Feasibility and Sustainability of the California High Speed Rail Project’s Economic and Environmental Policies ABSTRACT California high-speed rail is being planned, designed, built and also operated by the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to connect mega-regions of San Francisco and Los Angeles and contribute to economic development and a cleaner environment along with preserving the agricultural and other protected lands in the state. The phase 1 work is well under way completing the selection of an alignment, ridership estimation and documenting the policies. The feasibility study of the future rail system for potential high speed being built with billions of dollars is very useful in identifying the strengths and weaknesses …show more content…
It is the largest and highly advanced high speed rail system being built in the nation. The high-speed rail line linking San Francisco and Los Angeles is the biggest and most ambitious infrastructure project of the century. It will run at speeds of 220 miles an hour and connects the two areas in about two and a half hours. This travel time is nearly half the time taken to travel by car. The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) is given the responsibility to plan, design, build and operate the California High Speed Rail System. The system is expected to begin services by the end of the year 2029. Phase 1 is planned to connect San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Anaheim through the Central Valley. The total distance covered is 520 miles (840 km) long. The system will then be extended in second phase of construction to Sacramento and San Diego. This would increase the total length of the project to 800 miles with 24 …show more content…
Also the flight route connecting the two major cities Los Angeles to San Francisco is said to be the busiest short-haul market within USA. There are nearly 5 million passengers traveling annually in this route by hundreds of flights each day. The chances of these flights being delayed is as high as 25%. The high speed rail is considered the best possible solution to save this huge losses. The construction of the California High Speed Rail in the state will create 450,000 permanent jobs. The 2012 Economic Impact Analysis Report by Parson Brinkerhoff also indicated economic benefits to the state from high-speed rail. The Amtrak 's high-speed rail project, Acela Express can be used as an example from USA to show the generation of an operating surplus. This surplus is being used to cover operating expenses of other lines. This project undoubtedly is going to have a significant impact on the economic development in the region and job