Advantages of Autran System over High Speed Rail

The Autran system is not like the public transit rail systems that can operate only with very large subsidies, proposed high speed rail systems being no exception. See documents on "The Public Purpose" website (www.publicpurpose.com). US Public Transport & Highway Costs & Revenues" shows that that costs per person mile in 1996$ rose from about 16 cents in 1960 to about 53 cents in 1996. For comparison, estimates of the costs per person mile have been made for the Autran system when carrying an average of four persons in an eight-passenger cabin or when carrying an average of 1.7 persons in an automobile. The Autran estimates show costs ranging from 10 cents to 16 cents per person mile, only about 20% to 30% of the 1996 public transport costs of about 53 cents. US Government Report Finds High Speed Rail to Require Heavy Subsidies shows that high speed systems would require heavy subsidies ranging from a projected 44.7% for the Washington-New York- Boston corridor to 86.4% for a Chicago-St. Louis proposal.

In addition to its financial viability, the Autran system has a number of other important advantages over high speed rail, as follows:

• The convenience of the Autran system may induce many of us to travel as a passenger when we might not otherwise do so. Many of us do not travel by rail because we have gone to the trouble of locating rail schedules only to find out that available departure and/or return times are not suitable at all or that that they will require that we waste a considerable amount of time. We also know that we will have to make sure that we will be at the rail station ahead of each scheduled time. These problems cannot be avoided by high speed rail which would necessarily offer only a limited number of departure times. It may be a different story if, however, the Autran system is made available and we learn that we can go to a station at any time of the day or night, be on our way within a short time and then travel in comfort at high speeds and with minimal interruptions. Many of us may decide that we do want to travel as a passenger.
• High speed rail systems do not appear to be designed to carry individual autos. If they were modified to do so, they would require that you be at a loading place ahead of a scheduled time and wait for a time at an unloading place after arrival. It would certainly not give you the convenience of being able to drive onto an awaiting platform at any time and be quickly on your way to be then carried at high speed to an unloading station without interruption. Moreover, since a high speed rail system would need to be highly subsidized even for the purpose of carrying passengers, it is difficult to believe that a fare could be charged that would be low enough to make you decide to have your car carried rather than taking a taxi or renting a car at the destination station.
• In the Autran system, the risks from possible de-railings and collisions between vehicles are minimized and there are no highway crossings. High speed rail systems, however, involve risks of possible deaths and injuries from de-railings, collisions with other trains or at roadway crossings which are like those involved with operation of conventional trains. Risks may actually be higher as a result of the higher speed.
• If speed in moving passengers is of primary importance, an Autran system could carry only passenger cabins that have very low aerodynamic drag coefficients and could safely operate at speeds greater than those of proposed high speed rail systems. You might find using such an Autran system to be much more desirable than using a high speed rail system because you might to enter a cabin at any time and be quickly on your way.
• With further regard to speed, an auto on a platform has a higher drag coefficient than a cabin and since energy consumption increases exponentially with speed, it would probably not be desirable to operate at a speed much higher than 100 MPH when carrying autos. There are also very important advantages in carrying both autos and passenger cabins on the same guideways so that in many cases the Autran system might not carry passengers at a top speed much higher than 100 MPH. However, even if the top speed is considerably less that that of proposed high speed rail system, your total travel time might be much less than what you would expect in a high speed rail system when you consider times spend in waiting for scheduled times.

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