How much does the European high-speed rail cost?

Most newer routes cost at least $10 million per mile to construct. Clearly, the more expensive the line is to build, the more difficult it will be to break even. While operating costs vary, the cheapest European rail line costs more than $50,000 per seat to operate annually.



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Kelly acknowledges that the $8-billion goal is “aggressive and rightly so” because California is paying for 84% of the cost so far. “If the national government wants to get a national cleaner, faster electrified rail system, it has to do better than 16%. And so we're going to make that case,” he said.

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From a financial standpoint, only two HSR lines in the world are profitable: Paris-Lyon in France and Tokyo-Osaka in Japan. A third line, Hakata-Osaka in Japan, breaks even. The majority of high-speed rail lines require large government subsidies from both general taxpayers and drivers.

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With one possible exception, no high-speed rail system in this country could pay for itself, and the claimed external benefits - cleaner air, energy saved, eased pressure on airports - are nonexistent.

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With the right commercial strategy, high-speed rail (HSR) routes can be profitable, with some lines achieving modal shares of up to 65%. When considering route strategy, HSR's market share versus other modes must be well understood.

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China's high speed rail with a maximum speed of 350 km/h has a typical infrastructure unit cost of about US$ 17-21m per km, with a high ratio of viaducts and tunnels, as compared with US$25-39 m per km in Europe and as high as US$ 56m per km currently estimated in California.

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Finally, the cost of HSR is outrageous. Current estimates for California's HSR system come in at $80 billion for 520 miles, or $154 million per mile. Amtrak estimates that it would cost $500 million per mile to turn its Northeast Corridor route into a true high-speed system.

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A lot cheaper. That high-speed train ticket would cost about $75, compared to more than $200 to fly or drive. Ready to ride?

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Studies have found that high-?speed trains can generate new economic development near the stations where the trains stop. However, the same studies show that economic development slows in communities not served by such trains.

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Implementing high-speed rail will keep billions of dollars in the U.S. economy by decreasing the amount of oil that the U.S. consumes. According to the International Association of Railways (UIC), high-speed rail is eight times more energy efficient than airplanes and four times more efficient than automobile use.

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According to a study on HSR in France and China by the International Union of Railways, “the carbon footprint of HSR can be up to 14 times less carbon intensive than car travel and up to 15 times less than aviation travel, even when measured over the full life cycles of planning, construction and operation of the ...

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Rail systems are so popular in Europe because they can get loads of passengers to their respective destinations en masse — with much less of an impact on the environment. National governments, looking to reduce carbon emissions and put pro-environmental policy into practice, subsidize or own entire rail networks.

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There are limits to running trains with tradition wheels and railway track. Wind resistance, infrastructure wear and traction motors all add to the difficulties in running ever faster trains. Power consumption increases disproportionately as speed rises. Most European high speed trains have a top speed of 300 km/h.

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