Abstract
High-speed rail has been a successful and globally-adopted mode for intercity travel since 1964, with over 36,561 miles (58,839 km) in operation worldwide (UIC, 2022). Trains with commercial speeds of 155 mph (250 kmh) or greater are capable of competing with air travel for journeys of 500 miles (800 km) or less (UIC, 2022). Of the 20 countries with systems in operation, 60 percent offer rail service with speeds competitive with air travel. Currently, an additional 24 countries (UIC, 2022) are planning or constructing new high-speed rail systems in corridors adjacent to airports, including the United States (UIC, 2022). In 2021, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which established $66 billion in federal funding for modernizing passenger and freight rail networks, including $36 billion in competitive grants for the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program (The White House in Building a better America: Passenger and freight rail, 2022). This funding program is dedicated to new intercity rail projects, including high-speed rail, and is the largest investment in American passenger rail since 1971 (USDOT in Fact sheet: Equity in the bipartisan infrastructure law, 2022). To better understand common conditions that have resulted in successful air/rail station integrations worldwide (Interrail in Airport train station connections, 2022), semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts who are familiar with the implementation and functionality of rail stations at airports. Following the interviews, the author quantified, coded, and sorted interview responses and identified trends in the data. The results of this evaluation have identified three exemplary airports with good high-speed rail integration, six criteria of successful air/rail station integrations, and three common conditions to avoid building poorly integrated air/rail stations. Understanding challenges with existing rail stations at airports in the United States and conditions that have made for successful stations at airports abroad can help decision makers design station locations that attract ridership and capitalize on the environmental and economic benefits of multimodal collaboration. With many new projects in development stages, due to funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, emphasis on successful integration of high-speed rail stations at airports is key for growth planning, economics, and addressing environmental impacts of intercity transportation.
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Appendices
Appendices
1.1 Appendix 1: Airports with High-Speed and Intercity Rail Stations
Airports with High-Speed Rail Stations:
Country | City | Airport | High-speed rail link |
|---|---|---|---|
Austria | Vienna | Vienna International Airport | Railjet |
Belgium | Brussels | Brussels Airport | InterCity Intercity Direct |
China | Bei**g | Bei**g Daxing International Airport | Bei**g–**ong'an intercity railway |
China | Chengdu | Chengdu Tianfu International Airport | Chengdu–Zigong high-speed railway |
China | Chengdu | Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport | Chengdu-Mianyang-Leshan intercity railway |
China | Guangzhou | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport | Guangzhou–Foshan circular intercity railway |
China | Guiyang | Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport | Guiyang–Guangzhou High-Speed Railway |
China | Haikou | Haikou Meilan International Airport | Hainan eastern ring high-speed railway |
China | Jieyang | Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport | Meizhou-Shantou Railway |
China | Jilin | Changchun Longjia International Airport | Changchun–Jilin Intercity Railway |
China | Kunming | Kunming Changshui International Airport | Chongqing-Kunming high-speed railway |
China | Lanzhou | Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport | Lanzhou–Zhongchuan Airport intercity railway |
China | Nanning | Nanning Wuxu International Airport | Nanning-**xiang high-speed railway |
China | Qingdao | Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport | **an–Qingdao high-speed railway |
China | Sanya | Sanya Phoenix International Airport | Hainan Western Ring Railway |
China | Shanghai | Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport | Bei**g–Shanghai high-speed railway Shanghai–Hangzhou Passenger Railway Shanghai–Nan**g intercity railway Shanghai-Huzhou high-speed railway |
China | Shenzhen | Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport | Guangzhou–Shenzhen intercity railway |
China | Turpan | Turpan Jiaohe Airport | Lanzhou–**njiang high-speed railway |
China | Wuhan | Wuhan Tianhe International Airport | Wuhan–**aogan intercity railway |
China | Xuzhou | Xuzhou Guanyin International Airport | Xuzhou–Yancheng high-speed railway |
China | Yinchuan | Yinchuan Hedong International Airport | Yinchuan–**'an high-speed railway |
China | Zhengzhou | Zhengzhou **nzheng International Airport | Zhengzhou–**nzheng Airport intercity railway |
China | Zhuhai | Zhuhai **wan Airport | Zhuhai–Zhuhai Airport intercity railway |
Denmark | Aalborg | Aalborg Airport | Aalborg Airport railway line |
Denmark | Copenhagen | Copenhagen Airport | InterCity Øresundståg SJ Highspeed |
France | Lyon | Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport | Ouigo TGV |
France | Paris | Charles de Gaulle Airport | Ouigo TGV inOui Thalys |
Germany | Cologne and Bonn | Cologne Bonn Airport | Intercity Express |
Germany | Düsseldorf | Düsseldorf Airport | InterCity Intercity Express |
Germany | Frankfurt | Frankfurt Airport | InterCity Intercity Express |
Germany | Halle and Leipzig | Leipzig/Halle Airport | InterCity |
Ireland | County Kerry | Kerry Airport | Iarnród Éireann InterCity |
Italy | Rome | Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport | Frecciargento |
Latvia | Riga | Riga International Airport | Rail Baltica |
Netherlands | Amsterdam | Amsterdam Airport Schiphol | Intercity Direct NS Intercity Thalys |
Norway | Oslo | Oslo Airport | Flytoget Vy intercity SJ Norge regional train |
Saudi Arabia | Jeddah | King Abdulaziz International Airport | Haramain High Speed Railway |
Switzerland | Geneva | Geneva Airport | InterCity |
Switzerland | Zürich | Zurich Airport | EuroCity InterCity |
1.2 Appendix 2: Map of Charles de Gaulle Airport
Source “Airport Map,” Easy CDG, accessed 04/08/2023
https://easycdg.com/airport-guide/maps-terminal-paris-cdg-airport-charlesdegaulle/
1.3 Appendix 3: Map of Frankfurt Airport
Source “Airport Map,” Frankfurt Airport, accessed 04/08/2023
http://www.frankfurt-airport.com/en/airport-guide/orientation/airport-map.html
1.4 Appendix 4: Map of Schiphol Airport
Source “Train to Schiphol,” Schiphol Airport, accessed 04/08/2023
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Malott, P. (2024). Integrating High-Speed Rail Stations at Airports. In: Pagliara, F. (eds) Socioeconomic Impacts of High-Speed Rail Systems. IW-HSR 2023. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-53684-7_5
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