Are Trains Safer Than Planes?

Seminar | October 26 | 4-5 p.m. | 534 Davis Hall

Speaker/Performer: Arnold Barnett, PhD, George Eastman Professor of Management Science and Professor of Statistics, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Sponsor: Institute of Transportation Studies

We discuss the mortality risk of passenger rail travel around the world, and compare risk levels with the corresponding levels for passenger air travel. We consider the decade before 9/11 and the decade following it, and distinguish between deaths caused by accidents and those cause by criminal/terrorist acts. We explore several specific questions, including whether there is an argument related to safety for building a high-speed rail network linking Northern and Southern California. Some of the findings might surprise you.

Event Contact: its.fridayseminar@gmail.com