High‐Speed Rail Feasibility Study Business Plan

Details

• Corporate Creators:
  Transportation Economics & Management Systems, Inc (TEMS) ; Quandel Consultants, LLC ; GBSM, Inc
• Corporate Contributors:
  Rocky Mountain Rail Authority
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Business Models Feasibility Analysis High Speed Rail Rail Transit
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  Rocky Mountain Rail Authority
• Abstract:
  This report evaluates the feasibility of developing a high-speed intercity passenger rail system in Colorado, centered on the I-25 corridor from Fort Collins to Trinidad and the I-70 corridor from Denver International Airport to Grand Junction, with additional links to major mountain and resort communities. Prepared for the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority using Federal Railroad Administration criteria for corridor designation and funding eligibility, the study applies a six-step business planning process that integrates public outreach, service scenario development, engineering analysis, demand forecasting, cost estimation, institutional planning, and implementation strategy.
  
  The analysis finds that Colorado’s intercity travel demand is concentrated heavily in the I-25 and I-70 corridors, where automobile travel dominates and existing intercity rail, air, and bus services play smaller roles. The study concludes that these corridors have sufficient travel density to support high-speed passenger service, particularly when the two corridors are connected to provide direct, interoperable service and a single-seat ride between Front Range communities, Denver International Airport, and mountain destinations. Because diesel equipment was excluded early from I-70 due to steep mountain grades, the study focused there on electric rail and maglev technologies; for interoperability with I-70, electric rail and maglev options were also developed for I-25.
  
  Representative route and technology options were developed for both corridors, including existing rail, greenfield alignments, electric multiple unit rail, and maglev concepts across a range of operating speeds. In the I-70 corridor, the study found that the high-gradient 7 percent right-of-way alignment was suitable only for EMU rail or maglev vehicles, while lower-gradient alternatives improved system performance but often at higher infrastructure cost. Although maglev was found to offer the highest ridership and strongest operating ratios among evaluated alternatives, it was also found to require significantly greater capital investment than rail. Overall, the study concluded that several alternatives were financially and economically feasible, but the 220-mph electric rail option achieved the strongest economic feasibility score and was therefore selected for more detailed evaluation as the FRA Developed Option.
  
  The report ultimately concludes that high-speed transportation corridors paralleling Colorado’s two principal interstate corridors are feasible, while also emphasizing that route refinement, gradient reduction, tunneling needs, institutional coordination, and funding strategy remain critical to implementation.
  
  
• Content Notes:
  Cite as: Transportation Economics & Management Systems, Inc., Quandel Consultants, LLC, & GBSM, Inc. (2010, March). High-speed rail feasibility study business plan. Rocky Mountain Rail Authority.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  Federal Aviation Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5714a9d657c3bd69b20807bd5eb4e92028e3750c2b263999099824baec6f0ab05d4273508e18dd7b45a5d553e634182eb8c294ef2f23290dbf5b28499b247dba
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/89775/dot_89775_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 24.29 MB ]