DOCSLIB.ORG

March 1992 Safety of High Speed

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
March 1992 Safety of High Speed U.S. Department John A Volpe Kendall Square of Transportat~on Nalional Transportat~on Cambridge Massachusetts 021 42 Systems Center Research and Special Programs Administration March 1992 Safety of High Speed Magnetic Levitation Transportation Systems: German High-Speed Train Safety Requirements - Potential for Application in the United States Interim Report February 1992 DOT/FRA/ORD-92/02 ERATTA Page 7-14 Revise the first two complete paragraphs as follows: The draft MBO requires that the system operator establish measures that will minimize the potential for accidents, minimize the consequences of accidents that do occur, support individual rescue, and facilitate the rescue of others. The operator is also required to summarize these measures (in terms of infrastructure, vehicles, service, and rescue), particularly for tunnels, and to present them to the "competent authorityI1 (undefined) for approval. It also states that the system operator is obligated to manage the maglev operations safely and to maintain the facilities, vehicles, and accessories in I1a good, operationally safe condition." The EBO requires that new vehicles not be placed into service for the first time until they have been demonstrably tested. Page 9-7 The last sentence of the first paragraph should read as follows: In addition, the natural environment is a source of background levels of both steady (dc) and variable (ac) electrical and magnetic fields, and of electromagnetic radiation [46, 47, and 481. Page 9-15 Third sentence of second complete paragraph should read as follows: Magnetic fields are higher in the train operator cabin (about double) than in the passenger area. Technical Report Documentation Page 1 Report No 2. Government Accessron No 3 Recrprent's Catalog No DOTIFRAfORD-92/02 DOT/VNTSC/FRA/92-3 4 Title and Subtitle 5 Report Date Safety of High Speed Magnetic Levitation Transportation February 1992 Systems: German High Speed Maglev Train Safety Requirements - Potential for Application in the United States DTS-701/73/75/76/38/24 7 Author(s) 8 Performrng Organrzatron Report No R.M. Dorer, S.H. Markos, R.A. Wlodyka, H.S. Lee, M. Coltman, DOT-VNTSC-FRA-92-3 W.T. Hathaway, A.E. Barrington, and A. Brecher 9. Performrng Organrzatron Name and Address 10 Work Unrt No (TRAS) U.S. Department of Transportation RR293/R20 15 Research and Special Programs Administration John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center 11 Contract or Grant No. Cambridge, MA 02142-1093 Sponsorrng Agency Name and Address 1 12 13 Type of Report and Perrod Covered U.S. Department of Transportation Interim Report Federal Railroad Administration January 1991 -January 1992 Ofice of Research and Development 14 Sponsorrng Agency Code Washington, DC 20593 RDV-30 15. Supplementary Notes I 16. Abstract The safety of various magnetically levitated (maglev) trains under development for possible implementation in the United States is of direct concern to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). This report is the second in a series of reports addressing the safety of high-speed maglev trains and presents the results of the review to determine the suitability of German safety requirements for application to maglev systems as proposed for U.S. operations. The intent of the review was to compare the German and U.S. safety requirements in order to assist the FRA in determining what regulations and guidelines may be necessary to ensure a high level of safety for U.S. passenger service. The review focuses on the High-Speed Maglev Trains Safety Requirements, Regelwerk Magnetschnellbahnen--SicherheitstechnischeAnforderungen (RW MSB), which was developed by a German working group of representatives of the German Federal Railways (DB),the Testing and Planning company for Maglev Systems, (MVP), the Institute for Railway Technology (IFB),and safety experts of TUV Rheinland and T~VHanover, headed by T~VRheinland, and sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology. The German safety requirements were reviewed in terms of safety related functional areas of the following areas of the following seven maglev system elements: vehicles; guideway; passenger stations; signal. control, and communications (SCC); plans and procedures; personnel; and operating environment. Potential safety concerns for each of the maglev system functional areas were identified. The German safety requirements and the applicable U.S. safety requirements are described and then compared to determine their applicability to proposed U.S. maglev system operations. Recommendations are also included for FRA consideration. In general, the German effort appears to ensure the same high level of safety for maglev trains that is expected in the United States for similar ground transportation technologies. The challenge lies in transferring the experience ofGermany to the U.S. regulatory environment. 