Posted on Monday April 6th by Yonah Freemark | 287

high-speed-rail-boom

Everywhere you look, from Argentina to Saudi Arabia, there’s a country planning a new high-speed rail line. Inspired by the success of fast train systems in Europe and Japan, politicians see these links as a way to speed travel between major cities, reduce carbon emissions, and spark smart urban development. President Obama shares those goals and devoted $8 billion to HSR in the stimulus bill.

This chart compares seven lines on four continents that are either in the engineering phase or already under construction. They range in size from the diminutive 34-mile project that will connect Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to the gargantuan 818-mile link between Beijing and Shanghai. The variations in construction cost per mile and local meaning of the term “high speed” are almost as great.

See the full-sized version of the chart after the jump.

Click below for the larger version:

Yonah Freemark is an independent researcher currently working in France on comparative urban development as part of a Gordon Grand Fellowship from Yale University, from which he graduated in May 2008 with a BA in architecture. He writes about transportation and land use issues for The Transport Politic and The Infrastructurist.

13 Responses to “Chart: New High Speed Rail Projects Around The World”

  1. TrainsInTokyo Says:

    You forgot the Hokuriku Shinkansen and Kyushu Shinkansen.

  2. TransportGooru Says:

    Thanks, Yonah for this wonderful chart. It is a wonderful way to compare and contrast the different rail projects happening around the world. Keep up the good work!

  3. HR Says:

    Hey, did you guys MEAN to put in the little subtext over the larger image option “womencantdrive”? I hope not.

  4. admin Says:

    The Infrastructurist — your go-to spot for sexism and public works!

    So the answer to your (very worthwhile) question is: yes, we meant to, but in a different context. Namely, for this story:

    http://www.infrastructurist.com/2009/02/19/magazine-claims-women-dont-have-the-driving-gene/

    But for some reason the tag is still showing up. Will look into it. Thanks for the heads up.

    -Jebediah

  5. horse Says:

    Don’t you think it is time to use metric units?

  6. SF to San Jose in < 30 mins « Burrito Justice Says:

    [...] Infrastructuralist, via the California High Speed Rail [...]

  7. johnny0 Says:

    Great infochart! Tufte would be proud.

    So what’s the deal with the lozenges? San Jose is about 1.3 million, vs 800K for SF…

  8. on a more positive note - mammoth Says:

    [...] (which has the most advanced plans) and doesn’t look particularly impressive in the context of routes under construction worldwide.  Which isn’t to say that its awful — it is far better than nothing — but only [...]

  9. Ayman Nassar Says:

    good chart.. great details… and simple.. i linked to it from my blog…

  10. Obama Pushes Vision for High-Speed Rail - Page 33 - Political Forum Says:

    [...] [...]

  11. alexandra Says:

    no!! do your science fair project!!!!!!

  12. How Will CA fund HSR? « Orangeline Development Authority Blog Says:

    [...] dollars to complete its initial San Francisco-Anaheim link, a reasonable estimate considering the cost of peer systems. In addition to the $9 billion in state funds devoted to the project by last November’s [...]

  13. What’s Up With MagLev? 6 Current Proposals To Build Floating Trains » INFRASTRUCTURIST Says:

    [...] The Infrastructurist Chart: How Do The World’s Most Ambitious High Speed Rail Projects Measure… [...]

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