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.
