- U.S. Department of Transportation, 1997

• According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), the SEHSR will provide economic and transportation benefits to both the Northeast and Southeast states since it "would increase traffic levels on the Northeast Corridor itself, thus creating synergistic ridership, revenue, expense and income effects" throughout the two regions.
• These synergies are due to the large number of passengers who will use trains traveling from SEHSR communities to destinations in the Northeast Corridor. In fact, a majority of the passengers traveling on SEHSR trains will begin or end their journeys in the Northeast Corridor (Figure 1).

  Figure 1: Composition of Corridor Traffic (Passenger Miles, Year 2020)

   

Source: USDOT

• In the USDOT's landmark report, High Speed Ground Transportation for America, SEHSR was given a "specialized analysis" and "afforded exceptional treatment" because of its extraordinary potential for commercial success. According to the report:
  • As an extension of the NEC, SEHSR will "generate more revenue than any other" proposed rail corridor in the nation. 

  • SEHSR has a ratio of public benefits against public costs 27 times larger than any other proposed corridor. 
  • SEHSR will generate $2.54 in benefits to the nation for every one dollar spent to build and operate it. 
  • SEHSR is the only corridor projected to cover its total costs from system revenues (Figure 2). 
  • SEHSR will generate revenues in excess of operating costs of at least $58 million by 2020, producing an operating cost recovery ratio of 184 percent.

    Figure 2:

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