Record Flight Delays in the U.S.: Forbes Suggests High-Speed Rail for Solutions

Record Flight Delays in the U.S. Due to Worsening Weather

Forbes reported on November 11, 2023, that the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics has recorded over a million flight arrival delays this year, accounting for about 23% of all flights, the highest rate in a decade. The media outlet attributed this surge in chaos to worsening weather conditions associated with the climate crisis.

Zhenhua Chen, a professor of urban planning at Ohio State University, quotes Federal Aviation Administration data stating that about 75% of U.S. flight delays are weather-related, with severe thunderstorms and heat causing significant issues this summer.

Chen, who has conducted extensive research on weather’s impact on planes and trains, found that in regions like China, Europe, and Japan, where high-speed trains connect major cities, these trains enable travelers to complete short and medium-distance trips when bad weather disrupts flights.

Lack of High-Speed Trains in the U.S. Has Economic Implications

He argued that the lack of such alternatives in the U.S. has economic implications. Having extensively studied how adverse weather affects plane and rail travel in China, he emphasized that if the U.S. does not build a high-speed rail system, there will be opportunity costs, leading to losses in corporate productivity.

Paul Williams, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Reading in the UK, revealed in a study published in June 2023 that the surge in clear-air turbulence is particularly noticeable in the busy flight areas of the U.S. and the North Atlantic region. Researchers also found that such incidents increased by 55% between 1979 and 2020.

Global Expansion of High-Speed Train Networks

Sixty years after Japan introduced the Shinkansen, high-speed trains traveling over 186 miles (300 kph) per hour operated in Germany, France, South Korea, Taiwan, and others. China has a network spanning over 26,000 miles (about 42,000 km). Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia also plan to introduce high-speed trains.

However, there are none in the U.S. where high-speed trains seem to be more needed. This month, the Biden administration spent US$16.4 billion on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor to increase the speed of the Acela train operating from Boston to New York and Washington from 150 mph to 160 mph (about 240 – 260 kph). California’s US$105 billion high-speed system (pictured above) and the Brightline West, a private high-speed train connecting the outskirts of Las Vegas and Los Angeles, are each hoping for federal subsidies for their US$2.8 billion and US$3.75 billion projects this year.

European Approach: Bans on Short Flights and Energy Conservation

California and Brightline are promoting their train plans as low-carbon transportation options, planning to operate electric trains using primarily renewable power. According to data collected by British and European researchers, the CO2 emissions of the Eurostar running from Paris to London are only 4g/km per passenger.

In contrast, the average domestic flight in Europe emits 246g/km per passenger. There is no clear path to decarbonize the aviation industry, which accounts for 3% of total U.S. carbon emissions. Chen revealed that a typical U.S. domestic flight uses up to 10,000 gallons of fuel, so the U.S.’s 40,000 daily flights consume about 400 million gallons of jet fuel.

Some European countries have banned air travel for distances that trains can cover in less than two and a half hours, which is worth noting. The opinion that railways and apartments are better for energy conservation and environmental protection is gaining strength.