High-Speed Railways: Present Situation and Future Prospects

Vassilios A. Profillidis, George N. Botzoris

Department of Civil Engineering, Section of Transportation, Democritus Thrace University, Xanthi, Greece.

DOI: 10.4236/jtts.2013.32A004                

Abstract

Departing from the present situation, this paper attempts to highlight future prospects of high-speed railways. A panorama of high-speed lines worldwide is first given and the limits of a further increase of rail speeds are surveyed. It is explained that rail high speeds are feasible only for large population concentrations. The impact of high speeds on the reduction of travel times is studied. It is established a causal relationship between rail share and reduced travel times. Diversities concerning technical characteristics from one system to another are emphasized together with differences in construction costs from one case to another.

Keywords

Railways; High Speeds; Rail Demand; Population Concentrations; Travel Times

1. Definition of High Speeds for Railways

High-speed trains (HST) were the response of railways to the transport market requirement for reduced travel times. However, there is no universally accepted top speed, beyond which a system can be called as high-speed system. It has been generally accepted that the existing conventional railway technology, with improvements in the track and rolling stock, can accommodate top speeds of up to 200 km/h. Beyond this speed, additional capital costs are needed to meet the requirements of more stringent design features and sophisticated system components. Thus, we consider high-speed trains when V > 200 km/h. This broad definition of high-speed trains is included in the European legislation, among others in Directive 49/1996 [1].  

2. High-Speed Lines around the World

High-speed lines were constructed from 1964 to 2013 in the following countries:

• Japan (Tokyo-Osaka-Fukuoka-Kagoshima, TakasakiNagano, Tokyo-Aomori, Tokyo-Niigata).

• France (Paris-Lyons, Paris-Bordeaux, Paris-Marseille, Paris-Lille-Calais, Paris-Strasbourg).

• Germany (Hannover-Würzburg, Mannheim-Stuttgart, Hannover-Berlin, Aachen-Cologne-Frankfurt).

• Italy (Turin-Milan-Bologna-Florence, Rome-Florence, Rome-Naples).

• Belgium (Brussels-Lille).

• Spain (Madrid-Barcelona, Madrid-Valladolid, MadridCordoba-Seville, Cordoba-Malaga, Madrid-Valencia).

• The Netherlands (Amsterdam-Brussels).

• The United Kingdom (London-Dover).

• Russia (Moscow-St. Petersburg).

• Turkey (Ankara-Istanbul).

• Korea (Seoul-Busan).

• Taiwan (China), (Taipei-Kaohsiung).

• USA (Washington-New YorkBoston).

• China (Beijing-Shanghai, Ningbo-Xiamen, ZhengzhouXian, Nanjing-Wuhan-Guangzhou-Shenzhen, BeijingZhengzhou-Wuhan-Guangzhou).

Table 1 illustrates total number of kilometers of highspeed rail lines around the world (in operation (2012), under construction (2012) and planned), with the corresponding maximum speed in each case. A total of 20,819 kilometers of high-speed lines were in operation worldwide in 2012 (2% of total railway lines all over the world). Though many European countries have planned a number of new high-speed rail lines, the economic crisis in most of these countries may delay or even cancel most of these projects, at least in the forthcoming years. Thus China will be the country, where high-speed rail lines will increase rapidly in the forthcoming years. Indeed, although China is building highways rapidly, it will be

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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