Rail can and should be the preferred mode of transport for competing with airplanes and cars over medium distances. The Valparaíso–Santiago–Concepción corridor accounts for 75% of the population and 65% of the national GDP: the opportunity is there.
Rail can and should be the preferred mode of transport to compete effectively with air and road, especially for distances where travel times range from one and a half to four hours. Decades of experience in Europe and Asia, where rail has steadily gained modal share, demonstrate this.
Methodology for determining the optimal design speed on a high-speed line. Source: Spanish Railways Foundation, Ignacio González Franco, 2017.
Beyond travel time, high-speed systems generate economic, territorial and environmental transformations that impact the whole of society.
The most direct benefit for passengers is that travelers can get on and off the train in city centers very quickly, without the additional time involved in airports or check-in procedures. Travel time is door-to-door, not just airport-to-airport.
The Spanish high-speed rail program reached investments of 0.9% of GDP in 2005, generating a demand effect during construction of around 1.6% of GDP. Due to increased productivity following the opening of the new lines, the overall effect on Spanish GDP reached a sum of 2,5%.
The new high-speed rail connections have integrated remote and impoverished regions into the economy. TGV stations in Lille, Lyon, and Le Mans became veritable business hubs, literally transforming towns and cities: housing, commerce, activity, employment in the service sector, and real estate development.
Railway stations are true meeting points for people, not just passengers. Many countries develop them to make train travel more attractive and to strengthen their role in the city, facilitating a wide range of services. The station is as important as the line itself.
On a 500 km journey, high-speed trains generate 7 g of CO₂ per passenger-km. Buses produce 17g, cars 47g, and airplanes 66g. Taking the train between London and Paris instead of flying reduces emissions by a 90%With renewable energy, emissions decrease even further.
The French TGV has become a cornerstone of SNCF and has significantly displaced air transport on the corresponding routes. This quantum leap is the result of a long-term vision, substantial financial and technical risks, and the design of an integrated system from the outset, with dedicated infrastructure and special trains.
Chile has the opportunity to materialize a first railway corridor with a new standard of approximately 600 km between Valparaíso, Santiago and Concepción, where today more than 75% of the country's population and more than 65% of the national GDP are concentrated.
Scope of a mixed-use central rail corridor between Valparaíso, Santiago, Rancagua, Talca, Chillán, and Concepción. Source: Prepared by the author, Fabián Figueroa.
This corridor would connect the international airports of Santiago and Concepción, enabling combined services between intercity rail and international travel. For the Valparaíso region, connections to the cruise terminal could also be included.
Connecting at least six regions ensures connectivity between: schools, colleges and higher education centers, military training schools, sports centers and stadiums, museums and cultural centers, tourist destinations (beaches, vineyards, volcanoes, parks), offices and business headquarters, ports, airports and logistics centers.
The coexistence or segregation of freight and passenger train traffic must be determined based on railway operation studies at the various engineering stages. Possible scenarios include:
Total coexistence (mixed traffic), with overtaking and parking lanes.
Partial coexistence, with temporary restrictions on the use of certain roads or through dedicated bypasses around certain cities.
Segregated trafficking, with tracks dedicated only to passengers or only to freight, on the same route or on different routes — the most expensive but also the most beneficial for each level of service.
Left: Advertisement for "Flecha del Sur" (Southern Arrow), En Viaje Magazine, State Railway Company, 1941. Above: Flecha del Sur railcar on the Mapocho River, oil on canvas, Eduardo Garcés. Below: Catalog of a three-car diesel railcar, MAN AG
In 1937, the then General Directorate of State Railways seriously considered the need to purchase modern equipment for passenger transport, on the grounds that the incorporation of the new "Flecha" trains would provide travelers with comfort and speed, essential conditions for the success of tourism.
The first trains ordered arrived in 1940 and reached speeds of up to 130 km/hThis allowed a trip to Temuco to take 9 hours and to Osorno 13 hours, thus making the "Flecha del Sur" one of the first fast trains in America, placing Chile at the forefront of world railways at the time.
"Seated comfortably as the Arrow of the South takes you at top speed to your destination, you will feel right at home: comfortable, safe and well taken care of."
— State Railways Advertisement, 1941
Developing a new high-speed rail system doesn't happen in a couple of years; it's a long process. The United States has taken more than five decades since its first trials with European trains in the 1990s (the Swedish X-2000 and the German ICE). Experience shows that high-speed rail implementation depends not only on rail technology but also on decades of regulatory adjustments, institutional coordination, and adaptation to the existing infrastructure.
Chile has the opportunity today to begin that process with a long-term vision, learning from international experience and taking advantage of existing infrastructure as a starting point.
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