High Speed Rail: MSC Transportation Engineering and Planning (PT)

HIGH SPEED RAIL
TRANSPORT SOCIETY AND PLANNING
MSc TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AND PLANNING (PT)

LECTURER: CHRIS MILLS
STUDENT: BABER BEG
STUDENT No.: 3301044
London South Bank University

School of the Built Environment and Architecture
103 Borough Road, London, SE1 0AA
www.lsbu.ac.uk
Contents
1.
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 3
2.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................. 3
3.
FUTURE TRENDS FOR HIGH SPEED RAIL IN THE UK ........................................................................ 4
4.
CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................. 4
APPENDIX A - FIGURES ............................................................................................................................ 6
1. INTRODUCTION
In this briefing note the analysis of high speed rail are presented with respect to the benefits
provided by this travel mode. Many countries have developed high-speed rail to connect major
cities, including Belgium, Britain, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain,
Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and the United States.
2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The railway system in the UK is the oldest in the world, with the first public railway opening in 1825.
Most of the railway track is managed by Network Rail, which in 2014 had a network of 15,753km of
standard gauge lines of which 5,268 km has been electrified. These lines range from single, double
and quadruple track. In addition, some cities have rail-based mass transit systems such as the
historical London Underground and the recently opened overland line which connects from Watford
Junction in the north to West Croydon in the south. The British railway network is linked to with
continental Europe by an undersea rail link, the Channel Tunnel Link, which was opened in 1994.i
The majority of the rail network in Britain consists of lines constructed during the Victorian era,
which are limited to speeds no greater than 200 kilometres per hour.
High-speed rail arrived in the United Kingdom with the opening in 2003 of the first part of High
Speed 1 (then known as the 108-kilometre Channel Tunnel Rail Link) between London and the
Channel Tunnel. International passenger services are currently provided by Eurostar, with journey
times of London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord in 2 hours 15 minutes, and St Pancras to BrusselsSouth in 1 hour 51 minutesii, using a fleet of multi-system trains capable of 300 kilometres per hour.
This service not only caters for international passengers but also for domestic passengers travelling
to the towns and cities in Kent and includes provision for the movement of freight.
The main advantages of rail travel over other modes is that it is an eco-friendly way to get around.
All major cities in the world have rail connections linking to countless local and commuter services.
Trains allow you to travel in safety and comfort, and their old-worldly charm sets them apart from
more mundane means of transport. They pollute less, rarely suffer from weather delays and will not
give you jet lag. You can talk to your companions, read a book, or have a snooze and even catch-up
on some work from the office.
The recent increases in the population growth places a huge demand on existing infrastructure and
the available modes of travel. Do we build more homes, towns, and cities with new infrastructure?
Do we widen our existing road network, which may at some future stage become gridlocked? Do we
look at alternative ways of getting people from point A to point B in a shorter space of time? The
current trends are leading towards high speed rail travel as one viable option.
London has seen substantial mode shift from private to public transport since 2000, as has been
documented in TfLs series of Travel in London reports. Of particular note is the trend in car travel,
which has fallen by around 15 per cent from its 1999 peak, even while Londons population has been
growing. Since 2000, public transport modes have all seen increases in passenger numbers to
varying degrees, with the number of trips on London Underground up by 20 per cent, trips by
National Rail in London up over 50 per cent, and bus trips increasing by 70 per cent (see Appendix A
Figure 1).iii
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TRANSPORT PLANNING AND SOCIETY
Baber Beg
Student ID: 3301044
3. FUTURE TRENDS FOR HIGH SPEED RAIL IN THE UK

