Planning for High-speed Rail in the United States
The PennDesign Report on Planning for America’s Emerging High-speed Rail System CPLN 690 | University of Pennsylvania | Fall 2009 December 9, 2009
“What we need, then, is a smart transportation system equal to the needs of the 21st century. A system that reduces travel times and increases mobility. A system that reduces congestion and boosts productivity. A system that reduces destructive emissions and creates jobs. What we're talking about is a vision for high-speed rail in America. Imagine boarding a train in the center of a city. No racing to an airport and across a terminal, no delays, no sitting on the tarmac, no lost luggage, no taking off your shoes. Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 miles an hour, walking only a few steps to public transportation, and ending up just blocks from your destination. Imagine what a great project that would be to rebuild America.� -President Barack Obama, April 16, 2009
December 9, 2009 This is the final report of the Seminar on Planning for Highspeed Rail held in the fall of 2009 at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design’s Department of City and Regional Planning. It was prepared for a final presentation of the seminar’s findings and recommendations to high‐level officials of the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Railroad Administration on December 9, 2009. Sixteen graduate students participated in the seminar, which was co‐taught by Robert D. Yaro, Professor of Practice and Marilyn J. Taylor, Paley Professor and Dean of the School of Design . The contents of this report include working papers as well as an appendix of short studies prepared for class discussion. This work reflects the opinions of the seminar’s participants and not those of the University of Pennsylvania or the U.S. Department of Transportation. The seminar’s focus was on plans for America’s emerging high‐speed rail (HSR) system, which are being developed as a result of $8 billion in federal funding provided for this purpose through American Recovery and Reinvestment (ARRA) Act of 2009. While most of ARRA’s funding focused on short‐term programs to promote job creation during the current economic crisis, the purpose of the HSR section of the act was expressly designed to create a new economic foundation for the United States. And while the Congress and Administration are now committing additional funds for this purpose, the seminar concluded that to succeed in the long run, this program will require a dedicated trust fund to provide the hundreds of billions of dollars that will be needed to complete a fully‐ developed national HSR system. President Obama’s eloquent description of the goals for the HSR system, reprinted here , has stirred the American people. His words have also inspired the participants in this seminar. We share the President’s optimism that a well‐planned HSR system could transform the future of the country. It could reduce congestion in the nation’s most crowded transportation corridors, create foundations for sustained economic growth, reduce energy imports and greenhouse gas production, and promote more livable and sustainable development patterns in America’s cities and metropolitan regions –home to four out of five Americans. And it could help realize the economic potential and improve mobility and livability of the nation’s 10 emerging megaregions, where HSR will become the mode of choice for trips between urban and metropolitan centers. But to achieve these goals, America’s HSR system must be planned, built and operated in ways designed to maximize these potential benefits.
In this report we have outlined some of the principles and practices that we believe should shape the development of this system. We have described the lessons learned from the nearly half century that HSR systems have been in operation in Japan and quarter century that they have been in operation in Europe. We have also profiled the pitfalls other countries have faced in developing their HSR systems. Perhaps the most important lesson learned from our research is that HSR is a fundamental part of national economic development, mobility, energy and climate strategies in advanced economies: virtually every one of America’s economic competitors around the world already has or is building a HSR system. While building America’s HSR system is long overdue, we have the opportunity to learn from the successes –and the mistakes— that our European and Asian competitors have made in planning, building and operating their HSR systems. Finally, it should be noted that this report was not intended to be comprehensive in its recommendations. Rather than being the end of the process, this seminar is the beginning of an on‐going research program on planning America’s emerging HSR system at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design. As a next step in this process, in the spring of 2010 a Graduate Planning Studio will build on the results of this seminar to explore ways to expedite development of and expand the economic potential of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor HSR system. The results of all of this and subsequent research efforts will be placed on the PennDesign website and made available to the public officials, planning and design professionals, and concerned citizens across the country engaged in the important process of planning and building America’s high‐speed rail system.
Robert D. Yaro Professor of Practice 212. 253. 2727 x 325 yaro@rpa.org
Marilyn Jordan Taylor Paley Professor and Dean, PennDesign 215. 898. 3425 mjtaylor@design.upenn.edu
Planning for High-speed Rail in the United States December 2009
Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – THE NEED FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL Bryan Rodda
1
Developing an American system of high-speed rail can be the leading, long-term, transformative transportation investment that will refocus our country on our great cities and further their economic, social and environmental development.
