What is the cost of not building the high-speed train system?
The estimated $82 billion ($2003) needed to expand our highways and airports to meet a similar demand expected to be carried by the high-speed train system is a very conservative figure. The analysis behind this conclusion was part of the Authoritys certified Statewide Program EIR/EIS, and was extensively peer reviewed by other agencies, organizations, and the public. A critical part of the Authoritys and Federal Railroad Administrations (FRAs) Statewide Program EIR/EIS document (certified November 2005) was the development of a Modal Alternative to compare against the High-Speed Train Alternative and the No Project Alternative. The Modal Alternative consists of hypothetical future expansions of highways and airports serving the same geographic areas as the proposed high-speed train system. The Modal Alternative was developed to provide equivalent capacity to serve the representative demand for intercity travel that was derived from ridership forecasts for the high-speed train system o
