Train travel in the United States has largely been underwhelming in the 21st century. The country once possessed one of the most advanced and comprehensive rail networks globally with 215,000 miles of railroad track laid by 1900. As a comparison, modern day Europe comprises 125,000 miles of active track. However, despite advances in its early days, the US rail network has declined since the popularization of personal vehicles, and has never made a comeback since the golden age of American railroading.
While the US has plenty of railroads, most is used for freight trains and there is minimal presence of high speed passenger train services. High-speed rail (HSR)—trains that travel above 155 miles per hour (as defined by the International Union of Railways)—is a development area that the US is lagging in, while regions such as Europe and China boast comprehensive high-speed rail networks that connect major cities so seamlessly that it has even been a substitute for air travel in some cases.
There is ample opportunity for HSR to be a catalyst to decarbonizing the American transportation industry. Because of the high passenger quantity and the efficiency of electric motors, high speed rail is nine times more energy efficient as airplanes, and four times more energy efficient as personal vehicles. With the US aiming to emit net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and transportation making up 28% of the country’s total emissions (passenger vehicles making up over 20% of the total), constructing high-speed rail is well aligned with reaching national decarbonization goals.
Decarbonization opportunity for high-speed rail
The opportunity for HSR to decarbonize passenger transportation in the US lies in its potential to shift travel norms from personal vehicles and flights to a more energy efficient form of transportation. As HSR runs on electricity, it also has the potential to run completely emissions free as the country progresses on building a renewable-dependent electricity grid. HSR contributes to decarbonization via three main routes:
1. Carrying Capacity
High-speed rail’s decarbonization potential is largely due to the number of passengers it can carry compared to cars and planes. While narrow body planes like the Boeing 737 carry 126 to 178 passengers and wide body planes like the Boeing 777 carry 317 to 392 passengers, high speed rail trains such as the Chinese Fuxing can carry up to 1,193 passengers. The introduction and popularization of high-speed rail can reduce the number of flights simply because of the differences in carrying capacity, and can reduce the average carbon emitted per passenger.
Similar to the opportunity for HSR to replace flights, this new transportation network can also contribute to decarbonization by changing the car-centric focus of the country. On average, passenger vehicles carry 1.5 people per journey in the US. If US car users are open to adopting HSR as their new norm of travel, the switch to models like the Fuxing has the potential to replace up to 795 cars per journey. This equates to a total emission of ~318,000 gCO2 per mile traveled compared to ~8,634 gCO2 per mile for HSR.
2. Carbon Savings
With the carrying capacity in mind, there is great potential for energy savings if HSR were to replace other forms of transportation. In 2011, the International Union of Railways (UIC) released a study that outlined the differences in carbon emission across different forms of transportation.
Grams CO2 Emitted per Passenger per Kilometre across Different Modes of Transportation
The graph above depicts the grams of CO2 emitted per passenger per kilometre across different modes of transportation, and shows that the overall emissions per passenger for HSR are more than 60% lower than car and plane emissions. This calculation for total emissions includes the CO2 released due to energy consumption from the transport, as well as the emissions due to the construction of infrastructure. Therefore, HSR is not only more efficient in terms of operations, but is also more pollution-efficient in terms of the necessary construction of infrastructure, and manufacturing, when compared to other modes of transport.
3. Clean Energy Potential
As HSR only requires electricity as their source of energy, there is great opportunity to reach net-zero emissions from this form of transportation. The share of energy produced by renewables in the US increased from 6% to 11% from 2010 to 2022. Along with the progress, the federal government is also introducing policies and regulations to promote renewable energy usage and generation. This showcases the focus that the US has on advancing renewable energy within the electric grid. With that in mind, HSR has the potential to run on 100% renewable energy in the future. Therefore, HSR can be a great contributor to help the US reach their carbon targets.
Opportunities in the US
According to America 500, high speed rail has the greatest competitive advantage in time and cost over flights within 100 to 500 mile journeys. HSR has a time advantage as a large portion of time for short distance flights is taken for travel from the city centre, security clearance, and boarding. Additionally, it is frequently advised that passengers arrive at airports two hours before flight time, which further contributes to the time taken for flights. On top of time savings, HSR can also save on ticket costs. The High Speed Rail Alliance estimates that a HSR ticket from Chicago to Minneapolis would cost $75 compared to $200 to fly. Furthermore, this advantage has already been proven in the Chinese market, where flight prices have been reduced by 34% on average in order to compete with the HSR routes. Due to its advantages, HSR can transform US travel as it allows for passengers to travel to and from city centres, reduce traffic congestion, and shift public mindsets in favour of public transportation.