PART 1 – PRECONDITIONS AND POTENTIAL BENEFITS 1
Metropolitan Congestion as a Factor for Successful High-speed Rail Zlata Kobzantsev
High-speed rail can be most successful when it connects congested regions within a megaregion.
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High-speed Rail, Carbon Emissions, and Energy Conservation Christopher White
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The Economic Benefits of High-speed Rail Christopher Alexander
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A widespread modal shift to high-speed rail will improve intercity connectivity while reducing carbon emissions and increasing energy efficiency.
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High-speed Rail and Growth Management Reuben MacMartin
Investments in high-speed rail can promote more compact, energy-efficient and sustainable patterns of development. The federal government must provide priority in its high-speed rail grant-making and related funding decisions to states and regions committed to smart growth management practices.
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High-speed rail investment has the potential to yield significant economic benefits in station districts, urban cores and metropolitan areas, growing megaregions, and the nation overall. Although research into the extent of those benefits yields somewhat inconclusive findings, virtually every industrialized country is developing high-speed rail as a linchpin in strategies to achieve competitive economic advantage.
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PART 2 –STATIONS, ACCESS, AND DEVELOPMENT Highspeed Rail Stations in Cities Selina A. Zapata
39 41
Successful highspeed rail stations within cities are strategically located, thoughtfully designed, and effectively realized in concert with strong station and economic development strategies. 6
Reuse of Historic Train Stations Within the Proposed American Highspeed Rail Network Patrick W. Kidd
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America’s rich legacy of historic train stations and train travel can play an important role in the nation’s emerging highspeed rail system. 7
Making Connections – The Importance of Planning for Intermodalism Cassidy Boulan
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Highspeed rail must connect to local transportation networks to ensure that passengers can make convenient doortodoor trips, maximizing the benefits and competitiveness of highspeed rail. 8
Highspeed Rail as a Catalyst for Revitalizing Intermediate Cities Amy Bernknopf Highspeed rail service can transform the economic prospects of intermediate cities. These transformations are more likely to occur in places that have strong political, business and civic leadership; welldeveloped economic development plans; and regional transit service, linked to strategies designed to build on highspeed rail investments.
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PART 3 – SYSTEMS AND OPERATIONS 9
Madrid-Barcelona, A Guide for High-speed Rail in California Boris Lipkin
The reliability, speed, and comfort of AVE’s high-speed rail service between Barcelona and Madrid – more than its price – have led to competitive advantages that provide relevant lessons for high-speed rail in California.
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77 79
High-speed Rail and Inter-metro Mobility: Shinkansen as a Model for the Northeast Corridor Cara E. Seabury
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A Vision for Rail in the Great Lakes Megaregion Christopher D. Khorey
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Beyond Amtrak: Two Examples of Regional Initiatives in Intercity Rail – The Capital Corridor and the Downeaster Theodore D. Clement
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Japan’s Shinkansen high-speed rail network demonstrates that a system of complementary intermediate and local passenger rail service should be paired with express high-speed rail service to make an overall high-speed rail corridor and system more effective.
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The current passenger rail system in the Great Lakes is disconnected, inefficient, and underused. Using European precedents as a guide, a newly-designed and built system could be an economic springboard to return prosperity to a desperate megaregion.
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Regionally funded passenger rail service, while not high-speed, can fill gaps in the Amtrak-funded passenger rail system while pursing goals of congestion reduction and economic benefit.
PART 4 – FINANCE AND GOVERNANCE 13
Financing High-speed Rail Matthias N. Sweet
A clear federal role in high-speed rail planning using a diverse, dedicated funding stream is essential to defining the long-term high-speed rail agenda.
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Lessons Learned from the European Union Lisa Jacobson
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Promoting Partnerships Between High-speed Rail and Freight Railroads Diana M. Cornely
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REFERENCES
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EU governance, through measures of consolidation, coordination, and control, has induced Member States to de-politicize decision-making and build a high-speed rail system that benefits all of Europe.
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The existing rail freight system is vital to the U.S. economy. New partnerships with freight railroads will be essential for development of a high-speed rail system.
