On Track to the Future Sustainable Transportation A Challenge for the 21st Century www.thinkswiss.org Swiss – U.S. Dialogue “We think it is an excellent time to have a dialogue on public transportation as awareness is growing in the U.S. and in Switzerland. Based on the Swiss experi- ence, I strongly believe that public transportation only works with a strong public commitment.” Urs Ziswiler Swiss Ambassador to the United States of America “The project of the Embassy of Switzerland initiated a promising exchange and a dialogue on sustainable transportation. On behalf of the American Public Trans- portation Association and our colleagues in the United States, we look forward to building upon this relationship to further the goals of mobility and sustainability in both of our countries as we head into the 21st century.” Michael Schneider Co-Chair APTA Task Force on Public-Private Partnerships “With an excellent public transportation network, Switzerland makes a contribu- tion toward reducing CO2 emissions. The investments in railroad modernization constitute an important pillar of the economy. As a transit country in the heart of the old continent, we help Europe to grow closer together through good transpor- tation infrastructure.” Max Friedli Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Transport ThinkSwiss: Brainstorm the future. The ThinkSwiss program is under the auspices of Presence Switzerland, the Swiss State Secretariat for Education and Research (SER) and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. For more information, please visit www.thinkswiss.org. Concept and Author Partners Edition Embassy of Switzerland This brochure was created in collab- Printed in an edition of Office of Science, Technology oration with the Swiss Federal Office 10,000 copies. Copies of and Higher Education of Transport, the American Public this publication may be or- 2900 Cathedral Avenue, N.W. Transportation Association (APTA) dered from the Embassy of Washington, D.C. 20008 and Switzerland Tourism. We also Switzerland in the United www.swissemb.org/scitech thank Franziska Borer Blindenbacher States of America. [email protected] and AlpTransit for their support. Download of Project Management: Dora Fitzli Graphics and Layout this publication: Team: Muriel Gampert, Lukas Blue Room Design, Alexandria, VA www.thinkswiss.org Sieber, Cheryl Fain, Suzanne Zweizig, Daniela Stoffel Partners: Gregor Saladin, Agnès von Beust, Jessica Bechir, Oliver Stauffer, Alex Herrmann © 2009 Embassy of Switzerland, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. All rights reserved. Executive Summary Awareness of public transportation and climate change is growing worldwide. In the last century, the need for increased mobility grew substantially around the world. Working toward a more sustainable transportation system is a common challenge for Switzerland and the U.S. Therefore the brochure and the companion exhibit On Track to the Future – Sustainable Transportation: A Challenge for the 21st Century intend to foster multidisciplinary and bilateral discussions and exchanges. The exhibit and the brochure look at the strengths and challenges of the Swiss and the U.S. public transportation systems. Furthermore, they present information on policies, incentives, in- frastructure and maintenance plans, land-use planning, pricing concepts and timetables, offering an interactive opportunity to learn about sustainable transportation. The starting point for this project is that Switzerland is building the longest railway tunnel in the world. The tunnel, which will be 35.5 miles long and cross the Alps, will cost about $10 billion. That is a huge investment for such a small country as Switzerland; multiplied by the factor of the population difference, that would be a $400 billion investment project for the U.S. Contents 2 Challenge 24 Rail Renaissance 4 U.S. and Swiss Travel 26 Sharing Rails 6 Public Transportation 28 Bright Ideas 8 Costs of Transportation 30 Swiss Rail Industry 10 Rail Freight 32 U.S. and Swiss Rail History 12 Public Choice 34 Sustainable Tourism 14 The Swiss Tunnels 36 Bicycling 22 Public Transportation Fund 1 Sustainable Transportation: A Challenge for the 21st Century Global Transportation: At a Crossroads Worldwide mobility has increased significantly over the past decades and humans have profited enormously. But we are at a turning point: most transportation is no longer sustainable. Photo: Courtesy of Swiss Travel System Photo: Courtesy of Swiss Travel Benefits Negative Effects • Economic development • Global warming • Social opportunities • Congestion • Flexibility for the working world • Accidents and health hazards • Personal enrichment • Pollution and noise • Massive consumption of land and natural resources Photo: Courtesy of Swiss Travel System Photo: Courtesy of Swiss Travel 2 Switzerland and the U.S. Face Common Challenges Switzerland and the U.S. are both wealthy, industrialized nations with strained transportation systems. Switzerland is small, but—like the United States—has a huge amount of goods and people traveling through the country. ■ Switzerland ■ U.S. • Population: 