California High-Speed Rail - Benefits

Benefits

The 2012 Revised Business Plan estimates that the first segment's construction will "generate 100,000 job-years of employment over five years," with the Phase 1 system requiring 990,000 job-years over 15 years, averaging 66,000 annually. In 2009, the CHSRA projected that construction of the system will create 450,000 permanent jobs through the new commuters that will use the system, and that the Los Angeles-San Francisco route will generate a net operating revenue of $2.23 billion by 2023, consistent with the experience of other high-speed intercity operations around the world. Even Amtrak's semi-high-speed Acela Express service generates an operating surplus that is used to cover operating expenses of other lines. Generally fast trains are more profitable than slow trains since shorter travel time reduces staff costs and customers are willing to pay higher ticket prices for shorter travel times.

Since the trains will be completely grade-separated, there is no threat of interfering with automobile and pedestrian traffic. The project also involves grade-separation for existing rail lines with which it will share rights-of-way along part of its length, further improving safety on these lines and eliminating car traffic delays.(p. 2-7)

Since high-speed trains based on fossil-fuel electricity generation use one-third the energy of airplanes per person and a fifth of that used by cars with one person, California High-Speed Rail will eliminate 12 billion pounds (5.5 million tonnes) of greenhouse gas emissions each year by reducing passenger car and airplane use. This is the equivalent of removing more than one million vehicles from the state's roads and freeways. It will lessen California's dependence on foreign oil by up to 12.7 million barrels per year.

The CHSRA projects that the system will "alleviate the need to spend more than $100 billion to build 3,000 miles (4,800 km) of new freeway, five airport runways, and 90 departure gates."