APPENDIX
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Planning for High-speed Rail in the United States December 2009
Appendix
List of In-class Presentations EXISTING HIGH-SPEED RAIL SYSTEMS Japan – Shinkansen Amy Bernknopf
A-1
Eurostar Theodore D. Clement
A-5
France – TGV Diana M. Cornely Spain – AVE Lisa Jacobson
Italy – TAV Zlata Kobzantsev
A-3
A-7 A-9
PROPOSED HIGH-SPEED RAIL SYSTEMS China Cassidy Boulan
A-11
Florida Patrick W. Kidd
A-15
Scotland Cassidy Boulan
Great Lakes Christopher D. Khorey
New York-Philadelphia Christopher White Ohio 3-C Corridor Bryan Rodda Texas Triangle Selina Zapata
Virginia Christopher Alexander
Hot-Cold Cities in Great Lakes Zlata Kobzantsev
A-13
A-17 A-22 A-23 A-25 A-29 A-30
STATIONS London Patrick W. Kidd
A-31
Lille, France – Euralille Diana M. Cornely
A-35
Toledo, Spain Cara E. Seabury
Germany – Intermodal Stations Bryan Rodda Washington – Union Station Christopher D. Khorey
Philadelphia – 30th Street Station Selina A. Zapata New York Theodore D. Clement
Hartford-New Haven Cara E. Seabury
A-33
A-37 A-39 A-41 A-43 A-45
ISSUES
Interstate Highway System Matthias N. Sweet
A-47
Carbon Christopher White
A-51
Economic Development Lisa Jacobson Intermediate Cities Amy Bernknopf
Funding: Chunky Peanut Butter Boris Lipkin Rail Routing Evaluation Matthias N. Sweet Taxing Truck Freight Boris Lipkin
A-49
A-52 A-54 A-56 A-59
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Bryan Rodda Developing an American system of high-speed rail can be the leading, long-term, transformative transportation investment that will refocus our country on our great cities and further their economic, social and environmental development.
I. Introduction: The Long View To be successful, as President Obama’s statement implies, high-speed rail (HSR) in America needs to be viewed as a long-term investment in rebuilding and improving America’s transportation system. As with other transformative national infrastructure investments, such as the Interstate Highway System, HSR will be built incrementally, growing link-bylink, corridor-by-corridor over the coming decades. America, too, will be growing, changing and developing during this time. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the country will add 110 million new residents between 2010 and 2050. 1 Additionally, U.S. annual gross domestic product is expected to grow from roughly $13 trillion today to around $35 trillion in 2050. 2 This growth presents the country with both tremendous challenges and tremendous opportunities as it seeks to accommodate this growth in more environmentally, economically and socially sustainable ways than it has in the past.
The challenge facing transportation planners, then, is to plan not just for today’s population and economy, but for a population that is 35 percent larger and an economy that is three or more times the size of today’s GDP. Effective national transportation planning will require that planners balance the freight and passenger demands on the country’s airspace, railways and highways, both now and in the future, while reducing transportation’s negative environmental, economic and social impacts. Accomplishing this goal will require sustained, long-term investments coupled with new innovations in transportation systems, transportation financing and America’s transportation culture. In this context, HSR is an attractive investment that can further many transportation and other goals. This report argues that developing an American HSR system should be the leading, longterm, transformative transportation investment that will refocus our country on our great Projected Population of the United States, by Race and Hispanic Origin. U.S. Census Bureau. Released online March 18, 2004. Available at: http://www.census.gov/population/www/projections/usinterimproj/natprojtab01a.pdf
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2 Wilson, Dominic and Roopa Purushothaman. Dreaming With BRICs: The Path to 2050. Goldman Sachs Global Economics
Paper No. 99. Published Oct. 1, 2003.
Executive Summary – The Need for High-speed Rail
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cities and further their economic, social and environmental development. A well‐ developed HSR network––linking our cities with fast, efficient, and reliable passenger transportation—will serve as the mode of choice in our country’s emerging megaregions, which generally extend across distances at which HSR has proven to be a competitive success in Europe and Asia. HSR can be the mode that organizes America’s next generation of growth and development in the same way that Interstate highways organized the development of the previous 60 years. But this report also makes clear that HSR is no panacea. To fully unlock the benefits of HSR, cities will need to make concurrent investments in local and regional transit systems and change land development patterns.
II. Why Highspeed Rail?
We can’t just build more highways and airports. There is increasing acceptance in the field of transportation planning that continuing to build ever more highways and ever more runways is unsustainable and will not result in a solution for congestion.3 Introducing HSR as a new, viable alternative, however, offers the opportunity to relieve congestion at our nation’s busiest airports and on our busiest highways through diverting trips to the new rail mode, which is naturally suited for high‐ capacity travel through America’s densest, most congested travel corridors (see chapters 1 and 4). America’s airports are clogged. Newark International Airport is a good example of severely constrained American airport—it already operates at full capacity complete with a cap on the number of allowed flights per hour, and it physically landlocked with few options for adding any new runway space. The situation is similar in California’s largest cities, and the California’s High‐Speed Rail Authority has emphasized the potential cost savings of building HSR relative to expanding airport and highway capacity, noting: “California's planned 220 mph highspeed train system will cost less than half as much as building more freeway lanes and airport runways and will increase mobility while cutting air pollution and reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.” Highspeed rail is the most convenient, environmentally friendly way to travel across America’s megaregions, especially for trips of between 100 and 600 miles. Among current intercity transportation modes, America’s existing rail services are already the most energy‐efficient mode of travel on a per‐passenger‐mile basis, requiring 30 3 Mogridge, Martin. “The Self‐Defeating Nature of Urban Road Capacity Policy.” Transport Policy, Vol. 4, No. 1. 1997, pg. 5.
