Report: 50% of Americans Would Travel by High-Speed Rail Over Air

Over one-half of Americans back reducing or eliminating short-haul flights where high-speed rail alternatives exist, according to a global survey commissioned by Hitachi Rail.

The findings, unveiled as Hitachi Rail participates in America’s annual High Speed Rail conference in Washington, D.C., underlines a growing appetite to travel by long-distance rail as opposed to flying or driving.

Hitachi’s High-Speed Survey

The research, carried out by SavantaComres, collected data from 12,000 people in 12 different cities around the world, including Berlin, Copenhagen, Dubai, London, Milan, Paris, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, Warsaw, and Washington, D.C.

The results from 1,000 Washingtonians and 1,000 San Franciscans provides a statistically accurate picture of how citizens view long distance travel.

While access to high-speed rail is currently limited in the US, respondents are clear that that if high-speed options were more widely available, it would change how they travel over longer distances. Over half of the respondents (54%) would support reducing or eliminating short haul flights if there were a competing high-speed rail line and almost half would also back increasing air taxes to fund rail infrastructure.

High-Speed Rail Replacing Flights

In recent decades, high speed rail has transformed travel in parts of Asia and Europe, helping to replace short-haul flights with more sustainable journeys.

Although this is not currently the case in America, there is an increasing appetite in its potential. The growing appetite for high-speed rail is reflected in the report data, with one in five American respondents believing they will travel more by train in the next five years.

Of interest to policymakers and planners, the research also tested what factors motivate how a person chooses to travel. For American respondents, comfort (69%), convenience (62%), and cost (57%) trumped length of journey and were identified as the three most important factors for selecting their mode of transport.

“Our research underlines that there is growing public support for high-speed rail in America, with over half even prepared to support a reduction on short haul flights where rail alternatives exist,” said Joseph Pozza, president of Hitachi Rail, North America. “As an industry, we should take heed of this public appetite and work together to make it a reality.”