Feasibility Studies of the Carbon-Negative Elevated High-Speed Rail System with a Case Study in Texas

The high-speed rail system is a powerful eco-transportation tool with significant benefits for mobility, economy, and sustainability. The United States was one of the first countries to develop high-speed trains in 1969. Recently, there has been another wave of inventions and studies of high-speed rail systems, including the California and Texas high-speed rail plans. Among them, the novel carbon-negative elevated high-speed rail (“CNE-HSR”) is unique due to its (1) fast construction speed (3 miles per day); (2) elevated design that affords minimal greenfield land needs and minimal disruption to existing infrastructure and nature, and no displacement of existing communities; (3) solar power generation for carbon-negative operation; (4) independent pods for exclusively nonstop travel and flexible allocation between passenger and cargo needs; and (5) deep last-mile reach. This seed grant project will conduct feasibility studies of CNE-HSR with a case study in Texas along the Houston-San Antonio corridor. Transportation, land use, socioeconomic, and other information will be collected with the assistance of local transportation agencies. The retrieved data will be stored in a database over the Geographic Information System (GIS) platform, while software Corridor Simulation (CORSIM) and Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) will serve as the assessment tools for transportation and environmental impact studies. In addition, the socioeconomic effects of CNE-HSR will be evaluated through a cost-benefit analysis process. The research team will assemble an external advisory board, including policymakers, planners, engineers, community leaders, and others, for inputs regarding the feasibility study of CNE-HSR. Eventually, this project will develop recommendations and implementation strategies for the evaluated CNE-HSR system in Texas.

• Record URL:
  https://ncst.ucdavis.edu/project/feasibility-studies-carbon-negative-elevated-high-speed-rail-system-case-study-texas

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $90000
• Contract Numbers:

  DOT 69A3552348319

  DOT 69A3552344814

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  Texas Southern University, Houston

  3100 Cleburne Street
  Houston, TX  United States  77004
• Managing Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  University of California, Davis

  1 Shields Ave
  Davis, California  United States  95616

  Texas Southern University, Houston

  3100 Cleburne Street
  Houston, TX  United States  77004
• Project Managers:

  Cliff, Sydney

• Performing Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  Texas Southern University, Houston

  3100 Cleburne Street
  Houston, TX  United States  77004
• Principal Investigators:

  Qiao, Fengxiang

• Start Date: 20240901
• Expected Completion Date: 20250831
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Environmental impacts; Geographic information systems; High speed rail; Solar power generation
• Identifier Terms: CORSIM (Traffic simulation model)
• Geographic Terms: California; Texas
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Energy; Environment; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01930012
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Center for Sustainable Transportation
• Contract Numbers: DOT 69A3552348319, DOT 69A3552344814
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Sep 11 2024 12:53PM