HSGT Corridor Planning: Land-Use and Other Considerations

This paper explores land-use and other considerations in planning for high-speed ground transportation (HSGT) systems in the United States. Beyond the critical issue of project financing, upon which all HSGT projects proposed to date in the United States have foundered, effective corridor planning (including route alignment and station siting decisions) will be key to the successful implementation of future HSGT project proposals in this country. The corridor planning process must consider many variable factors in deciding issues such as station locations, track/guideway routing and construction type, and overall route alignments. Additionally, there are many institutional factors, including community and environmental considerations as well as political and economic issues, which influence route selection and station location decisions. The general planning framework used throughout the United States (shaped, in large part, by federal regulations) is discussed, and comparisons are made with high-speed rail development in other countries, particularly the larger transportation policy issues that have enabled HSGT development elsewhere.