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| ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND
ENERGY SECURITY |
- An intercity high-speed passenger train
is three times as energy efficient as commercial air, and
six times as efficient as a car traveling with one occupant.
(Measured by the energy required to move one passenger one
mile under U.S. commuting conditions
- Switching 5% of US highway travel to
high-speed passenger rail would save more that one-sixth
the amount of oil imported annually from the Middle East.
Currently, nearly all modes of transportation is dependent
on petroleum fuels and in the last decade, dependency on
imported petroleum products increased from 33.2 % to 46.1%.
The current ability of the transportation sector to switch
to alternative fuels, in the event of a disruption in petroleum's,
is very limited
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| ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS |
- Reduced energy consumption by high-speed
passenger rail service translates into fewer harmful air
pollutants, and increased air quality. According to US DOT
statistics, between 74% and 88% of 5 major pollutants are
from highway vehicle emissions. This accounts for the fact
that many US metropolitan areas are unable to achieve air
quality standards set by the Clean Air Act Amendments of
1990.
- High-Speed Rail service requires less
land acquisition that other modes of travel. According to
the Worldwatch Institute, two railroad tracks can carry
as many people per hour as sixteen lanes of highway. Farmlands
and environmentally-sensitive geography are preserved.
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| COST EFFECTIVENESS |
- For the cost of building a third airport
in the Chicago area, a network of high-speed trains could
be built in nine states and serve far more travelers.
- In addition, the cost of building quality
interstate highways in urban areas cost between $15 and
$20 Million per mile, while infrastructure for high-speed
passenger trains traveling at 125 mph costs between $3 and
$6 Million per mile.
- As is the case in Europe, high-speed
passenger rail stations can sensibly and economically do
for urban centers what airports are doing for suburban areas.
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| SOCIAL COST BENEFITS |
- Highway gridlock and airline cancellation
or delays result in a very high cost to the American economy.
According to the US General Accounting Office, late or missed
appointments and loss of corporate productivity resulting
from transportation problems, cost the economy over $250
Million annually. This translates into a loss of $600 per
car, per year.
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| SAFETY |
- In over 35 years of operation, the high-speed
passenger rail system, carrying over 6 million passengers
a day, worldwide, has only had a few minor incidents and
one fatal accident.
- In the United States, Amtrak's Metroliner,
a passenger train traveling at 125 Mph between New York
and Washington, has had no passenger fatalities since it
was established in 1986. Compare that to 500,000 motor vehicle
fatalities in the United States since 1986.
- The new generation of high-speed passenger
rail services will usher in a new generation of railroad/highway
safety.
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| CONVENIENCE |
- Most airports are located far from city
centers. The means that up to 2/3's of the actual travel
time is spent in route to the airport, walking to gates,
waiting in boarding areas, waiting on the plane for departure,
taxing on runways, deplaning, and getting to the destination
from the airport.
- High-speed trains speed travelers from
city center to city center. For most passengers, the rest
of the trip is a simple walk or short taxi ride from the
train station to their final destination.
- On board the High-Speed passenger trains,
business travelers have ample space to work and easy access
to business centers, complete with office amenities.
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| COMFORT |
- High-Speed trains provide for more comfort
and luxury that do most first-class air services.
- Unlike other modes of travel, high-speed
rail passengers are able to easily and comfortably walk
to other areas of the train, such as the dining car, lounge
or business center.
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