17. Key Words 18 Distrbutron Statement maglev, magnetic levitation, transportation, safety, DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLETO THE PUBLIC THROUGH Federal Railroad Administration, high speed ground THE VATIONALTECH NICAL INFORMATIONSERVICE transportation, maglev safety regulations, Transrapid SPRINGFIE-D,VA 22161 19 Securlty Classrf~catron(of thrs report) 20 Securlty Ciassrf~cat~on(of th~spage) 21 Yo of Pages 22 Prrce I UNCLASSIFIED 1 L-SCLASSIFIEII 1 256 Form DOT F1700.7 (8-72) Reprr~d~rt~oi.;con-;? etez :a;e .a,r- J, rel PREFACE The use of magnetically levitated (maglev) vehicles for high-speed guided ground transportation could easily become a reality in this decade. The first such system will likely be the Florida Maglev Demonstration Project. A result of this development is that a need exists for the assessment of the safety implications of this new form of guided ground transportation. This is the responsibility of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) , which is charged with ensuring the safety of maglev systems in the United States under the provisions of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 1988. The second in a series of reports addressing high speed maglev transportation safety, this report, German High-~peedMaglev Train Safetv Requirements--Potential for Application in the United States, examines the suitability for applying the German requirements to the U.S. environment. This FRA/VNTSC report is based upon a review of the German safety requirements document titled, German Hiqh-Speed Maqlev Train Safety Requirements [Reqelwerk Maqnetschnellbahnen--Sicherheitstechnische Anforderunsen]. This document, known by its abbreviation of RW MSB, was developed by a working group representatives of the German Federal Railways (DB), the Testing and Planning Company for Maglev Systems (MVP), industry, the Institute for Railway Technology (IFB), and safety experts of TW Rheinland and TW Hanover, headed by TW Rheinland, and sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology. The working group established the requirements to be fulfilled for an application of the Transrapid technology in revenue service, based on the technology as it currently exists at the Experimental Test facility (TVE), Emsland, Germany. Examination of these German safety requirements suggests a more detailed specification in certain maglev system functional areas may be required in order to provide an adequate level of safety in the U.S. environment. iii In this connection, the report on the results of the German Federal Railways (DB) assessment of Transrapid's Readiness for Application, with a major objective being safety analysis, was recently released. It is anticipated that the opportunity to review this new report and its safety-related supporting material, from the perspective of development of U.S. standards, will help address issues that were outside of the scope of the RW MSB. The expected complementary nature of the "Readiness for ApplicationI1 process combined with the working-group-established RW MSB will be addressed in a future report. Transrapid Safety Certification testing at TVE, Emsland will also be the subject of a future report. The FRA plans, in the initial development of U. S. safety rulemaking for maglev systems and, in particular, for the Florida Maglev Demonstration Project, to continue to draw upon the extensive body of knowledge and experience gained by the German parties involved in developing, certifying, testing, and supervising the Transrapid technology. Frequently, issues raised in the FRA project accompanying safety assessments are already being addressed and resolution of these issues has been met by the time the issues are noted in one of the FRA/VNTSC reports. This occurrence reflects well on the effectiveness of the proactive nature of the project accompanying safety assessment process where working hand-in-hand in a public/private partnership with industry achieves the safest possible guided ground transportation environment. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This report was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Office of Research and Development. The authors wish to thank Arne J. Bang, of that Office, for his direction and helpful guidance during the preparation of this document. In addition, Philip Olekszyk, Deputy Associate Administrator and William OfSullivan, both of the FRA Off ice of Safety, and Manual Galdo, FRA Off ice of Research and Development, provided important input and review. The report was prepared by the staff of the U.S. DOT/Research and Special Programs Administration/Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (RSPA/VNTSC) under the direction of
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The California High Speed Rail Proposal: a Due Diligence Report
    September 2008 THE CALIFORNIA HIGH SPEED RAIL PROPO S AL : A DUE DILIGENCE REPOR T By Wendell Cox and Joseph Vranich Project Director: Adrian T. Moore, Ph.D. POLICY STUDY 370 Reason Citizens Against Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation Government Waste Foundation reason.org cagw.org hjta.org/hjtf Reason Foundation’s mission is to advance Citizens Against Government Waste Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation a free society by developing, applying and (CAGW) is a private, nonprofit, nonparti- (HJTF) is devoted to promoting economic promoting libertarian principles, including education, the study of tax policy and san organization dedicated to educating the individual liberty, free markets and the rule defending the interests of taxpayers in the American public about waste, mismanage- of law. We use journalism and public policy courts. research to influence the frameworks and ment, and inefficiency in the federal govern- The Foundation funds and directs stud- actions of policymakers, journalists and ment. ies on tax and economic issues and works opinion leaders. CAGW was founded in 1984 by J. Peter to provide constructive alternatives to the Reason Foundation’s nonpartisan public Grace and nationally-syndicated columnist tax-and-spend proposals from our state policy research promotes choice, competi- Jack Anderson to build support for imple- legislators. tion and a dynamic market economy as the HJTF also advances the interests of mentation of the Grace Commission recom- foundation for human dignity and progress. taxpayers in the courtroom. In appro- mendations and other waste-cutting propos- Reason produces rigorous, peer-reviewed priate cases, HJTF provides legal repre- research and directly engages the policy als.
