HIGH SPEED GROUND TRANSPORTATION: A CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE. SESSION 3

At present, the existing passenger rail services in Canadian corridor routes are recognized to be of reasonable quality but incur substantial financial deficits. Revenue to cost ratio (expressed as a percent) for VIA Rail Canada's Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto routes amounts to 46% whereas it is about 36% in the intercity/corridor routes. In response to economic, social, energy and industrial development objectives, high speed rail systems have been under consideration for near-term or medium-term implementation. However, the viability of system upgrading to the limit of electrified rail technology have been under strict examination, owing to uncertainties in estimating the market and economic factors. Research and planning in respect of advanced new technology, namely the magnetically levitated vehicle (Maglev) system due to the current state of technology development have also come under strict examination. When planning under uncertainty of future conditions, there is the temptation to follow the "wait and see" type of course of action. Proponents of such a course of action in respect of high speed rail argue that in addition to improved knowledge of the market potentially achievable owing to a larger monitoring time, the Maglev technology might also become a serious alternative to high speed rail rather than a very long-run successor to rail as is often viewed at present. The objective of this paper is to describe, from a Canadian perspective, the planning and decision-making dimensions related to high speed rail system and/or Maglev for short haul multimodal corridors. (Author)

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was presented during the Institute of Transportation Engineers 54th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, September 23-27, 1984.
• Corporate Authors:

  Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)

  Washington, DC  United States 
• Authors:
  • Khan, A M
• Conference:
  • Compendium of Technical Papers, 1984
• Publication Date: 1984

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 16-20

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Capital costs; Feasibility analysis; Foreign; High speed rail; Network analyzers; Regulation; Subsidies
• Old TRIS Terms: Government intervention
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Economics; Highways; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00390578
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 30 1985 12:00AM