Economic benefits of high-speed rail

Yet one more public works project that's supposed to deliver tens of thousands of new jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy - some day. No, it's not 30-10, the mayor's plan to build a Westside subway extension in 10 years rather than 30. It's the California High-Speed Rail project that will run from L.A. to SF in two-and-a-half hours. A new study prepared by folks from Brandman University and UC Irvine lays out the economic possibilities. It was presented today at a conference of transportation experts. From OC Metro:

"This report is a timely reminder about what high-speed rail will do to provide jobs and economic opportunity here in Orange County and throughout the region," said Tom Umberg, vice chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. "This project will grow our economy, and create new opportunities - and new customers - for businesses large and small."

There are, however, plenty of doubters about whether the project can generate as many passengers as planners are forecasting. Also, there are concerns about the eventual price tag being much higher than expected. Here's the report.