Economic Growth Impacts of Bay Area to Central Valley High-Speed Train
Cambridge Systematics and Economic Development Research Group, for the California High Speed Train Authority, 2007.

Legislative funders of high-speed rail in California are faced with the decision to fund all, part or none of a proposed high-speed rail link between Los Angeles and San Francisco. A contingency exists, now supported by newly published economic and environmental impact studies, to build part of the link between San Francisco and the Central Valley.

Two years after the 2005 release of the Tier 1 System-wide Environmental Impact Report (EIR), the California High-Speed Rail Authority released the Tier 2 EIR on the San Francisco Bay Area to Central Valley segment as an independent project. The economic analysis was conducted by Economic Development Research Group and Cambridge Systematics, based on a detailed accounting of expected changes in travel times, costs, reliability and access for train travelers, highway users and airline travelers.

The analysis for the San Francisco-Central Valley segment was conducted at a detailed spatial level using the TREDIS (Transportation Economic Development Impact System), which was selected for its enhanced capability to estimate net business attraction impacts of enhanced labor, business travel and tourism markets, as well as the more standard economic impacts of time and cost savings.

Bay Area to Central Valley Draft Program EIR/EIS – Vol.1, Ch.5 – Economic Growth and Related Impacts, California High-Speed Rail Authority, July 2007

Technical Report – Economic Growth Effects of Bay Area to Central Valley High Speed Train, by Cambridge Systematics, Economic Development Research Group and Michael Reilly, for the California High-Speed Rail Authority July 2007

Main page for all Tier 2, Bay Area to Central Valley Reports

Link to earlier economic impact studies for the statewide system

Final Program EIR / EIS

Bakersfield.com Editorial, August 2007