Is America finally on track with high speed rail?

美国终于要有高铁了吗？

For decades, the US has been trying to introduce high-speed rail systems that would rival existing networks in Europe and Asia and would get more people out of their cars and onto trains. Now in Texas, another high-speed line has moved one step closer to becoming a reality, and looks set to be the first in the country to be completed.

近几十年来，美国一直在尝试引入高铁系统，希望能够与欧洲和亚洲的现有高铁网络相媲美，让更多的人从汽车旅行转为火车旅行。目前，得克萨斯州的另一条高铁线距实现又近了一步，似乎将成为美国建成的第一条高铁线路。

Around 16 million people now travel between Houston and North Texas each year and the majority of those journeys are made on a single highway – Interstate 45 – where journey times can range from three and a half to five and a half hours.

现在，每年约有1600万人往返于休斯敦和北德克萨斯之间，其中大部分旅程都途经一条高速公路（即45号州际公路），行驶时间为三个半小时到五个半小时不等。

Above: A 200% increase in traffic along I-45 is projected by 2035.

上图：到2035年，沿I-45高速公路的交通量预计将增长200％。

But thanks to a proposed new multi-billion-dollar project, using one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly mass transportation systems anywhere in the world, Texans may soon be able to make the near-400 kilometre trip in less than 90 minutes, but by rail instead of road. The aim is to use high-tech Japanese 'bullet trains', which have been running on routes across Japan for several decades.

但得益于这拟定数十亿美元的新项目，德州人很快就能乘着高铁，花上不到一个半钟头的时间完成近400公里的行程。该项目采用了世界上最高效、最环保的一种大众运输系统，并计划使用已经在日本各地运行了数十年的高科技“子弹头列车”。

Above: The N700 Shinkansen trains are capable of travelling at more than 300 km/h (image courtesy of Texas Central).

上图：日本N700新干线列车的行驶速度超过300 km / h

As well as offering rapid journey times, these locomotives are widely admired for their low-impact, eco-friendly design. They use just one eighth of the electricity per passenger mile that a typical commercial jet uses, and according to a study from the International Union of Railways, high-speed rail can be up to 14 times less carbon-intensive than car travel. The service is also being presented as a much safer alternative to travelling on what has been labelled the second deadliest highway in the US.

该型号机车不仅行驶速度快，还因其低冲击的环保设计而广受赞誉。每行驶一英里，它们仅需要消耗典型商用喷气式飞机八分之一的电量，而且根据国际铁路联盟的一项研究，高铁的碳排放量可比汽车出行少14倍。这项服务也被认为是在美国第二致命公路上行驶的一种更安全的选择。

Above: Japan’s bullet trains boast a faultless safety record (image courtesy of Texas Central).

上图：日本的子弹头列车拥有完美的安全性能

While the list of potential benefits may be lengthy, there are a number of obstacles to be overcome before work can begin. These range from gaining federal approvals to securing the remaining funding from private investors, which still stands at billions of dollars.

尽管高铁建成后可能带来众多好处，但在开工之前，仍有许多障碍需要克服，如怎样获得联邦批准，以从私人投资者处筹得剩余资金（目前仍为数十亿美元）等。

In spite of these challenges, there is real optimism that they can be overcome in the near future, and that plans to finally bring high-speed rail to the United States by the middle of the next decade can be considered an achievable target, rather than an overly-ambitious one.

虽然面临种种挑战，但人们仍乐观地认为，在不久的将来这些困难终将被克服。在下一个十年中期，将高铁引入美国也被认为是可以实现的目标，而不仅仅是一个野心勃勃的妄想。

来源：The B1m

 作者：Adam Savage

  发表时间：2019年10月16日

新闻检索人：白天宇

译者：白天宇、谭婷

https://www.theb1m.com/video/is-america-finally-on-track-with-high-speed-rail