High-Speed Rail Safety

Roadmap Overview

High-Speed Rail is a type of passenger rail transportation system that operates at high-speed with high voltage electricity. With respect for the multiple definitions for high-speed rail, the International Union of Railways defines high-speed rail as systems of rolling stock and infrastructure which regularly operate at or above 250 km/h on new tracks, or 200 km/h on existing tracks. Figure 8, above, shows the basic components of high-speed rail system. Rolling stock that obtain electricity from cable (as shown, or ground-based rail) as a power is operated by a driver who follows signals and communicates with one or more control centers. The dedicated or specifically upgraded tracks guide the train.

Figures of Merit

Figure of Merit	Units	Description
Maximum speed	km/hour	Maximum operational speed of trains
Frequency	# of trains/hour	Number of operated trains per hour
Weight	kg	Weight of train
Brake force	N	Force to stop the train
Brake stopping distance	m	Distance that it takes to come to a complete stop
Capacity	people/train	Number of passengers carried by train
Strength of Body	N/mm^2	Strength against crash
CO2 emission	t/train/km	Amount of CO2 emitted by electricity generation used for operating one train
Construction cost	$/km	Initial cost for constructing total railway system per 1 km
Operation cost	$/train	Operational cost for a round-trip of a train