The development of a second high-speed line was proposed in 2009 by the UK Government to
address capacity constraints on the West Coast Main Line railway, which is currently forecast to be
at full capacity in 2025.iv A document published by the Department for Transport in January 2009
described an increase of 50% in rail passenger traffic and an increase of 40% in freight in the
preceding 10 years in the UK and detailed a number of infrastructure problems. The report proposed
that new high-speed lines be constructed to address these issues and, following assessment of
various options, the conclusion that was drawn from this was that the most appropriate initial route
for a new line would be from London to the West Midlands.v (see Appendix A: Figure 2) High Speed 2
(HS2) is a planned high-speed railway between London Euston, the English Midlands, North West
England, Yorkshire, and potentially North East England and the Central Belt of Scotland.
Four major city centres shall be served directly: London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. Other
cities are to be accessed using HS2 trains running on existing tracks or with edge-of-town stations.
This will create rail hubs which will benefit the major cities with the movement of passengers
whether it be for business or pleasure and the movement of freight.
New tracks will have to be laid in order to provide for HS2. The route will be partly above and below
ground requiring new bridges and tunnels. However, it should be noted that there will always be
some opposition to the initial plans drawn up for the route alignment, these alignment problems
were resolved in December 2010. The Transport Secretary has already announced several
amendments to the route aimed at mitigating vibration, noise, or visual impact on the surrounding
environment.
Phase 2 of HS2 envisages a Y-shaped route extending north of Birmingham to Manchester and
Leeds. Consultation on the route is planned to take place in 2014, and the line is expected to be built
by 2033.
In June 2014, at a speech given at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, the Chancellor
of the Exchequer, George Osborne proposed a high speed rail link between Leeds and Manchester
(HS3); the line would utilise the existing route between Leeds and Manchester, with additional
tunnels and other infrastructure. It was argued by the Chancellor that the northern cities' influence
was comparatively less than London's and that the link would promote larger clusters of economies
to flourish around the UK.
Britains railways are renowned for being the most expensive in Europe, and next year they are due
to get even pricier. The costs of rail travel in the UK are still higher our European counterparts (see
Appendix A: Figures 3, 4 and 5).vi The figures show the comparison of the costs with similar
distances. As the current Government, is seeking to shift more of the cost of rail travel on to those
who use the service. However, the realistic answer is to make the system more efficient with less
delays and less cancelled services.
4.
CONCLUSION
From having researched the material relating to high speed rail, the conclusion can be drawn that
the overall effect on the economy of the UK would mainly be beneficial. There are future plans to
extend HSR further north into Scotland. However, the costs of travelling on the HSR must be
subsided either by the Government or Private Entrepreneurs in some way to encourage and
promote this as a viable alternative mode of travel within the UK.
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Baber Beg
Student ID: 3301044
The main considerations to promote in the further development of high speed rail are the time
savings provide, the environmental friendly mode of travel, the cost benefits, the reliability of the
train services, and the connectivity between the cities and places of interest and the long term
benefits that high speed rail will bring to the economy of the UK.
REFERENCES
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Great_Britain
"Eurostar to launch passenger services at St Pancras International on Wednesday 14 November 2007"
(Press release). Eurostar. 14 November 2006
Drivers of Demand for Travel in London: A review of trends in travel demand and their causes
Topham, Gwyn (11 April 2012). "HS2 revises down economic benefits of 33bn railway". The Guardian
(London).
High Speed Two Ltd (11 March 2010). "High Speed Rail London to the West Midlands and Beyond: A
Report to Government by High Speed Two Limited"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/11043893/Rail-fare-hike-Britainvs-rest-of-Europe.html
Page | 5
APPENDIX A - FIGURES
Baber Beg
Student ID: 3301044
Figure 1: Trend in number of journey stages by mode (indexed to 2000 = 100)
Figure 2: Diagrammatic representation of HS1 and HS2 in UK and France with proposed links (not to scale)
Figure 3: Comparison of costs of rail fares within city limits
Figure 4: Comparison of costs of rail fare between 100-150 miles
Figure 5: Comparison of costs of rail fare over 200+ miles
Baber Beg
Student ID: 3301044
Baber Beg
Student ID: 3301044

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HIGH SPEED RAIL

TRANSPORT SOCIETY AND PLANNING

MSc TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AND PLANNING (PT)

London South Bank University

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................. 3

FUTURE TRENDS FOR HIGH SPEED RAIL IN THE UK ........................................................................ 4

APPENDIX A - FIGURES ............................................................................................................................ 6

TRANSPORT PLANNING AND SOCIETY

3. FUTURE TRENDS FOR HIGH SPEED RAIL IN THE UK

TRANSPORT PLANNING AND SOCIETY

TRANSPORT PLANNING AND SOCIETY

Figure 1: Trend in number of journey stages by mode (indexed to 2000 = 100)

TRANSPORT PLANNING AND SOCIETY

Figure 3: Comparison of costs of rail fares within city limits

Figure 4: Comparison of costs of rail fare between 100-150 miles

Figure 5: Comparison of costs of rail fare over 200+ miles

TRANSPORT PLANNING AND SOCIETY

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