    [Show full text]
  • Railway Station Liège-Guillemins
    Reference report Railway station Liège-Guillemins A shining example of a European transport hub in the Wallonia region Designing clean entrances Liège-Guillemins: Liège‘s high-speed railway station The most important railway station in the Belgian city of Liège and in Fresh momentum for the city the Wallonia region as a whole, Liège-Guillemins was erected in Sep- This image of communication and transparency stands in sharp con- tember 2009 on the basis of designs by Santiago Calatrava. It is a stop- trast to the structure that preceded it. The old railway station, a 1958 ping point for Thalys and Intercity-Express trains, making the station a building that had fallen into disrepair, attempted to exert a sense of hub within the European high-speed network that runs between Lon- control over the growing numbers of railway services it saw – but the don, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne/Frankfurt: the distance glass and steel work of art that replaces it exudes light and radiance between Cologne and Liège can now be covered in just under an hour. and has given fresh momentum to Belgium‘s third-largest city. Oth- A good 500 trains per day are accommodated by this through station, er projects involving the station are being planned and the recently whose monumental canopy transforms it into a real landmark. opened Médiacité shopping and media centre, designed by Ron Arad, has created another new highlight. The futuristic station complex has Guiding principles: Communication and transparency a pivotal role to play in all these developments. The steel and glass roof – at once powerful and delicate – hangs above the platform like a colossal wave and flows into the oscillating roof Daylight on every level that reaches up to 50 metres over the 33,000-square metre main hall.
    [Show full text]
  • Ricardo Supports Siemens Mobility on New ICE Trains for Deutsche Bahn
    Ricardo plc Shoreham Technical Centre, Old Shoreham Road, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 5FG, UK Tel: +44 (0)1273 455 611 • Fax: +44 (0)1273 794 556 • Web: www.ricardo.com • Registered in England: 222915 PRESS RELEASE 14 September 2020 Ricardo supports Siemens Mobility on new ICE trains for Deutsche Bahn Siemens Mobility has nominated Ricardo Certification in the role of Notified Body for its project to supply 30 new high speed intercity express (ICE) trains for German national railway operator Deutsche Bahn The new trainsets, based on the Velaro MS design and due to be delivered into service starting in 2022, are part of a one billion Euro investment by Deutsche Bahn (DB) to expand its mainline fleet. Ricardo Certification is accredited by the EU Agency for Railways as a Notified Body (NoBo). In this role, the company is accredited to provide conformity assessments of trains and subsystems against the relevant requirements of the European Interoperability Directives 2008/57/EC and 2016/797/EC. Specifically, Ricardo Certification will verify the new ICE trains in terms of compliance with the current European Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) regulations, including the quality management system of the production process. Preparing DB for the future The new ICE trains will initially run on routes between the state of North Rhine- Westphalia and Munich via the high-speed Cologne-Rhine-Main line, increasing DB’s daily passenger capacity on these mainline routes by 13,000 seats. DB is investing in a strong future proof rail system and plans to expand its fleet by over 20 percent in the coming years.
