The 22nd Century
As the United States moves into the
twenty-first century, more citizens move to cities, more people travel for
business and pleasure and difficulties of air travel (cost/security/congestion)
the global village is becoming smaller and moving faster. The United States
will have to seriously consider rebuilding our cities to accommodate the
changing high-speed world. We not only have to examine our love of cars but
cost to the environment and the cost to our wallets and pocketbooks.
In our coming global village it is
important to be able to move people from the city center to the airport with
speed and efficiency. For the United State cities this presents a particular
challenge since most city centers have already been built-up with very little
room for new high speed rail (HSR) development. For such a plan to take shape
airports and train stations will have to be of like mind. As stated in Andrès Lopez-Pita
and Francesc Robustè paper: “High-Speed Line Airport Connections in Europe”
published in Journal of the Transportation
Research Board: Transportation Research Record, “…it is necessary to
establish common points of access to each transport mode. Railway stations and airports, in practical
terms, must be a singular concept.”[1]
In the 1980s, France saw that
connecting high speed rail (HSR) to airports would alleviate air traffic
congestion of short –distance air travel and make room for long-distance air
travel. This lead to the Interconnection between TGV-Southeast, TGV-Atlantic
and TGV-North lines and connected them to the Charles de Gaulle Airport. After the Interconnection went into service
in November 1994 there was a dramatic increase in rail market share for short
haul travel in comparison to air travel. This approach is being replicated in
Germany (Frankfurt – Cologne-Bonn Airport) and Amsterdam (Thalys - Schipohl
Airport).[2]
What the future holds for HSR which
has been tested at 400 -500 km/h is a magnetically levitated train (Maglev). In
High Speed Rail in the US: Super Trains
for the Millennium by Tony R. Eastham, If the United States can effectively
implement HSR infrastructure the system can be extended to cover greater distances
removing congestion on highways and reducing passenger loads in short haul air
travel.[3]
For greater distances covering Boston to Miami the Maglev system would be
commercially viable.
A high speed rail (HSR) system can
allow us to move with greater ease across our metropolitan regions of
Boston-New York-Washington, DC, Los Angles valley and Miami-Tampa. A HSR system
will not only reduce travel times but will free up airplane seats, remove
vehicles from high-ways, reduce traveling costs and the best of all peace of
mind and safety for travelers.
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