Build the Damn Train: How To Bring High-Speed Rail to the United States
Aug 19, 2024
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In this engaging discussion, urban scholar Eric Goldwyn, program director at the Marron Institute of Urban Management, tackles the pressing topic of high-speed rail in the U.S. He outlines the significant advantages of rail over air travel and the challenges of implementation. Goldwyn emphasizes the need for federal support and unified design standards to foster efficient projects. He also highlights the crucial role of skilled engineers and advocates for a dedicated strategy to overcome obstacles, drawing inspiration from successful international rail systems.
Establishing a national intercity rail program is essential for making high-speed rail a viable alternative to air travel in the U.S.
Developing unified design standards for high-speed rail projects would enhance efficiency, consistency, and interoperability across the diverse transportation systems in the country.
Strengthening collaboration between universities and the rail industry is crucial to building a workforce with the specialized skills necessary for high-speed rail engineering.
Deep dives
Local Motive Training Sessions
A series of live workshops will be conducted to equip advocates with tools to strengthen their communities, beginning on September 12th and running through October 31st. These sessions will cover various topics, including safe transportation for children, housing investments that support neighborhood vitality, and the creation of community spaces through tactical urbanism. Participants can join individual sessions or attend all workshops for a discounted price, with ticket costs supporting the overall mission of community resilience. Guest speakers from notable organizations such as Better Block and Incremental Development Alliance will feature in each session.
Federal Support for High-Speed Rail
One of the main recommendations expressed emphasizes the necessity for federal support to establish a viable high-speed rail network in the U.S. The current level of service is not competitive with air travel, and a national intercity rail program is needed to provide efficient alternatives, particularly in densely populated corridors. For example, routes such as Chicago to Milwaukee could benefit significantly from higher speed trains that connect these cities without requiring impractically high speeds. Advocates need to demonstrate that a modern rail system can effectively compete with other modes of transportation, particularly in reducing travel times and costs for the public.
Standardization of High-Speed Rail Infrastructure
The report identifies the lack of national design standards for high-speed rail as a barrier to project delivery. Each high-speed rail project currently develops its own technical criteria, leading to inconsistencies and challenges in integration. If a unified set of standards were established, it would enable companies to more quickly design and build infrastructure, as well as allow for cross interoperability among different rail systems. Countries with successful high-speed rail systems have reflected on similar needs, and developing these standards in the U.S. could streamline planning and construction processes.
Building Capacity through Education and Expertise
To successfully launch high-speed rail initiatives, there is a pressing need to strengthen ties between universities and the industry to cultivate expertise in rail engineering. Many current engineers lack the specialized knowledge necessary for high-speed rail systems, as engineering programs focus predominantly on highway projects. The shortage of qualified personnel hampers the development of intercity rail projects, while nations such as China and Spain have dedicated programs to educate engineers in high-speed rail. Establishing such educational pathways in the U.S. would facilitate the long-term success of these transportation initiatives.
Streamlining Project Management and Permitting
Effective project management strategies and permitting processes are crucial to the success of high-speed rail systems. The current lengthy and often unnecessary environmental review processes can delay critical projects and perpetuate expenses. Local authorities sometimes exploit the permitting process to extract concessions, leading to increased costs and project failure. Reforming these permitting procedures to streamline approvals, while maintaining environmental integrity, could significantly decrease timelines and allow for better execution of high-speed rail projects.
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses the report “How To Improve Domestic High-Speed Rail Project Delivery” with one of the report’s authors, Eric Goldwyn. They discuss the advantages of high-speed rail over other transportation options, the challenges that building such a system in the U.S. would pose and five key recommendations for overcoming those challenges.
Goldwyn is a leading urban scholar and program director at the Marron Institute of Urban Management, as well as a clinical assistant professor in the Transportation and Land-Use program at the NYU Marron Institute. To hear more from Goldwyn, check out this episode, where he discusses why U.S. transit is so expensive and how to fix it.
