...I figured it would be a bit longer before we'd start seeing these stories pop up here again. Alas, I was wrong.
And as usual, the myths about HSR are perpetuated here. Foremost among them is the myth that HSR is carbon competitive with traditional travel. It is not, when the carbon emissions related to the construction and maintenance of the system are counted. (HSR systems are finely tuned systems that require a magnitude more in terms of maintenance than traditional rail does) Also, consider that in China, most of the electricity that makes their trains go comes from coal-fired powerplants, which emit mass amounts of mercury as well as CO2.
"Security concerns related to air travel have also affected consumers willingness to fly."
Of course. It's so much nicer walking directly into and through a train station and onth a train unmolested by government agents than through today's airports. But again, exactly how much longer is that going to be the case? It's only a matter of time before something happens that pushes governments to make train travel as uncomfortable as plane travel.
Personally, I love travelling by HSR when in Europe. It's so much more comfortable than travelling by plane. But when I do so, it's with the knowledge that it's highly subsidized by European taxpayers with a much lower standard of living than mine.
Although California’s high-speed rail plans have been derailed, countries around the world are planning to invest in these trains in the coming years.
According to a new study by the Worldwatch Institute, the number of countries using high-speed rail is expected to jump from 14, today, to 24, in 2014. Global interest has spiked as high-speed rail has proven to be a reliable, efficient, and fast way of connecting disparate regions. Security concerns related to air travel have also affected consumers’ willingness to fly.
Additionally, train travel is a much more environmentally friendly option than travel by car or plane. According to a 2006 study by the Center for Neighborhood Technologies, high-speed rail lines released between 30 and 70 grams of CO2 per passenger-kilometer. Cars released 150 grams, and planes, 170 grams.
“The rise in HSR has been very rapid,” said Michael Renner, the Worldwatch Senior Researcher who conducted the research. “In just three years, between January 2008 and January 2011, the operational fleet grew from 1,737 high-speed trainsets worldwide to 2,517. Two-thirds of this fleet is found in just five countries: France, China, Japan, Germany, and Spain. By 2014, the global fleet is expected to total more than 3,700 units.”
Currently, the countries making the most use of high-speed rail (ranked by length of track) are China, Japan, Spain, France, and Germany. Turkey, Italy, Portugal, and the U.S. plan to develop rail systems spanning more than 1,000 km in length. Another 15 countries intend to create shorter rail networks.
High-speed rail has proved successful in countries like France, where 62 percent of rail travel occurs on high-speed rail lines, and Japan, where high-speed rail enjoys a 75 percent market share on routes where both high-speed rail and air travel are available.
Photo: Dubut Arthur/Flickr
