Report Quantifies the Potential Benefits of High-Speed Rail

A new report from the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) calculates the potential economic and environmental benefits of expanding high-speed rail (HSR) in the United States.

According to an article in Mass Transit, these benefits include “job growth and increased economic activity, creation of an entirely new domestic manufacturing base, station area development and improved regional connectivity and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and better land use.”

For example, “The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) estimates high-speed rail has generated an estimated 74,000 to 80,000 jobs per year, $5.6 billion to $6 billion in labor income and $15 billion to $16 billion in economic output between 2006 and 2022.” The rail manufacturing industry also supports roughly 90,000 U.S. jobs as of 2015.

Expanding HSR could also connect megaregions, create more opportunities for housing and employment, and reduce vehicle miles driven and greenhouse gas emissions. “One study found it would cost an estimated $122-199 billion to provide the equivalent highway and airport capacity that the San Francisco to Los Angeles high-speed rail network would provide.”