High speed railway systems can change the fortune of the third world
By now, the fact that the Copenhagen meet added around 46,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide, most of it from flights, has become a cliché. Studies have proved that air travel is now the fastest-growing contributor to global warming. In simple words, avoiding air travel can, to some extent, limit its harmful impact on the environment. Furthermore, many countries are readily investing in environment-friendly mode of transport. In this long list of green transport, countries are fervent about the high-speed railway systems a.k.a HSR. As per a recent Eurostar research, the train to Paris (instead of flying) cuts CO2 emissions per passenger by a jaw dropping, literally, 90 per cent. Going beyond numbers, the environmental benefit due to HSR is more than what any empirical research can reveal. As airlines emit their CO2 directly into the upper atmosphere, thus the impact on environment is much severe. The Manchester City council, in UK, has revealed its interest on "high speed rail revolution" – precisely to tap on the increase efficiency and its environment-friendly attribute. Most of the developed countries like France, Spain and Germany are supporting the HSR concept. A few European countries have also decided to join HSR network linking the UK and Europe.
Besides reducing the amount of CO2, HSR, to a large extent, solves traffic congestion and air pollution problems. Traffic congestion not only pollutes the environment, but also waste fuel and waste productivity time. It indirectly hits the economy of the country by adding to the cost of doing business. Realising this fact, Japan has extended its Bullet train network by 76 per cent, thus linking almost all its cities. Even Europe has decided to add an extra 1,711 more miles by 2010. The air travel frequency between Paris-to-Brussels has almost disappeared after opening up of HSR links.
Undoubtedly, HSR can do more wonders in the third world. The third world countries will not only benefit from technology-leapfrogging but also will see a heave in other sectors too. They will obviously have an advantage of second mover and therefore, can reduce loss (by analysing the success model of HSR already in place) and customise the HSR model as per their requirement. Implementation of HSR in African and Asian countries will augment their infrastructure and employment. Beside this, if HSR links the urban and rural areas, it will also decrease urban migration and bridge the gap between rural-urban divide. With proper planning HSR can give rise to mid-size cities and satellite towns. Obviously, implementation of HSR model is not an overnight job and would require huge investment. But then proper planning and a good business model can surely make high-speed railways a success business model cum social initiative in the third world too. And if it seems a next to impossible task, then one must learn from China. China has launched the fastest HSR (CRH3) with an average speed of 217 mph covering a total distance of 663 miles connecting over 20 cities (connecting less developed regions to the metros) and is planning to expand it to 42 more HSR lines by 2012. Does it sound like a case in point?
