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Assessing Innovations in High-Speed Rail Infrastructure

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Socioeconomic Impacts of High-Speed Rail Systems (IW-HSR 2022)

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Abstract

Innovations in high-speed rail (HSR) have had substantial effects on different stakeholders within and outside the railway system. As part of the European Shift2Rail research programme, several innovative solutions are developed for, among others, improving the HSR infrastructure. The Joint Undertaking behind this research program has set objectives for these innovations in terms of punctuality, capacity, and life cycle costs. With a focus on infrastructure-related innovations for HSR, this paper aims at assessing their impacts in relation to these targets. We review the relevant research literature about the effects of HSR innovations and their assessment. The paper presents a hybrid assessment methodology combing different approaches to assess capacity, punctuality, and cost effects. This contributes to reducing the existing gap that is found in the research literature. Based on a reference scenario for HSR line and collected data from different stakeholders, the results indicate that infrastructure innovations in HSR, being developed within the European Shift2Rail research programme, can contribute to reaching the target set for punctuality. Further innovations in HSR infrastructure and/or other railway assets may be needed to reach additional targets and for more accurate improvement values giving more insights into their impacts.

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Acknowledgements

This project has received funding from the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 777513. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and the Shift2Rail JU members other than the Union.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI), Malvinas väg 6, 114 28, Stockholm, Sweden

    Abderrahman Ait-Ali & Kristofer Odolinski

  2. Linköping University, Bredgatan 32, 602 21, Norrköping, Sweden

    Abderrahman Ait-Ali

  3. Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Lilienthalplatz 7, 38108, Braunschweig, Germany

    Filiz Kurt & Alessa Isberner

  4. KTH Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Teknikringen 8, 100 44, Stockholm, Sweden

    Mats Berg

Authors
  1. Abderrahman Ait-Ali
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  2. Filiz Kurt
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  3. Alessa Isberner
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  4. Kristofer Odolinski
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  5. Mats Berg
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Abderrahman Ait-Ali .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

    Francesca Pagliara

Appendices

Appendix 1—Abbreviations and Acronyms

AL:

Accuracy levels

CBA:

Cost-benefit analysis

CCA:

Cross-cutting-activities

DD:

Difference-in-differences

EC:

European Commission

EU:

European Union

HSR:

High-speed rail

IP:

Innovation programmes

JU:

Joint Undertaking

Kmph:

Kilometer per hour

KPI:

Key performance indicator

LCA:

Life-cycle analysis

LCC:

Life-cycle cost

MPDA:

Multivariate Panel Data Analysis

PNV:

Present Net Value

R&I:

Research and innovation

SPD:

System Platform Demonstrator

S2R:

Shift2Rail

TD:

Technical demonstrator

TGV:

high-speed train (Train à grande vitesse)

UIC:

International Union of Railways (Union internationale des chemins de fer)

Appendix 2—Definitions of the Accuracy Levels

Accuracy levels

Cost value

Technical value

Based on the market (for costs), physical prototype (for technical)

Improvement values based on prototypes and estimation of scale effect for series production as well as acceptable market prices based on first discussions among involved stakeholders

Improvement values based on results of a test in field or laboratory conditions (foreseen to be similar in the field)

Based on a prototype (for costs), simulation/labs (for technical)

Improvement values are based on the evaluation of prototype cost without consideration of economies of scale

Improvement values based on results of the test under laboratory conditions (requiring further testing in the field), or simulations of the technology

Model-based

Improvement values are based on prototype drawings or based on calculations for similar technologies or comparable methods

Expert estimation

Improvement values based on knowledge of experts

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Ait-Ali, A., Kurt, F., Isberner, A., Odolinski, K., Berg, M. (2023). Assessing Innovations in High-Speed Rail Infrastructure. In: Pagliara, F. (eds) Socioeconomic Impacts of High-Speed Rail Systems. IW-HSR 2022. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26340-8_13

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