    [Show full text]
  • Cfs0997all2.Pdf
    Acknowledgements United States Department of Transportation Secretary Federico F. Peña; Rodney E. Slater Deputy Secretary Mortimer L. Downey Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Jolene M. Molitoris Deputy Administrator Donald M. Itzkoff Associate Administrator for Railroad Development James T. McQueen Deputy Associate Administrator for Railroad Development Arrigo P. Mongini Study manager; general editor; principal writer Neil E. Moyer System benefits; financing; Alice M. Alexander Magnetic levitation John T. Harding contract administration James L. Milner Transportation analysis Bruce Goldberg Chapter 1; liability; State Gareth W. Rosenau Helen Ng opportunities Volpe National Transportation Systems Center Senior study advisor; Volpe Center project manager Ronald A. Mauri Travel demand forecasting Simon P. Prensky System concept definition Michael N. Coltman David M. Nienhaus Leonore I. Katz-Rhoads Sarah J. Lawrence* Robert P. Brodesky* Model implementation: Todd C. Green* Energy and emissions model Howard M. Eichenbaum* projections of operating results David L. Skinner implementation and investment needs *EG&G/Dynatrend Argonne National Laboratories Charles River Associates Energy and emissions model Donald M. Rote Demand model development Dan Brand development Zian Wang Thomas E. Parody Mark R. Kiefer DeLeuw, Cather & Co. and Associated Firms DeLeuw, Cather project manager Michael Holowaty Operating expense model Duncan W. Allen Ancillary activities model Steven A. LaRocco development Winn B. Frank development Richard L. Tower (Wilbur Eric C. MacDonald Smith) Charles H. Banks (R.L. Banks) Public benefits model design and Guillaume Shearin Liability Charles A. Spitulnik implementation Robert J. Zuelsdorf (Wilbur (Hopkins & Sutter) Smith) Kenneth G. Sislak (Wilbur Anne G. Reyner (Wilbur Smith) Smith) Jeffrey B. Allen Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc. Parsons, Brinckerhoff project manager John A.
    [Show full text]
  • The Uk's Intercity Express Programme
    Asia Pacific Projects Update CASE STUDY: THE UK'S INTERCITY EXPRESS PROGRAMME bidder by the DfT in February 2009. The solution selected KEY CONTACT by DfT was the Hitachi Super Express Train (SET) initially to be built and assembled by Hitachi in Japan Colin Wilson with later SETs being assembled at a state-of-the-art new Partner and London Head of Projects facility to be constructed for the project at Newton T +44 20 7796 6206 Aycliffe in Darlington, UK. [email protected] IEP is the most significant rolling stock investment program in the UK for 30 years, creating 730 new jobs in PPP FINANCING TO REPLACE THE EXISTING the rail industry, 200 in construction and thousands more INTERCITY 125 AND 225 ROLLING STOCK ON in the supply chain. THE UK NETWORK Given the size of the overall program, the transaction has The Intercity Express Programme (IEP) is the UK been split into two: (i) an initial funding for the Great Department for Transport (DfT) program to replace the Western Mainline (GWML) fleet, which has now reached older intercity trains currently running on the rail network financial close; and (ii) a second financing for the East in mainland UK with new trains in a major public-private Coast Mainline (ECML) fleet for which a commercial partnership (PPP) project that is both the biggest privately close has been achieved, and for which financial close is financed rolling stock deal in history, anywhere in the targeted for 2014. world, and one of the largest, most ambitious and complex PPP projects to date.
    [Show full text]
  • Development of Class 800/801 High-Speed Rolling Stock for UK Intercity Express Programme
    646 Hitachi Review Vol. 63 (2014), No. 10 Featured Articles Development of Class 800/801 High-speed Rolling Stock for UK Intercity Express Programme Andrew Rogers OVERVIEW: Hitachi was formally awarded a rolling stock manufacturing Chris Robinson and maintenance contract for the UK IEP project in July 2012 through Koji Agatsuma Agility Trains Ltd. Including additional orders, the contract covers the manufacture of a total of 866 cars and the provision of maintenance services Mitsuo Iwasaki for a period of 27.5 years. With a total value of 5.8 billion pounds, the IEP Satoru Inarida, Dr. Eng. is the largest project in the history of British railways, and is intended to Takahisa Yamamoto replace the aging rolling stock on the UK’s East Coast Main Line and Great Kenta Konishi Western Main Line, which run between London and other major cities in the Toshihiko Mochida UK. The Class 800/801 rolling stock for the IEP was developed based on the A-train concepts of lightweight aluminum carbodies and self-supporting interior modules by taking technologies developed in Japan to provide lighter weight and higher speed and applying them to UK railway systems. It will contribute to the provision of high-quality and reliable railway services, with commercial operation scheduled to commence in 2017, following operation trials in the UK that will start in 2015. (ECML) and Great Western Main Line (GWML), that INTRODUCTION have been in service for more than 30 years(1). The IEP HITACHI developed the Class 800/801 rolling stock is an initiative of the UK Department for Transport.
