or focus on specific topics. It also combines theories with practice to effectively introduce readers to the latest research findings and developments in high-speed railway track dynamics. It offers a valuable resource for researchers, postgraduates and engineers in the fields of civil engineering, transportation, highway & railway engineering.