THE GROWTH OF HSR NETWORKS AROUND THE WORLD

Frank Hanna, Jeremy Kaufmann

Abstract: High Speed Rail (HSR) networks have been around for half a century and continue to grow. From the birthplace of HSR in Japan, to the largest network in China, expansion continues at a rapid rate in many countries. This paper is a comparative study of those networks as well as some in Europe to the proposed network in the United States. It is important that each line from one station to another is deeply considered prior to its construction and addition to the network. The paper first takes a look at the length of the networks currently operating around the world, and then a few of those networks are analyzed more closely. Lastly, the future length of the same networks is shown. Although no two networks can be compared exactly due to the geographic layout and size of each country, there is a pattern, however, that has developed in the shape of the network. There is the flow network, which takes the shape of a river connecting one region to the next, and there is the web network, which takes the shape of a spider web starting in one location and branching out in all directions. Based on the geographic shape and distance between population centers, there are several key regions in the United States in which HSR may be successful. Careful considerations must be taken if the national network is to have such success.

Keywords: HSR networks, network length, flow network, web network

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2014.0308019