特別報導

 

High-Speed Rail a New Focus for Railroad Program

Professor T.C. Kao, 高聰忠教授

伊利諾大學香檳分校軌道研究團隊將致力於高速鐵路研究
(轉載自 Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign March 16, 2010-http://cee.illinois.edu/highspeedrail)

Professor T.C. Kao and his wife, Mei, wait to board a high-speed train in Taiwan. 月台上,高聰忠教授偕同妻子等待台灣高鐵列車進站


High-speed rail is the next big thing in railroad engineering in the United States, and the University of Illinois’ Railroad Engineering Program is assuming a leadership role in bringing the latest information about this hot topic to students, fellow educators, and the industry. This semester, an expert from Taiwan is teaching, at Illinois, the first university-level class in high-speed rail to be offered in the country. In addition, a major international rail conference will be held on the U of I campus in April, featuring high-speed and intercity passenger rail as its primary focus.
高速鐵路將會是美國軌道工程界定睛的下一個大代誌,而伊利諾大學香檳分校軌道工程研究團隊則會扮演開路先鋒的角色,協助引進高速鐵路的最新資訊,美國的學生、學者、相關工業將有機會認識到這門發燒的科技。令人興奮的是,遠自台灣的高速鐵路專家,將在這個學期開授高速鐵路的課程,不僅是伊利諾大學的第一次,也是全美大學課程的第一次開辦。此外,今年四月伊利諾大學香檳分校也將舉辦一場超大型的國際軌道學術研討會,屆時世界各國的軌道專家將在此地齊聚一堂,進行高速鐵路、大眾捷運系統等主題作深度的研討與交流。

High-speed passenger rail has been hailed as an energy-efficient, environmentally friendly mode of transportation. It requires a specialized system of dedicated tracks, trains built to travel at least 155 miles per hour, and advanced technology for support systems like communication and safety monitoring. Currently only one moderately high-speed line is in operation in the United States along the Northeast Corridor, but the Federal Railroad Administration has spent years outlining its vision for a network of true high-speed rail lines in the country, a plan that came closer to fruition with a funding pledge by the Obama administration.
高速鐵路已被公認為是兼具節約能源、環保綠能的交通工具。以每小時 155英里的高速飛駛在專用的軌道上,高鐵列車配有通訊及安全監控系統等先進設備,以作為高速行駛的主要支撐系統。與世界各國的現況相比,美國的東北走廊上也有一條以中等規模運行中的高鐵路線,美國歐巴馬總統已指派美國聯邦鐵路總署積極研擬未來的美國高鐵計畫,並允諾將投入相當數量的資金來支持這項計畫。

“Until the new administration’s commitment to high-speed rail, it was more of a distant hope than a likely reality to have extensive high-speed rail in this country,” says Professor Christopher P.L. Barkan, Krambles Faculty Fellow and Director of the Railroad Engineering Program. In January, President Obama pledged $8 billion toward the development of high-speed rail in the United States through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act plus an additional $5 billion over five years through the annual budget process. Experts agree this is an important step but not nearly enough to develop a national high-speed rail network, the cost of which has been estimated at $100 billion. But whether the network takes decades to realize or gets a boost from private funding, high-speed rail will be part of the transportation picture in the U.S., and civil engineering students will benefit from knowledge of the field. 伊利諾大學香檳分校軌道工程研究團隊 Barkan教授特別提到:「直到歐巴馬政府作出興建美國高鐵的具體承諾後,高速鐵路網的形成才從一個遙不可及的夢想,成為可望實現的偉大成就。」今年一月,美國歐巴馬總統允諾將由振興經濟法案的專款基金中撥款八十億美元,並在未來五年的年度預算中再特別提撥五十億美元作為美國高鐵的經費來源。美國的其他專家也指出:「這樣的作法將有助於美國高鐵跨出第一步,但用來發展高速鐵路網還略顯不足,目前估算的經費將高達一千億美元。」無論這個路網得需要花上個數十年時間,也無法肯定有私人經費的挹注下,美國高鐵仍將會是未來美國運輸藍圖上絕對重要的一部份,而土木系的學生將佔有優勢的提早接觸這領域的一切了。

