Authors: J. Hadden, W. Lewalski, D. Kerr and C. Ball
Date of Publication: 1992
Sponsoring Agency: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration
Abstract:
One of the most important issues in the debate over the viability in the
United States of high-speed guided ground transportation (HSGGT) systems, which
include magnetic levitation (maglev) and high-speed rail (HSR), is the
feasibility of using existing right-of-ways (ROWs). A major potential benefit of
shared ROWs would be the substantial amount of time and money saved by
minimizing the acquisition of new real estate. In fact, the ROW issue may be the
most critical factor for assessing the cost-effectiveness of HSGGT. A methodology for assessing the safety risks associated with shared ROWs for
high-speed guided ground transportation has been developed and applied. The
first task in assessing the safety of shard ROWs involved characterizing a
baseline HSGGT system. Features of existing HSGGT system corridors, as well as
those of other potential ROW users, were considered in defining a baseline
system for the study. The primary safety issues associated with shared ROWs were
then evaluated for the baseline system. The baseline system defined for this study is a 645 km (400 mile) long, 7
million passengers/year HSGGT network, of which as much as 50 percent could be
shared ROW with any single other user (roadways, railroads, waterways,
pipelines, or transmission lines).
No. of Pages: 197
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