2013 Session: 661

• Discontinuous Regions: High-Speed Rail and the Limits of Traditional Governance
  Abstract: Globalization and the interconnectivity of the economy have magnified the role of regions, restructuring social and economic relationships into networks that span increasing distances. At the same time, greater attention is due to localized urban quality, as non-vehicular modes and compact forms of development become critical in an environmentally conscious world. Within this context, increasing interest and adoption of high-speed rail (HSR)—a mode that addresses multiple scales—is unsurprising. HSR technology is used both to respond to existing trends of increased interconnectivity between urban centers and to enhance economic connections within regions and mega-regions.HSR has the unique ability to enable long-distance commuting across discontinuous regions that are far enough apart so as not to be adequately integrated by auto travel. This new geography of daily experiences has important potential implications for governance and relations among cities. Using Portugal as a case study, this paper examines the relationship between HSR development and new models of spatial organization and governance. Based on interviews with national and local officials, we discuss ways in which HSR planning is changing attitudes towards regional identity and urban governance, including: the integration of national entities into local planning processes, the potential for new models of commuting, and the role of HSR as an exogenous catalyst for regional cooperation.The case study reveals how HSR can serve as a catalyst for governments to rethink regional identity, intergovernmental relationships, and competitive positioning. The prospect of HSR implementation raises the profile of potential intraregional complementarity and highlights the importance of inter-governmental relationships.
  Authors: Stein, Naomi; Sussman, Joseph M.
  Authors: Stein, Naomi; Sussman, Joseph M.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Rail
  Session: 661
  Paper Number: 13-0408
• Analysis of High-Speed Rail Implementation Alternatives in the Northeast Corridor: the Role of Institutional and Technological Flexibility
  Abstract: In this paper, the Northeast Corridor of the United States is studied using the framework of the CLIOS Process (developed at MIT), scenario planning, and flexibility analysis. In particular, two bundles of strategic alternatives for high-speed rail implementation are proposed and analyzed under three different scenarios. Although the bundles of strategic alternatives proposed are very similar to other commonly accepted ways to implement high-speed rail in the corridor, the results motivate incorporation of flexibility into the bundles to allow decision makers to adapt as situations evolve. While designing-in and executing flexibility has a cost, it may facilitate the implementation of the bundles by enabling adaptation under different scenarios, thereby improving performance.
  Authors: Pena-Alcaraz, Maite; Carlson, S. Joel; Archila, Andres F.; Stein, Naomi; Sussman, Joseph M.
  Authors: Pena-Alcaraz, Maite; Carlson, S. Joel; Archila, Andres F.; Stein, Naomi; Sussman, Joseph M.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Rail
  Session: 661
  Paper Number: 13-1068
• Competitiveness of the High Speed Rail: Lisbon-Madrid Corridor Analysis Based on Discrete Choice Models
  Abstract: This paper has two main objectives: (1) to examine the potential of the high speed rail to compete against other transport modes currently operating between Lisbon and Madrid; and (2) to analyze the capacity of intermodal solutions incorporating the high speed rail to compete when included in air systems. Thus, more than evaluating the competition capacity of high speed rails in point-to-point trips, this research study assesses how attractive intermodal solutions in trips to medium and long haul destinations are.The analysis is based on discrete choice models, calibrated with data collected through a web stated preference survey. Furthermore, scenarios are used to explore the results obtained by the models. The results obtained suggest that the high speed train will not only be able to compete with other modes in a point-to-point trip from Lisbon to Madrid, but also be part of an intermodal chain to destinations beyond. It was also concluded that within the Business segment, the medium haul market sets the limit of intermodal transport solutions’ attractiveness. Within the Leisure segment, however, this limit might be extended up to the long haul market, depending on the pricing strategy. These conclusions are supported by the attractiveness of each transport mode.
  Authors: Barreira, Álvaro Torres; Reis, Vasco; Macario, Rosario
  Authors: Barreira, Álvaro Torres; Reis, Vasco; Macario, Rosario
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Rail
  Session: 661
  Paper Number: 13-2824
• Development of Two-Stage Hybrid Method for Solving High Speed Rail Train Scheduling Problem
  Abstract: Train scheduling is one of the most important and complex elements in railway operational planning process, and this task is still done by manual at Taiwan High Speed Rail Company (THSRC). However, with the plan of adding four more stations and over a hundred additional daily train services in the near future, there is a pressing need for THSRC to improve the quality and efficiency of train scheduling process. This research develops a novel two-stage hybrid method to efficiently automate and optimize high speed rail scheduling process. The first stage applies Genetic Algorithm to solve train sequencing problem and then send the sequence to the second stage to determine the optimal timetable by using Linear Programming (LP) techniques. The results from the LP model would also be feedback to the first stage to determine its overall performance (by using the fitness function in GA). With this setup, timetable would gradually evolve toward an optimal solution based on this iterative process between inner and outer loops. Experimental results demonstrate this hybrid method can not only improve the solution efficiency substantially but also provide better timetables compared to the current practices. Using this tool can help HSR companies simultaneously automate the scheduling process, and improve the solution performance with excellent efficiency.
