You know the feeling- you’re crammed into your coach seat, stuck on the runway in a plane that hasn’t moved for 45 minutes. The pilot’s voice crackles over the loudspeaker, providing an audible yet incomprehensible excuse about the jet’s prolonged immobility. Questions begin to race through your mind. How could the plane possibly be delayed any longer? Where is the extra three inches of legroom I was promised? And how does the FAA allow so many crying babies to fly at once? We’ve all had our quarrels with the airline industry, yet we grudgingly accept its faults because there are few alternatives.

 

At its core, air travel is a rapid transit service- one that moves billions of people from place to place at an expedited rate. For decades, the airline industry has dominated this market, establishing itself as the standard method of long-distance commuting. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 643 million people traveled by plane in the U.S. during 2012, and the four market leaders (Delta, United, Southwest, and American) reported aggregate revenues of $344 billion. Despite these colossal numbers, the industry is no stranger to scrutiny, especially from environmental advocates. In 2012, domestic flights consumed roughly 10.4 billion gallons of gasoline (BTS), and from 1990-2006, the European Union reported an 87% increase in greenhouse gases emitted by airplanes. Thus, this lucrative industry raises long-run sustainability concerns, and several “greener” alternatives have sprouted in recent years. California is currently playing host to two of the more fascinating ideas, meaning the state could become a pioneer in the air-travel alternatives market.

 

CHSRA: The NorCal-SoCal Connection

When flying isn’t an appealing option, travelers often turn to trains to reach their needed destinations. In Europe and Asia, high-speed rail lines connect major transportation hubs, facilitating transnational transit in a temporally efficient manner. Despite its international success, high-speed rail is notably absent from the United States. On paper, it’s surely an intriguing investment. Advocates of high-speed rail (HSR) praise its economic benefits, tourism potential, and positive environmental impact. Such a system would revolutionize the daily commute as we know it, and by forgoing driving or flying to their destinations, consumers could orchestrate substantial environmental change. In his article “High Speed Rail: The Future of American Transportation,” Eric Chen reported that an American HSR system could reduce carbon emissions from both cars and planes by 6.1 billion pounds, a staggering figure to say the least.

 

In California, legislation and financing are in place to construct an 800-mile HSR system that will ultimately connect Sacramento and San Diego. The California High Speed Rail Authority— the entity behind the project — claims its system would “reduce vehicle travel in California by 10 million miles a day,” and decrease the number of daily flights in the state by roughly 35% (Bredenberg). Further, the CHSRA notes that its train will operate with 100% renewable energy, using biofuels and harnessing wind and solar power. While construction won’t be completed until 2029, this proposed system would allow intra-California travelers to rely less on airplanes for long-distance transportation, reducing their ecological footprint in the process.

 

Despite its environmental benefits, an HSR system has some potential drawbacks. Andrew Ryder notes in his 2012 article “High Speed Rail” that, after many years of international operation, only two of the world’s high-speed rail links were said to be profitable by 2009. With a $68.4 million price tag, a longer projected travel time than flights of equal distance, and a similar cost to both flying and driving, this project has garnered many skeptics, despite its green goals.

 

Hyperloop: An alternative to an alternative

There’s little argument that a high-speed rail system would redefine transportation standards in California. However, the HSR network certainly hasn’t received universal acclaim. Elon Musk, the founder of groundbreaking ventures like Tesla Motors and SpaceX, has deemed the project “too expensive, too slow, and too impractical” (Vance). However, unlike most critics, Musk offered an alternative to the HSR system, leaving the online world abuzz and providing another green substitute for air travel.

 

On August 12, 2013, Musk introduced his unprecedented, rapid transit brainchild aptly named “Hyperloop.” With the purported power to transport travelers between Los Angeles and San Francisco in 30 minutes (Vance), the Hyperloop announcement left countless stunned spectators in its wake. Musk supported his futuristic vision with mind-bending illustrations, which helped blur the lines between far-fetched fantasy and feasible reality. Using a series of magnetized tubes built on an elevated track, the Hyperloop would propel people, enclosed in aluminum pods, at the speed of sound towards their destination. Further, unlike air travel, customers would experience “supersmooth” rides, cheap tickets, and minimal waiting time. Sound too cool to be true? As the project is still in its nascent stages, there’s no telling if Musk’s vision will come to fruition. Despite this, the Hyperloop has certainly captured the imagination of countless travelers, and it has several important environmental implications.

 

Because the Hyperloop would likely direct consumers away from air travel, it would have similar effects on oil consumption and carbon dioxide levels as the HSR system described above. Moreover, the project features an eco-friendly construction model, which caught the attention of environmental publications like the IMT Green & Clean Journal. According to this journal, the Hyperloop could be built “mostly on the median of the 1-5 highway,” and its elevation would require little disturbance of existing land (Bredenberg). Hyperloop plans also boast multiple green energy sources. Its tubes would be covered with solar arrays to power the entire system, and individual capsules would use batteries for sustained propulsion. To illustrate the Hyperloop’s powerful potential, Musk provided a visual representation of its energy-saving capabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: IMT Green & Clean Journal

 

This graph compares the energy per passenger across various modes of transportation. As the data indicates, the Hyperloop would require far less energy than other alternatives, including train travel. What’s more, Earthday.org notes that Musk’s system would be “entirely emissions-free,” a staggering statistic considering its capabilities. Musk also stated that individual capsules could hold up to three vehicles each. Looking for a tangible environmental impact? According to this claim, the Hyperloop could physically remove cars from the road, allowing travelers to avoid long, emissions-ridden commutes.

 

While Musk’s proposal is fascinating, it’s important to realize that the Hyperloop remains in its theoretical stages, and development could be hampered by California’s “brutal” regulatory environment (Hennessey). Regardless, even if this revolutionary vision doesn’t become a reality, it signifies an exciting time in the transportation world, and it could potentially open the floodgates for more sustainable alternatives to air travel.

 

Potential roadblocks to revolution

Each of these projects could substantially shift the American transportation paradigm, but because of that, they will likely encounter many obstacles along the way. The airline industry’s domestic prowess — which can be measured by its massive market value and employee network — is surely a force to be reckoned with, and affiliated lobbyists could create political barriers to development. Domestic oil interests could cause similar issues, as such companies would likely experience decreased demand because of these transportation alternatives.

 

While the aforementioned “roadblocks” are purely speculation, we can draw several certain conclusions from each project. Both the HSR and the Hyperloop would have far-reaching environmental benefits, and both have the power to create substantial economic shifts. As a result, it’s likely that neither will be completed smoothly. But hey, your last flight probably wasn’t that smooth either. So, can we look forward to long-distance trips free of runway rage and bawling babies? We’ll just have to wait and see.

 

Works Cited

 

Airline Fuel Cost and Consumption. Rep. N.p.: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, n.d. Web.

 

Bredenberg, Al. "Is the Hyperloop the Greenest Track for Rapid Transit?" IMT Green & Clean Journal (2013): n. pag. Thomasnet News. 03 Sept. 2013. Web.

 

Chen, Eric. "High Speed Rail: The Future of American Transportation." Journys (2013).Web.

 

Hennessey, Ray. "Why California Can't Be Home to the Hyperloop." Entrepreneur Magazine Aug. 2013. Print.

 

Ryder, Andrew. "High Speed Rail." Journal of Transport Geography 22 (2012). Print.

 

Vance, Ashlee. "Revealed: Elon Musk Explains the Hyperloop, the Solar-Powered High-Speed Future of Inter-City Transportation." Bloomberg Businesweek Aug. 2013. Print.