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Planning for High‐speed Rail in the U.S.
percent less energy on average than automobiles and 23 percent less energy than air.4 Creating a network of HSR lines using clean diesel or electric trains will result in additional energy benefits, helping the country to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lessening our economic dependence on foreign sources of oil (see chapter 3). Also, the potential to upgrade existing rights‐of‐way and stations, rather than building new everywhere, offers additional environmental and economic benefits as well as the opportunity to preserve America’s historic railroad assets. Connecting urban cores to connect regions and create better cities Unlike highways and airports, intercity rail stations thrive on direct access to dense urban locations within or close to the urban core and other destinations. As shown by the locations of HSR stations across Europe, stations work best when they are located adjacent to a mix of land uses and are easily accessed by local and regional transit systems. High‐ speed rail should also connect directly to other major transportation infrastructure, whether a commuter rail system or international airport (see chapters 2, 5, 7, and 10). Making these connections between cities, and between a city and its region, turns rail stations into hubs of urban activity and unpacks the value of HSR as a tool for revitalization and economic development. It also fits with emerging market trends toward denser, walkable urban communities.5
III. How and Where Should Highspeed Rail be Built?
These are the fundamental questions addressed throughout this report. The first, “How should the U.S. build HSR?” suggests several further questions: How should HSR be financed? How much new, dedicated HSR track should be built? Who will operate new high‐speed services? How high‐speed does “high‐speed rail” need to be? Will some corridors benefit from 90‐110 mph service while others will not achieve significant benefits without 150+ mph service? The second question is “Where should HSR be built?” Should high‐speed investments be focused only on linking the country’s largest cities and regions and thus focus on developing HSR between Northern and Southern California, the Northeast, and Great Lakes region centered on Chicago, or should federal money be spread around the country to develop a larger‐scale, national network? What are the ideal distances between cities on a high‐speed rail network? How are intermediate stations, often located in smaller cities, served? Where should new stations be added to the network? To what extent should the areas of early implementation be planned for further extensions both within their regions and nationally? 4 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Data on Fuel Efficiency ‐ Transportation Energy Data Book (Edition 27, 2009), Table 2.12 5 Leinberger, Christopher. The Option of Urbanism: Investing in a New American Dream. Island Press: Washington, D.C.
2008.
Executive Summary – The Need for High‐speed Rail
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IV. Report Recommendations The research and analysis of our seminar class has found that there are reasonable answers to these questions, as well as ample opportunity for novel new approaches to making improvements to America’s rail infrastructure. However, it is also clear that few American HSR successes will be achieved without an approach that includes several fundamental elements, which are summarized below as this report’s six key recommendations. Recommendation 1: Provide sustained, dedicated HSR funding
If a national network of high-speed rail lines is to be built, it will require a stable, dedicated federal funding source to facilitate an on-going process of planning, design, construction, and expansion of the system. High-speed rail simply cannot be a long-term, sustained success if it must operate at the whim of year-to-year Congressional appropriations.
This report recommends creating a new, national Surface Transportation Trust Fund, backed by a diverse mix of funding sources, which can then be used as stable financing for HSR as well as other surface transportation modes (see chapter 13). HSR development could also be used to pilot novel multi-state revenue partnerships that would allow several states to share the costs of new rail construction as well as upkeep and maintenance (see chapters 12 and 14). Further, HSR may present opportunities for publicprivate partnerships in rail and station operations and especially with redevelopment around HSR stations (see chapter 5).
Recommendation 2: Have a national vision with a defined federal role
First and foremost, the federal government is responsible for defining a strong, national vision for HSR in America. This includes defining the role of the American HSR system in relationship to other passenger and freight rail systems, as well as defining the major characteristics of the system, such as its targeted operating speeds and desired service levels. And it includes making the map: HSR needs its own map similar to the famous “National System of Interstate and Defense Highways” map that shaped the development of the U.S. Interstate System for 50 years.
