CALIFORNIA HIGH SPEED TRAIN PROJECT, A CASE STUDY: THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGES IN LOCATING INTERMEDIATE HIGH SPEED RAIL STATIONS

摘要

As the United States focuses on developing a future high speed rail network to ensure medium to longdistance mobility between urban centers, connectivity to existing rail networks and services should be an important consideration. In formulating concepts for high speed rail schemes there can be a tendency to focus on connecting major population, business and financial cores. Once a high speed network such as this is operational it will serve those cities, providing the much desired competition with private automobile use and air travel between relatively discrete areas. However, for the future resilience of the high speed network it's connectivity to other existing and proposed railroad networks (and other transit forms) should be considered. This of course, must account for the relatively onerous technical criteria for new high speed track alignment design. This paper discusses the issues surrounding the location of high speed rail stations using the California High Speed Train Project (CHSTP) as an example with particular focus on the Palmdale to Los Angeles segment. The route will be discussed along with the challenges in locating an intermediate station within the urban and suburban San Fernando Valley, a location where an existing passenger and freight railroad operates. As the Alternative Analysis and 15% design stages progress in this area station location options have been developed, a process which other proposed networks around the United States may learn from.