UC Irvine report predicts high-speed rail line would create jobs and boost L.A.-Orange County economy
The proposal to build a high-speed rail system in California has the potential to create more than 127,000 permanent jobs in the Los Angeles-Orange County area by 2035 and contribute to the economic revitalization of the region, according to a new study by UC Irvine.
“Cities with a high-speed rail station will grow and transition into hubs of commerce,” said Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle, who is also chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. “This report is a reminder that high-speed rail can provide communities tremendous opportunities to reinvent themselves, and prosper in the process.”
The study by UCI’s Institute for Transportation Studies was released Thursday during a conference at Brandman University in Irvine, where more than 100 elected officials, business leaders, transportation experts and academics gathered to discuss the project’s potential effects in the region.
The event was sponsored by the Orange County Transportation Assn., Veolia Transportation, HDR Engineering, NRG Energy West and the Center for Urban Infrastructure at Brandman, which is part of the Chapman University system based in Orange.
As proposed, the high-speed rail system would run 800 miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco with links to Anaheim, Sacramento and San Diego. Plans call for one of the initial phases to be built between Los Angeles and Anaheim.
“Cities with a high-speed rail station will grow and transition into hubs of commerce,” said Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle, who is also chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. “This report is a reminder that high-speed rail can provide communities tremendous opportunities to reinvent themselves, and prosper in the process.”
The study by UCI’s Institute for Transportation Studies was released Thursday during a conference at Brandman University in Irvine, where more than 100 elected officials, business leaders, transportation experts and academics gathered to discuss the project’s potential effects in the region.
The event was sponsored by the Orange County Transportation Assn., Veolia Transportation, HDR Engineering, NRG Energy West and the Center for Urban Infrastructure at Brandman, which is part of the Chapman University system based in Orange.
As proposed, the high-speed rail system would run 800 miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco with links to Anaheim, Sacramento and San Diego. Plans call for one of the initial phases to be built between Los Angeles and Anaheim.
During construction, the report states, the Anaheim to Los Angeles segment would provide more than $700 million in wages for workers who would have otherwise been unemployed. The study estimates that the project would create more than 57,000 fulltime construction jobs that would last a year.
By 2035, the reports states, the enhanced transportation network and increased mobility created by high-speed rail would attract more than 127,000 permanent jobs to the region. Cities with stations, researchers said, would use high-speed rail as a focal point for new commercial and residential projects, so-called transit-oriented development.
In addition, researchers concluded that by 2035 high-speed rail would prevent the release of about half a billion pounds of greenhouse gases annually as travelers increasingly rely on trains instead of their cars.
The study, however, assumes that the local segment would use an exclusive right of way, a costly approach that would require viaducts, elevated structures and the condemnation of hundreds of homes and businesses. It is estimated to cost at least $4.5 billion.
Now under consideration by high-speed rail officials is a lower-cost alternative to share the existing tracks between Los Angeles and Anaheim with Metrolink, Amtrak and freight railroads, an approach that could save almost $2 billion. If the shared-use concept is adopted, the economic benefits might be substantially less.
-- Dan Weikel
By 2035, the reports states, the enhanced transportation network and increased mobility created by high-speed rail would attract more than 127,000 permanent jobs to the region. Cities with stations, researchers said, would use high-speed rail as a focal point for new commercial and residential projects, so-called transit-oriented development.
In addition, researchers concluded that by 2035 high-speed rail would prevent the release of about half a billion pounds of greenhouse gases annually as travelers increasingly rely on trains instead of their cars.
The study, however, assumes that the local segment would use an exclusive right of way, a costly approach that would require viaducts, elevated structures and the condemnation of hundreds of homes and businesses. It is estimated to cost at least $4.5 billion.
Now under consideration by high-speed rail officials is a lower-cost alternative to share the existing tracks between Los Angeles and Anaheim with Metrolink, Amtrak and freight railroads, an approach that could save almost $2 billion. If the shared-use concept is adopted, the economic benefits might be substantially less.
-- Dan Weikel
Either plan is bad if the railroad safety regulations are not changed and agencies such as MTA and Metrolink are to operate more unsafe systems. Presently they can't safely run their existing systems safely. Why would anyone think that they can operate a more complicated high-speed rail any better? Before building anymore railroad systems, laws need to be strengthened so crossings are safer, operating procedures are better (no texting) and as a system is built, safety doesn't take a back seat to expediency.
Posted by: Jim Osborn | August 27, 2010 at 04:21 AM
Public transportation is the perfect prescription for the ailing US economy. It creates both short-term and long-term jobs across the economic spectrum. From entry-level construction jobs to engineers, trains, and other forms of public transport, create lasting economic benefits. Improved public transport also helps bring in tourist dollars and revive urban centers. Public transport is exactly what the US economy needs right now. Public works helped bring us out of the Great Depression and Public *transport* can help bring us out of this one. Support public transport in your area. Visit www.transportationequity.org and find a TEN affiliate in your area.
Posted by: Davin | August 27, 2010 at 08:10 AM
"During construction, the report states, the Anaheim to Los Angeles segment would provide more than $700 million in wages for workers who would have otherwise been unemployed." Really ?!?!? These workers would be otherwise unemployed? The study assumes that there would be no other economic activity during this period? That the money spent on high speed rail constrcution couldn't be used elsewhere in the economy? What bunk!
Every projection done on behalf of justifying high speed systems in the US has overestimted the benefits and underestimated the cost. This is just another self serving study in the same genre.
Posted by: Chuck | August 27, 2010 at 09:51 AM
Responding to Chuck's point above, the report calculates the direct regional income benefit that Southern California would receive from employing workers in the construction industry who would have otherwise been unemployed during this period. In a deep recession, this benefit will make an enormous difference to the overall economy. The study does not address the benefits of using these dollars elsewhere; however, infrastructure is a proven way to generate jobs and to promote long-term productivity, with nearly 20,000 jobs created for every $1b of investment.
Posted by: Adam | August 30, 2010 at 09:32 AM