As this national plan is carried out, the federal role should focus on funding capital investments in HSR and establishing guidance to insure rail safety and promote efficient operations. Specifically, this report recommends that the federal government use its HSR capital funds to reward those cities and regions that are committed to fostering more sustainable and livable cities through encouraging more compact, transit-oriented land development
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Planning for High-speed Rail in the U.S.
patterns and tightly interconnected local and regional transportation networks (see chapters 2 and 7). However, the federal government should largely leave financing of day-to-day operations and maintenance to states and local governments (see chapters 12 and 13).
Strong federal guidelines are also necessary to ensure the interoperability, safety and quality of service of the HSR system as it is developed incrementally in different corridors throughout the country (see chapter 14).
Recommendation 3: Emphasize connecting cities within America’s megaregions The most effective HSR routes will be those routes that serve major population centers within the country’s emerging megaregions. It is through increasing mobility and access to America’s largest cities and unifying the country’s largest and most congested megaregions that HSR’s greatest economic, social and environmental benefits will be realized (see chapters 1 and 4). These megaregions include the Northeast Corridor, California between its major northern and southern cities, the Midwest region radiating out from Chicago and the Texas Triangle cities of Dallas, San Antonio and Houston. At the same time, this report recognizes that to achieve the goal of connecting megaregions, not all rail services in those regions need to be high-speed. In fact, combining main-line high-speed services with an integrated and expanded system of regional and local services is a model for HSR success used by leading HSR countries worldwide. Regional lines that serve outlying or suburban areas and intermediate cities can serve as feeders to the major HSR stations in urban cores (see chapters 8, 10, and 11). This model is widely used throughout Europe to connect its high-speed services to a wider geographic area and market. Further, frequency, reliability and quality of service may be even more important than top speed in linking together some regions, such as the Great Lakes or Northeast (see chapters 9 and 11).
Recommendation 4: Commit to linking HSR with local and regional transportation systems The full benefits of HSR and HSR stations will only be gained where those stations act as intermodal transportation hubs for an entire region. HSR development should connect directly to existing local and regional transportation networks and should also act as a catalyst for further growth and development and integration of these local systems (see chapters 2 and 7). Primary HSR stations should be located in or adjacent to a city’s core area, but stations should also be considered at the city’s periphery to serve
Executive Summary – The Need for High-speed Rail
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airports, major tourist destinations and significant secondary regional centers (see chapter 5). As noted above, federal policy should connect HSR funding with the expansion of local transit and local transit-oriented development patterns. This can include federal partnerships between the FRA and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to consider the funding of a new transit service concurrently with the funding of a new HSR line, which would emphasize how these developments are mutually dependent (see chapters 2, 5 and 7).
Recommendation 5: Secure partnerships with freight railroads
Even under an aggressive HSR development scenario, the majority of U.S. passenger rail service will continue to run on tracks shared with private freight railroads for many years and in many cases, on a permanent basis. Improving or expanding services on these lines will require continued partnership with freight railroads, perhaps including new operating arrangements and procedures. In particular, Congress should adopt pending legislation that would strengthen the regulatory powers of the Surface Transportation Board to promote passenger operations on freight railroads. There should be a combination of both carrots—financial incentives—and sticks—stronger regulatory posture—to enhance collaboration between freight and passenger rail (see chapter 15).
Recommendation 6: Coordinate development of HSR stations to create urban activity hubs Stations are critical infrastructure elements of any passenger rail system, and their successful construction, renovation or adaptation will be central to unlocking the full benefits of HSR. For this reason, a portion of federal HSR funding should be dedicated to station development (see chapter 7). Further, while new stations will be needed in some cities, the renovation and reuse of America’s historic train stations should be a central tenet of the American HSR project that will help foster community pride and renew interest in rail transportation (see chapter 6). To be successful, stations must become central cogs in the city’s transportation network—and its economic development strategy. A city’s HSR station should be the leading access point that ties together all its rail services with its local transit systems and its employment core. Further, like many European rail stations, American HSR stations can serve as economic and social anchors for entire urban districts. Everything that can and should happen at or near HSR stations—shopping, eating, traveling, living, working and playing -- should all be combined into the urban space inside and around
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Planning for High-speed Rail in the U.S.
these activity hubs. The best stations often become destinations in their own right, such as Washington, D.C.’s Union Station. Achieving these outcomes will require strong local and regional leadership and effective economic development strategies that recognize the importance of the country’s HSR stations (see chapters 5 and 8).
Executive Summary – The Need for High-speed Rail
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