HIGH-SPEED RAIL.

Abstract

Within the past 5 to 10 years our country has seen a dramatic resurgence of interest in building high-speed rail systems, on which trains operate at 120 miles per hour or more over significant sections of their routes. Since entering service in 1964, Japan's first electric-powered Shinkansen, which averages slightly better than 100 mph over its 600-mile route between Tokyo, Osaka, and Hakata, has completed more than 2 billion passenger trips without a single fatality - proving that high-speed rail is not only technically feasible and safe but also marketable, at least when the population density and the demand are high. The British High-Speed Train has shown that diesel-powered equipment can operate on tracks also used for conventional service. Finally, the French Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV), which averages 130 mph between Paris and Lyon, has successfully tested two engineering innovations: unprecedented steep gradients and speeds of up to 170 mph - nearly 40 percent faster than any previous train. As train speeds have increased between Washington and New York, patronage has slowly improved. This success, together with that elsewhere in the world - indeed, there is no example of a failed high-speed rail service - has resulted in several proposals for new U. S. routes from groups of potential high-speed rail investors, suppliers, and operators. Planning priorities and needs for these high-speed trains are discussed.