Cost Benefit Analysis of Washington-Richmond High-Speed Rail

Cost Benefit Analysis of Washington-Richmond High-Speed Rail Spring 2010
Contents
Executive Summary.......................................................................................................................................6
1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................................................8
2. High-Speed Rail Policy.............................................................................................................................10
4
2.1 High-Speed Rail Grant Selection by Obama Administration.............................................................12
3. Current Conditions..................................................................................................................................13
3.1 Existing Study Scope .........................................................................................................................13
3.2. Existing Operating Conditions..........................................................................................................15
3.3 Commuting Conditions ....................................................................................................................17
3.4 Environmental Conditions ................................................................................................................22
3.5 Future Considerations.......................................................................................................................23
4. What is a Cost-Benefit Analysis?.............................................................................................................24
4.1 Cost Benefit Analysis vs. Economic Impact Analysis.........................................................................25
4.2 Affected Population ..........................................................................................................................26
4.3 Discounting .......................................................................................................................................26
5. Project Costs ...........................................................................................................................................29
5.1 Background .......................................................................................................................................30
5.2 Infrastructure Cost............................................................................................................................30
5.3 Operating Costs.................................................................................................................................32
5.4 Rolling Stock......................................................................................................................................36
5.5 Additional Items of Note...................................................................................................................37
6. Travel Demand Model.............................................................................................................................39
6.1 Forecasting Background....................................................................................................................39
6.2 Ridership Forecasts...........................................................................................................................39