An article in today’s New York Times states that high speed trains produce about 20% of the CO2 emissions, when measured on a per 100 passenger/mile basis, compared to the average gas powered automobiles. Trains are still a primary means of transportation in Europe, where some travel at speeds of over 200 mph are, but have largely been replaced by cars in North America. Yet the automobile’s reign stretches back a mere three generations. California’s principal north-south route, the I-5, was not completed until 1979. So one has to wonder about the impact California’s bullet train, which will take three hours to travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles, will have. Is it possible that we will see a renaissance of mass transit?
According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), “nearly 2.6 billion trips were taken on public transportation in the first quarter of 2013.” This is actually a slight decrease over last year, but the number of people taking trains increased 5.6% in LA and 4.4% in San Francisco.
These are only little steps, but do they hint of things to come? Public support for using tax dollars to finance rapid transit is also on the rise. A recent poll showed that 74% of US citizens would now favor it.
“We are experiencing this surge in support because citizens can see, touch, and feel the economic impact of investing in public transportation,” said APTA Chair Flora Castillo. “This survey emphasizes that public transit plays a great role in society because it directly touches people’s lives.”
One has to wonder how much longer the dominance of single occupant gas guzzling automobiles will continue. Will there come a time, in a generation or three, when a significant number of Americans will rely upon mass transit and/or rental vehicles like Car2Go?
Pacific Surfliner’s Route from San Diego to San Luis Obispo in Southern California
The high speed rail system is not scheduled to reach San Diego until sometime after 2030. Some say this is another repetition of the events that started almost 130 years ago, when the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad chose LA rather than San Diego for its western terminus. San Diego has been a spur off the main track since then, connected to the rest of California through a secondary airport, secondary port, secondary freight rail connection, and now a secondary passenger rail connection.
In 1971, the Pacific Surfliner made three trips from San Diego to LA every day. That route has since grown to be second-busiest rail corridor in the U.S, with a dozen return trips every day and 18 anticipated by 2040. (The fares, from downtown San Diego to downtown LA , presently range from $35 to $50-plus.)
It is also one of the prettiest, winding alongside the beach for much of the way. (Some of their literature boasts you would have to be on a surfboard to get a better view of the ocean!) The train’s average speed is 45-50 mph, which means it can be faster than a car – when traffic is heavy! – but the trip still takes about 2¾ hours.
Some suggest that Amtrak, which owns of Pacific Surfliner, could shave an hour off that time by investing a significant portion into improving the century old railway line. They would only need to raise the average speed to 73 mph.
Business class on the Pacific Surfliner – Braniff747SP photo, courtesy Wikipedia
Though the Surfliner is subsidized through California’s department of Transportation, revenues have been growing. Ticket sales only accounted for 63% of the budget in 2006/07. A more recent report states the line recoups 85% of its expenses through ticket sales and other revenues. There are non-holdiay week-ends when all the seats are sold out and passengers will need to book a reservation from July 19 to July 21, while the Del Mar Horse Races and Comic-Con San Diego are on.
There was a time, from 1987-93 (see page 24 of the attached), when the Surfliner was profitable. Can it do this again?
The question may be more than rhetorical, as the Federal Government has cut off its share of the lines subsidies and California will have to pick up the tab alone.
Yet there are a million more passengers travelling the rails and many are looking for more environmentally friendly ways to travel. According to the Texas Transportation Institute, the increased use of public transit in 2011 resulted in a reduction of 450 million gallons of conventional fuel usage. Even further emissions savings can be expected as more trains turn to biofuels.
High speed trains have replaced airlines in much of Europe. According to a recent CNN report, they have “come to stand for ease and efficiency with point-to-point city center travel where journeys of four hours or less trump airplanes and the hassle of airport security.” Will a corresponding rail network arise in North America? Does San Diego have to wait until 2030? Or will Amtrak upgrade the rails so the Pacific Surfliner can travel 73 mph? or even 110?
- Pacific Surfliner at San Diego station – photo courtesy Amtrak
