A framework for categorizing risks in high speed train (HST) projects: The example of the first HST in Brazil

Abstract

High Speed Train projects are exposed to risks of different natures, such as: low participation of private companies in the new railways construction, lack of skilled labor, high technology not available in the internal market, high costs with land acquisition, among others. Such risks if not managed properly can become real problems and compromise the achievement of the project objectives. The risk identification is the process of collection and description of events that can have negative effects on the project. This process should consider the project uncertainty elements in order to generate specific results. In the case of HST projects, examples of uncertainty elements are: politics, economy, environment, human resources and technology. Therefore, this study aims to present a framework for categorizing risks to be used in HST projects. Also, for each category proposed some risk examples are suggested. An overview of the first Brazil HST project is showed and the risk framework is proposed. A discussion on the risks in the first Brazil HST project are presented followed by final conclusions.