While there is a need for HSR in the west coast, due to the population density of the US and the number of short-distance flights in the area, the expansion of HSR would greatly impact the northeast corridor (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.). Amtrak is the leading passenger rail company in the United States, and offers a higher speed rail option called Acela that peaks 150 mph. While this is just slightly less than the 155 mph specified by The International Union of Railways, the Acela rarely reaches its top speed due to track restrictions and often takes a similar amount of time as cars in total journey time. Therefore, improvements in speed must be made to the track to enable higher travel speeds. There are about 60 daily flights from New York to Boston alone, which exemplifies the high opportunity for HSR to be a greener substitute in the northeast. With a distance of about 200 miles, a true high speed train can travel between Boston and New York in less than an hour and a half, which is on par with current flight journeys. On this route alone, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by up to 75% if passengers chose to take a hypothetical high-speed train instead.
Given the well-established aviation industry, government intervention is required to change perspectives on rail travel. In May 2022, France implemented a ban on flight journeys within two and a half hours as they sought to promote a higher reliance on their existing HSR network. While the US can replicate a similar rule to gain momentum in reducing emissions in the transportation industry, the well-established car and plane culture, unfavourable city layouts for public transportation, and barriers to construction would present obstacles to making HSR a reality in the northeast.
Brightline in Florida and the West Coast
While the US government has initiated attempts to establish HSR in the past, the most notable successes in the United States have come from the private sector. Brightline is the most recent successful organization to begin higher speed rail services in the US. The company primarily operates in Florida, and strives to be the first rail network to offer HSR with speeds above 155 mph in the US.
In September 2023, Brightline announced the start of their Orlando to Miami service, where trains can reach speeds of up to 130 mph. At these speeds, Brightline can offer an attractive alternative to personal vehicles in the state.
In addition to their focus on accelerating the interconnectivity and mobility through HSR, Brightline also focuses on making transportation more sustainable. So far, they have already made progress in lowering emissions, as they report to reduce 72,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions daily through their operations within the communities they serve.
With their trains in Florida currently running at a maximum speed of 130mph, Brightline has the opportunity to improve on their operations to reach a truly “high-speed” network of 155mph. However, with ambitious goals supported by their actions, the organization is on the right track in initiating change and altering public perception on HSR travel in the US.
Challenges Going Forward
There will be a plethora of challenges that the US will face moving forward when it comes to the development of high-speed rail. These challenges include:
Financial: While Biden announced a US$8.3 billion grant to develop HSR in December 2023, much more financial support is required from private investors to reach fruition. With Brightline West infrastructure connecting Southern California to Las Vegas estimated to cost US$12 billion alone, an US$8.3 billion grant is simply not enough for a nationwide expansion.
Rail Ownership: Amtrak only owns 3% of track that it operates on (the other 97% owned by freight companies), it experiences many delays as its trains must make way to freight trains. To combat this, any organization that intends on popularizing HSR must own their own track.
Rail Construction: Existing land owners have power over rail companies, and can prevent construction of high-speed rail infrastructure that is required for future operation. As current rail networks are not fit for HSR, there will be many construction and spatial challenges for HSR organizations moving forward. Furthermore, due to congested cities with limited space, expansion of existing rail networks will be challenging in the northeast corridor.
Social: Given the cultural prioritization of personal vehicles and flights, it will be challenging to change views on the reliability and convenience of trains. In January 2024, Brightline adjusted their forecasted ridership by 21% for the year which suggests a potential misjudgment of the positive outlook on the HSR opportunity.
Transportation Structure: Given that most American cities are designed to convenience personal vehicles, adoption of HSR will require further development in public transportation infrastructure throughout the country. However, this also presents an opportunity for the US to revolutionize its transportation system, and allow for more geographic mobility for travellers.
Though challenging to implement, initiatives from government organizations, private corporations, and investors are rerailing American HSR. With companies like Brightline establishing the first HSR networks, there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Regardless of the progress, it is clear that high-speed rail must be incorporated into the existing transportation network in the US to enable more sustainable travel. With the energy savings, emission reductions, and carrying capacity benefits that HSR provides, more investments and policy should be initiated to accelerate the establishment and adoption of American high speed rail.
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