7.5 million (2006) • Population: 299.4 million (2006) • Area: 15,940 sq miles • Area: 3,794,083 sq miles • GDP per capita: $53,340 (2006) • GDP per capita: $44,063 (2006) Source: Swiss Federal Statistical Office and IMF Source: Census Bureau and IMF Source: U.S. Census Bureau Source: Source: Swiss Federal Office of Transport Source: Switzerland is in the heart of the blue banana— The East Coast in the U.S. is comparable to the an area with enormous economic power and a blue banana. (Night lighting shows the greatest population of 150 million people. population density.) The Brochure The brochure is based on the companion exhibit. Both were created by the Embassy of Swit- zerland in Washington, D.C., in collaboration with the Federal Office of Transport in Switzerland, Switzerland Tourism and the American Public Transportation Association as part of a U.S.-wide program “ThinkSwiss-Brainstorm the future.” As a leading country in science and technology, Switzerland is dedicated to working with its American counterparts to address the challenges of sustainability and find solutions that benefit our world. Exchange rate: $1.00=CHF 1.10, January 9, 2009 3 The World Is a Book and Those Who Do Not Travel Read Only One Page* *Saint Augustine, A.D. 354–430 Traveling Swiss Style vs. American Style How Many Miles Do We Travel Each Year? Switzerland Highway modes Plane 6,730 2,120 1,744 Transit Rail 490 320 Other U.S. 168 (Transit) 16,474 1,969 18 (Rail) 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000 18000 20000 Average Annual Miles/Citizen (2005) Source: Swiss Federal Statistical Office and U.S. DOT- Bureau of Transportation Statistics ■ How the Swiss Go ■ How Americans Go • Swiss travel less, but fly as much as • Americans travel more, primarily by private Americans. car (91% of all individual trips). • Swiss people use public transportation • Air travel accounts for 5% of travel. for 19% of all trips. • Mass transit accounts for 2% and is growing. 4 The World Is a Book and Those Who Do Not Travel Read Only One Page* *Saint Augustine, A.D. 354–430 Our Lifestyles: Revealed Through Our Travel ■ Reasons for Traveling in ■ Reasons for Traveling in Switzerland the U.S. Daily travel distance: 23 miles Daily travel distance: 40 miles 1% Service & 1% 6% Service & 6% Guidance School/ 4% Guidance School/ 4% 7% Church Other 9% Church Other Other 7% 9% 9% 4% Other Professional 9% Professional Professional Education 4% Activities Professional Education Activities Activities/ Business Trips 30% Activities/ Business Trips Business Trips Social & 30% Business Trips 45% Social & 45% Recreational 11% Leisure Recreational Leisure Shopping 11% Shopping 32% Family/ 32% Personal Family/ Personal 23% Business 19% Business 19% Work 23% Work Work Work Source: Swiss Federal Statistical Office (2005) Source: U.S. DOT (2001) In Switzerland, with its denser urban areas and In the U.S., with the dominance of suburban more holidays, the main reason for travel is lei- sprawl, most travel miles are done for shopping, sure. driving the kids, and personal errands. Swiss public transportation is successful and appreciated because it connects not only the big cities, but also small towns and villages. Photos: Courtesy of Swiss Travel System Photos: Courtesy of Swiss Travel 5 Public Transportation: Green, Safe, and Affordable The High Price of Gasoline The transportation sector consumes 26% of the world’s energy and 58% of its petroleum. Gaso- line costs differ immensely from one country to another, mainly due to fuel taxes. High gasoline prices have encouraged the use of public transportation in Europe for many years. Cost of 1 Gallon of Gasoline (March 2008) Norway $8.73 France Germany $8.07 $7.86 USA $3.45 Switzerland $7.56 Venezuela $0.12 Saudi Arabia $0.45 Egypt $0.89 Purchasing power was not taken into account. Source: AIRINC Swiss trains are popular because they are convenient. They are synchronized with connecting trains and buses, making it easy to travel nationally and internationally. Photo: Courtesy of Swiss Travel System Photo: Courtesy of Swiss Travel 6 Energy-Efficient and Good for the Community Public transportation: • Is energy-efficient: Per person and 100 miles, a train needs 2 to 6 times less gasoline than a car. And, on average, it takes only 5 people on a bus to be more carbon-efficient than a car. • Creates strong neighborhood and economic centers. • Allows people without cars (seniors, disabled) to be mobile. • Is 25 times safer than car travel. Switzerland and Japan: Railway Champions An average Swiss person travels 1,248 miles per year by rail and makes 44 trips per year by rail. Only the Japanese take more train trips (69 times/year), but for a slightly shorter distance (1,212 miles). Number of Journeys by Train/Citizen in 2006 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Mexico U.S. Canada Greece China Sweden Denmark France Japan Switzerland 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 Rail Passenger Miles/Citizen in 2006 Source: UIC Railway Statistics, Synopsis, 2006 and LITRA 7 Unveiling the Hidden Costs of Transportation Transportation: A Major Budget Item Most U.S.