    [Show full text]
  • Case Study Elastic Bearings of Floating Floors in Hitachi High-Speed Trains (UK)
    Case Study Elastic Bearings of Floating Floors in Hitachi High-Speed Trains (UK) Considerable increase in passenger comfort Reduction in vibrations and noise Greater safety due to the fi re- retardant Sylomer® FR material Increased Comfort that pays Dividends The project The Getzner solution The British Department for Trans- the carriage components and cause Reduced noise and wear port has invested in new high-speed noise pollution for passengers and trains as part of the “InterCity staff alike. The bogie absorbs a large etzner bearings for floating floors Express Programme (IEP)” rail portion of excitation frequencies from Gguarantee a more peaceful at- investment programme. High the vehicle's undercarriage. However, mosphere in the train interior. “Our comfort levels were the focus of the the remaining vibrations move the high-tech elastomers are highly effec- project. Getzner's solution was vehicle body and subsequently the tive despite their low overall height, elastic floating floors for rolling floor construction, which can lead to and can therefore be relied upon to stock. considerable vibrations and second- meet the required noise levels in the ary airborne noise. passenger carriages”, explains n long-distance lines around the Tomoko Takekawa. Oworld in particular, rail competes Thus, Getzner was tasked with effec- directly with air travel. The expansion tively reducing the floating floor vi- “The elastomers minimise the trans- of many high speed networks be- brations. Getzner was the ideal choice fer of vibrations to the interior fit- tween important cities ensures that for Hitachi owing to the company's tings, the structure and the electronic rail is seen as the better alternative to extensive experience in this area.
    [Show full text]
  • High-Speed Europe, a Sustainable Link Between Citizens
    High-speed Europe A SUSTAINABLE LINK BETWEEN CITIZENS This brochure is based largely on ‘European high-speed rail – An easy way to connect’, a study into the development and future prospects of the high-speed trans-European rail network. This study, which was commissioned by the European Commission, was completed in March 2009 by MVV Consulting and Tractebel Engineering. Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union. Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00 800 numbers or these calls may be billed. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2010 ISBN 978-92-79-13620-7 doi: 10.2768/17821 © European Union, 2010 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Cover photo: © Eurostar Group Ltd Photos courtesy of: Adif, Eurostar Group Ltd, Ferrovie dello stato, iStockphoto, Reporters, Shutterstock, European Union Printed in Belgium PRINTED ON WHITE CHLORINE-FREE PAPER PREFACE The European Union is committed to making the transport of goods and the mobility of people more secure, more efficient and more environmentally friendly, with priority given to social and territorial cohesion, as well as to economic dynamism. Looking ahead to the near future, I envisage a transport system that closely meets the needs of its users, that is fast and intelligent but that minimises its environmental impact. The use of high-speed trains shows how this vision for the future can be made a reality today, thanks to the combined efforts of the Member States, partners from the industry and the financial support from the Union.