“There will be expanded opportunities for civil engineering students as a result of this initiative in the United States,” Barkan says.
Barkan教授說到:「美國高鐵計畫的推動,將提供更多土木系的學生有大展身手的好時機」。

The high-speed rail course at Illinois owes its genesis to former Illinois student Yung-Cheng (Rex) Lai (MS 04, PhD 08), currently an assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at National Taiwan University. Lai introduced Barkan to National Taiwan University colleague T.C. Kao, Ph.D., P.E., who teaches about high-speed rail and project management. Kao holds a bachelor’s degree from National Taiwan University in civil engineering, a master’s degree in structural engineering from Rutgers University, and both a master’s and a Ph.D. in geotechnical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. He was a one-time student of former CEE faculty member Ralph Peck. Kao has spent his career working in railroad engineering and served as vice president of the Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corporation. In that capacity, he worked on all aspects of Taiwan’s high-speed rail project. Barkan and Kao began discussing the possibility of a high-speed rail class at Illinois, and Barkan saw the benefit of bringing Kao’s expertise to Illinois, particularly in the face of the country’s new momentum in high-speed rail.
談起全美第一門的高速鐵路課程,就不得不歸功於校友賴勇成博士,賴博士在伊利諾大學香檳分校求學時,也是軌道工程研究團隊重要的一員。賴博士現為臺大土木系的助理教授,回國後特別引薦 Barkan教授與同為臺大土木系的高聰忠教授結識。Barkan教授與高教授一見如故,同樣懷著對軌道教育的熱忱,Barkan教授力邀高教授赴美教授高速鐵路課程,Barkan教授認為高教授在高速鐵路的專業背景,將對美國發展高速鐵路有推波助瀾的效果。高教授畢業於臺大土木系後,便赴美取得羅格斯大學結構工程碩士學位與加州大學柏克萊分校大地工程碩士與博士學位。有趣的是,高教授曾經也上過一堂伊利諾大學 Ralph Peck教授的課程。目前,高教授在臺大主要教授的課程便是高速鐵路工程及專案管理。高教授先前曾擔任台灣高鐵副總經理一職,負責整個台灣高鐵計畫,對軌道工程各個部分有很深的著墨。

 

Professors T.C. Kao, left, and Chris Barkan discuss the high-speed rail course at Illinois while traveling on the Taiwan high-speed rail line. 高教授(左)與 Barkan教授於搭乘台灣高鐵的列車上,討論著高速鐵路課程

 

“Professor Kao has excellent academic credentials, and when you combine that with a lifetime of experience working in the rail industry, it’s a rare blend,” Barkan says. “He has seen every single aspect of the planning, design, construction and operation of a high-speed rail system. And this is coming through very nicely in the class. The Taiwan system is one of the newest in the world, so he’s got a very current understanding of the state of the art of high-speed rail. I’ll also add that he’s a fantastic teacher.” Barkan教授說到:「高教授同時具備對高速鐵路的學術涵養與實務經驗,能夠從他身上學習,是極為難能可貴的機會。高教授先前參與的台灣高鐵計畫,也是當今世上最先進的高速鐵路系統,高教授在高速鐵路的瞭解非常徹底,舉凡規劃、設計、興建、營運等,這豐富的實務經驗將有幸在伊利諾大學香檳分校完整重現。特別是高教授在教學的認真態度,真是個了不起的教師。」

 

Professors Chris Barkan, left, and T.C. Kao
Barkan教授(左)及高聰忠教授


Kao, who has written a book about his experiences bringing high-speed rail to Taiwan, was eager to share his passion for high-speed rail internationally.
同時,高教授將以出書的方式,分享參與台灣高鐵的經驗與對高速鐵路的熱情,給臺灣的社會大眾與全世界知道。

“The development of high-speed rail has pushed rail technology to new frontiers—the aerodynamic design of the train, the more powerful propulsion system, more energy-efficient braking system, the digital automatic train control system, the use of GSM [Global System for Mobile Communications] for data transmission, slab track which gives more track strength and stability with much less maintenance, disaster warning systems, innovative financial approaches,” Kao says. “And more technology development is under way. I think high-speed rail will bring a renaissance to passenger rail transportation in this country.”
高教授說到:「高速鐵路的發展已經將軌道科技推向一個全新的里程碑,高速鐵路系統有別於以往的設計-空氣動力學概念的列車、強有力的推進系統、高效能的煞車系統、數位控制系統、運用全球行動通訊系統進行資料傳輸、採用版式軌道來強化軌道強度與穩定度,並省下維護的人力物力、建立災害警報系統及革新的財務營運規劃。隨著高速鐵路的發展,更多的軌道科技研發,我相信高速鐵路將會為這個國家的旅客運輸業帶來復興的曙光。」