  Authors: Jong, Jyh-Cherng; Chang, Sloan; Lai, Yung-Cheng
  Authors: Jong, Jyh-Cherng; Chang, Sloan; Lai, Yung-Cheng
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Rail
  Session: 661
  Paper Number: 13-4794
• Determining High-speed Rail Station Locations: A Model and Sensitivity Analysis
  Abstract: In order to improve personal mobility, safety, and environmental impact of passenger travel, and to strengthen regional and national economies, planners, governments and transportation companies throughout the world have been building high-speed rail (HSR) systems for over half a century. Although many early systems were principally government projects, public-private partnerships are increasingly being used to design, build, operate, and maintain these HSR networks. However, engaging the private sector requires a clear understanding of the potential profitability of such a system. A key question affecting this is the configuration of the line in terms of its length, number and location of stations, and ultimate alignment. A computer model was developed that uses station and route data to determine the most profitable routes based on the proposed stations. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine which variables have the greatest impact on the costs and returns of a HSR route. The sensitivity analysis led to the division of the design variables into three categories based on the significance of their impact on profitability. Variables that were found to have major influence are project concession, ridership, fare, annual fare increase, trainset availability, cost of building on viaduct, and land value increase. Categorizing the design variables allows for the model to be used more efficiently in a multi-phase approach that will reduce the time and resources required to assess potential HSR lines.
  Authors: Lovett, Alexander Hale; Munden, Greg; Saat, M. Rapik; Barkan, Christopher P. L.
  Authors: Lovett, Alexander Hale; Munden, Greg; Saat, M. Rapik; Barkan, Christopher P. L.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Rail
  Session: 661
  Paper Number: 13-1653
• Falling Through the Cracks: The Last MileApplying Best Practices to the San Francisco to San Jose Section of the California High-Speed Rail System
  Abstract: The Six Stages of Integration is a conceptual framework proposed herein that categorizes existing public transportation systems by their level of modal and agency integration. It offers a new paradigm that sees urban, regional, and high-speed rail as one coherent system. The One-Seat Ride and the Pulsed Hub System are identified as Best Practices, taking full advantage of the findings of the mode choice literature. The framework offers a sound basis for making major public transport infrastructure decisions.Integration is an especially important system characteristic in the U.S., where widely dispersed land uses result in the “Last Mile” problem and sub-optimal ridership. Current planning for High-Speed Rail (HSR) in the U.S. ignores the poor access to decentralized metropolitan areas that downtown-to-downtown links provide. While integration is more critical to HSR’s success in the United States than in Europe or Asia, U.S. institutional and regulatory barriers to integration are considerably higher. Systemic problems in the planning process combined with weak institutions result in best practices from abroad being ignored. As examples of Best Practices implementation, the paper proposes a series of enhancements to the California High-Speed Rail project, offering connectivity to all parts of the San Francisco metropolitan area and an armature for transit-oriented land uses. If transportation planning were to be properly coordinated with land use planning, these centers could become the seed for a less auto-dependent urban form in the Western United States. This paper proposes a conceptual framework, Integration Analysis, to assess to what extent a regional rail network is able to help HSR reach its ridership potential by offering connectivity to all parts of the metropolitan area. It examines transportation systems which were able to advance to progressively deeper levels of integration. Integration analysis also studies the regulatory and/or institutional hurdles which may have thwarted the natural development of other systems. The paper comes to the conclusion that while in the United States systems integration is more critical to HSR’s success than in Europe or Asia, the institutional and regulatory impediments to its implementation are actually considerably higher here than in most other countries, among others, because of systemic problems in the planning process.
  Authors: Clever, Reinhard
  Authors: Clever, Reinhard
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Rail
  Session: 661
  Paper Number: 13-1790
• Economic Impacts of Amtrak Intercity Passenger Rail Service in Michigan: Community-Level Analysis
  Abstract: Amtrak operates three routes in Michigan: the Wolverine, the Blue Water and the Pere Marquette. Using the methodology established in the 2009 Michigan Passenger Rail Station Community Benefits Study, this paper reports the economic impacts of Michigan Amtrak service in the 22 communities served by these routes. Results from the 2009 study are updated to reflect current ridership and ticket revenue data, as well as findings from passenger surveys conducted in spring 2011. Considering individual traveler savings, passenger spending at local businesses, and Amtrak-related expenditures, Amtrak service generated an estimated economic impact to the State of Michigan in excess of $45.8 million in 2011. The average economic impact (excluding Amtrak expenditures) was $37.87 per passenger. Every $1.00 invested by the State of Michigan for operations of the Blue Water and Pere Marquette routes returned $1.84 in economic impact to local communities and travelers along these routes. The findings of this analysis contribute to a small but growing body of literature that quantifies the economic impacts of existing Amtrak passenger rail service and have several applications for passenger rail planning, policy development, and outreach activities.
  Authors: Sperry, Benjamin R.; Taylor, John C.; Roach, James L.
  Authors: Sperry, Benjamin R.; Taylor, John C.; Roach, James L.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Rail
  Session: 661
  Paper Number: 13-3162
• Determining High-speed Rail Station Locations: A Model and Sensitivity Analysis
  Authors: Lovett, Alexander
  Authors: Lovett, Alexander
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Rail; Passenger Transportation
  Session: 661
  Paper Number: 13-1653
• Discontinuous Regions: High-Speed Rail and the Limits of Traditional Governance
  Authors: Stein, Naomi
  Authors: Stein, Naomi
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Rail; Passenger Transportation
  Session: 661
  Paper Number: 13-0408
• Economic Impacts of Amtrak Intercity Passenger Rail Service in Michigan: Community-Level Analysis
  Authors: Sperry, Benjamin
  Authors: Sperry, Benjamin
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Rail; Passenger Transportation
  Session: 661
  Paper Number: 13-3162
• Analysis of High-Speed Rail Implementation Alternatives in the Northeast Corridor: the Role of Institutional and Technological Flexibility
  Authors: Pena-Alcaraz, Maite
  Authors: Pena-Alcaraz, Maite
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Rail; Passenger Transportation
  Session: 661
  Paper Number: 13-1068