Question

Case study: Impact of infrastructure system.

Topic chosen : japan bullet train ( shinkansen )

what is the Impact of infrastructure system on a society.

Recognize the need and engage in the civil engineering life-long learning process.

Select these three to use it in the report:

1-The natural environment.

2-Economic considerations.

3-Impact due to failure.

Answer 1

Effects of Shinkansen on Economy

The shinkansen has diverse effects on the external economy including the spill over effect of construction expenditure during construction (short-term), reduction in travel times, introduction of private investment and creation of employment due to influx of new industries and enterprises in areas along lines, and increased sightseeing and recreation demands. Thus, the shinkansen contributes to the development of local economies. Studies are in progress to quantify these effects. The following sections give some concrete examples.

Benefits due reduced travel time

The method used most often to quantify the effect of rapid transport on the social economy is to convert the time saving compared with conventional transport into money. If 85% of the total passengers on the present four shinkansen lines shifted from conventional lines, the annual time saving calculated from the difference in schedule times between the shinkansen and conventional lines is approximately 400 million hours.

A. Increase in employment and industrial shipments

the change in employment and production in industrial fields, while Table 6 shows the change in employment and sales in commercial fields. After the station opened, production and sales show a remarkable increase.

B. Increase in number of tourists and conferences

Two city hotels and three business hotels have already opened around the station to accommodate the ever-increasing number of tourists visiting nearby golf courses and other recreational facilities. Another advantage of Kakegawa City is its mid-way location between Tokyo and Osaka. This makes it a convenient site for national symposiums and conferences which are greatly changing the outlook of the citizens.

C. Culture

Before the opening of the shinkansen station, the citizens of Kakegawa City had hardly any chance to experience the culture of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and other metropolises. Now, the shinkansen offers them easy access to concerts, exhibitions, theatres, etc., enabling them to lead fuller lives.

Energy efficiency

The trend in energy consumption categorized by three fields: industrial, non-industrial and transportation. In 1990, the transportation share formed about 25% of the total energy consumption of Japan. Compared with 1973, the industrial field has greatly reduced energy consumption due to changes in the industrial structure and energy-saving efforts, despite great increases in shipments. On the other hand, the transportation field has greatly increased energy consumption by about 170%.

Transportation depends largely (about 98%) on oil. (Japan average: 61%). Therefore, energy saving in transportation is very urgent.

Air pollution and shinkansen

Compared with other means of transport, the shinkansen hardly emits any CO₂, NOx and other harmful gases. Although the shinkansen has an 80% share of the total transportation volume between Tokyo and Osaka, the amount of CO₂ per unit transport volume produced directly by the shinkansen is only about 16% that of a passenger car (Table 9). If the Tokaido Shinkansen had not been constructed, about 15,000 tons more CO₂ would have been emitted in 1985. This corresponds to the annual amount of CO₂ emitted by industry in and around Tokyo.

Environmental impact

Bullet trains fuel real-estate booms, improve quality of life, reduce air pollution and traffic congestion, and provide a “safety valve” for crowded cities, especially in the developing world.

High environmental costs To meet the strict environmental standards, cost for sound barriers and ballast mats, etc., tend to be high.

Limits to development are likely to be economic and environmental rather than technical however. Building of new lines continues and other projects are under consideration, but with the most clear-cut markets already served by Shinkansen, it seems likely that concentrating on improving local access to the existing infrastructure may appear a better return on investment.

Impact due to failure.

climatological threats (including natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes, heavy snowfall, or extensive fires);

geological threats (e.g., earthquakes, volcanic activity, landslides);

biological threats (e.g., pandemics);

technological threats (including technological emergencies such as radiation emergencies, hazardous chemical spills, flooding caused by damage to hydraulic structures, widespread disruptions to engineering networks, public water supply emergencies or major road, rail, or air traffic accidents); and

criminal threats (e.g., terrorism, criminal activity, armed conflicts).

Conclusion

The shinkansen has been greatly influenced by Japanese geography and society. It has also had a great effect on Japan's business, economy, society, environment and culture. These effects result from the superiority of the shinkansen over other means of transportation in terms of speed, safety, punctuality, etc.