About 40 students are taking Kao’s course, which covers all aspects of a high-speed rail system from the technology behind it to operation and management, project planning, and project implementation.
目前有四十位學生正在修高教授的高速鐵路工程,這門課含括高速鐵路系統的各個組成,不僅是探討軌道科技的內容,從營運、管理、專案規劃到專案執行,也都會一一的在這堂課上進行深入的討論。

 

A Taiwan High-Speed Rail train
行駛中的台灣高鐵列車


Given the national interest in high-speed rail, Barkan, who chairs the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Rail Transportation Committee, thought the topic was a natural choice for the 2010 Joint Rail Conference, which is being cosponsored this year by ASCE, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, IEEE, the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association and the Transportation Research Board. This year, the conference will be hosted at the University of Illinois April 27-29 and is expected to draw several hundred attendees from industry, government and academia. Highlights include a session on the Asian high-speed rail experience with invited speakers from China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Another session will focus on the U.S. Department of Transportation High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program and will feature presentations by Mark Yachmetz, Associate Administrator for Railroad Development for the Federal Railroad Administration, and by others involved with that program.
鑒於高速鐵路獲得全國性的關注下,擔任美國土木工程學會軌道運輸委員會主席的 Barkan教授,認為高速鐵路將會是 2010年的軌道運輸研討會中的當然議題,今年的研討會將由伊利諾大學香檳分校作為東道主,並由美國土木工程學會、美國機械工程學會、美國電子電機工程師學會、美國鐵路工程與路線養護學會、美國運輸研究委員會共同主辦。研討會召開的這段時間 4/27-4/29,預估將有數百位來自國際上產官學界的專家到場進行經驗與技術交流。研討會也規劃了特別講座,進行的方式將邀請亞洲的中國、日本、韓國與臺灣的特邀講者,分享其參與高速鐵路的珍貴經驗。另一場特別講座,將由美國聯邦鐵路總署負責規劃鐵路發展的副署長 Mark Yachmetz進行專題演講,演講內容將會聚焦美國交通部提出的高速城際鐵路運輸計畫。

The topic is of particular interest in the state of Illinois, which will receive some of the stimulus money for development of a high-speed rail line between Chicago and St. Louis. The near-term plan in Illinois, Barkan says, is to upgrade the existing rail line to allow a maximum speed of 110 miles per hour. To achieve considerably higher speed would require a brand new system with its own, dedicated right-of-way. It would cost much more but enable trains to travel at 220 miles per hour, providing a competitive alternative to driving or air travel, he says.
因為高鐵路線經過芝加哥及聖路易斯的緣故,伊利諾州的軌道建設將有機會直接受惠。 Barkan教授說到:「伊利諾州的近程計畫,將現有的軌道路線提升到符合時速 110英里的要求。要能達到如此高速的要求,高鐵列車也需要有特別設計的專用軌道配合。這會是一筆龐大的公共建設支出,但會讓高鐵列車得以時速 220英里高速運行,與汽車或飛機相比,美國高鐵將是具有競爭力的替代交通方式。」

According to Kao, Taiwan’s high-speed rail system transports 100,000 passengers a day—people who would otherwise travel by car or plane, resulting in a much larger carbon footprint.  It’s a compelling idea for the United States and one whose time is coming quickly.
高教授說到:「世界各國對環保議題的重視,也是高速鐵路的一項優勢,台灣高鐵每日的旅客運量達十萬人次,與汽車或飛機相比,少了更多的二氧化碳排放量(碳足跡)。對美國亟需在環境保護的趨勢下有所作為,節能減碳的效果絕對是足以信服大眾的一大優勢。」

“I think this country needs it,” says Kao. “This country needs high-speed rail.”
高教授說到:「我認為高速鐵路帶來的種種好處,將是美國所需要的。我確信美國會需要高速鐵路建設。」