    [Show full text]
  • Background Information Siemens Mobility Gmbh Munich, 26 May 2021
    Background Information Siemens Mobility GmbH Munich, 26 May 2021 The ICE celebrates its 30th birthday On May 29, 1991, six ICE 1 trains converged in Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe from different directions and officially inaugurated the era of high-speed rail travel in Germany. The path to this event was paved by a comprehensive phase of research and development dating back to the 1970s conducted by the Federal Ministries for Transportation and for Research and Technology, Deutsche Bundesbahn (today Deutsche Bahn (DB)), and a consortium of companies. The goal of the project, in addition to the systematic research for a suitable wheel-rail system, was the development of a high-speed trainset comprised of two locomotives-like power cars and passenger cars that could reach speeds between 300 and 350 km/h. The power cars were developed by an industrial consortium, led by Krupp Industrietechnik, with Krauss-Maffei and Thyssen Henschel. AEG, BBC and Siemens were responsible for developing the electrical equipment. The Krauss-Maffei locomotive business was acquired by Siemens in 2001. 1985: InterCityExperimental (ICE/V) – Class 410 In March 1985, the aerodynamic power cars of the InterCityExperimental, class 410, were turned over to DB. Together with a measurement car and two demonstration passenger cars, the experimental train began practical testing in 1986. Some of the components were taken over from class 120 locomotives. A new pantograph was developed for the top speeds of 350 km/h. Power cars and passenger cars were braked for the first time with wear-free eddy current brakes and disk brakes, and the power cars were also equipped with regenerative brakes to recuperate braking energy and feed it back into the power line.
    [Show full text]
  • GBP 235 Million European Investment Bank Backing for 65 New East Coast Main Line Trains
    PRESS RELEASE BEI/14/84 16 April 2014 GBP 235 million European Investment Bank backing for 65 new East Coast Main Line trains Europe’s long-term lending institution, the European Investment Bank has, as part of a consortium of international banks, agreed to finance the deployment of 65 new Hitachi Super Express Trains to be used on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland. This new fleet will replace the Intercity 125 and 225 trains currently in use on the line. “Replacing existing Intercity trains on the East Coast Main Line will benefit passengers, increase capacity on the route and significantly cut journey times on one of Britain’s busiest intercity routes. The European Investment Bank is committed to supporting long-term investment in transport infrastructure across the UK and we are pleased to provide a loan of nearly 30 years for investment in new trains to run between London and Scotland.” said Jonathan Taylor, European Investment Bank Vice President. The new East Coast Main Line trains will be financed under the Department for Transport’s Intercity Express Programme, which includes the financing, design, manufacture and maintenance of trains over a 27.5 year operating period. The order for the East Coast Main Line is for 497 new train carriages and the total contract value is GBP 2.7 billion. This is the total value of lease payments train operators will make over the life of the contracts. New trains on the line will include both bi-mode trains, electric trains that can also operate at line speed using diesel engines, and electric trains.
    [Show full text]
  • SWUTC/11/476660-00071-1 High Speed Rail
    1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. SWUTC/11/476660-00071-1 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date High Speed Rail: A Study of International Best Practices August 2011 and Identification of Opportunities in the U.S. 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Beatriz Rutzen and C. Michael Walton Report 476660-00071-1 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Center for Transportation Research The University of Texas at Austin 11. Contract or Grant No. 1616 Guadalupe Street DTRT07-G-0006 Austin, TX 78701 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Southwest Region University Transportation Center Research Report Texas Transportation Institute September 2009 – August 2011 Texas A&M University System 14. Sponsoring Agency Code College Station, TX 77843-3135 15. Supplementary Notes Supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers program 16. Abstract In the United States, passenger rail has always been less competitive than in other parts of the world due to a number of factors. Many argue that in order for a passenger rail network to be successful major changes in service improvement have to be implemented to make it more desirable to the user. High-speed rail can offer such service improvement. With the current administration’s allocation of $8 billion in its stimulus package for the development of high-speed rail corridors and a number of regions being interested in venturing into such projects it is important that we understand the factors and regulatory structure that needs to exist in order for passenger railroad to be successful.
    [Show full text]
  • Tier 1 EIS Alternatives Report
    Tier 1 EIS Alternatives Report October 2015 Amended TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................ 1 1. Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 PURPOSE AND NEED ................................................................................................................................ 2 1.2 GUIDING PRINCIPLES ............................................................................................................................... 3 1.3 DOCUMENT PURPOSE .............................................................................................................................. 3 2. Alternatives Development Process Overview .................................................................. 5 2.1 INITIAL ALTERNATIVES ............................................................................................................................. 7 2.2 PRELIMINARY ALTERNATIVES ................................................................................................................. 8 2.3 NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE AND ACTION ALTERNATIVES ..................................................................... 9 3. Technology ........................................................................................................................ 12 4. Alternatives Refinement ..................................................................................................
    [Show full text]