High-speed railways can move passengers and goods cost-effectively and sustainably. However, there is a need to consider the objectives of high-speed rail (HSR) systems and to analyse eventual public benefits in order to minimise economic risk. Currently, there are three major HSR systems in development around the world – Rail Baltica in northern Europe, California High-Speed Rail (CAHSR) in the USA and High Speed Two (HS2) in the UK. In this paper, the benefits of investment in these three projects are investigated and possible consequences and expected outcomes are evaluated. The key influencing factors of HSR sustainability are considered, such as changes in population, population density, ability to pay, the type of energy used and existing railway networks. Data envelopment analysis was used to evaluate the ‘technical efficiency’ of the selected schemes. This type of analysis has been widely used before to benchmark performance and determine best practice. The expected outcome of this research is better understanding of the demand for railway services and of the economic, social and environmental aspects of the sustainability of Rail Baltica, CAHSR and HS2.

中文翻译：

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高铁的可持续性：一项比较研究

高速铁路可以经济高效且可持续地运输乘客和货物。但是，有必要考虑高铁（HSR）系统的目标并分析最终的公共利益，以最大程度地降低经济风险。当前，全球范围内正在开发三种主要的HSR系统-北欧的Rail Baltica，美国的加利福尼亚高铁（CAHSR）和英国的High Speed Two（HS2）。在本文中，对这三个项目中的投资收益进行了调查，并对可能的后果和预期成果进行了评估。考虑了高铁可持续性的关键影响因素，例如人口变化，人口密度，支付能力，使用的能源类型和现有的铁路网络。数据包络分析用于评估所选方案的“技术效率”。此类分析之前已广泛用于基准性能和确定最佳实践。这项研究的预期结果是更好地了解铁路服务的需求以及铁路Baltica，CAHSR和HS2可持续性的经济，社会和环境方面。