1. 1 Where High-Sped Rail Works Best Petra Todorovich Director, America 2050 Megaregions + MetroProsperity Sustainable Economics for the Texas Triangle Megaregion September 24, 2009 Houston, Texas

2. 2 What does FRA consider HSR? HSR – Express Frequent, express service between major population centers 200 – 600 miles apart Top speeds of at least 150 mph, grade-separated, dedicated ROW. HSR – Regional Relatively frequent service between population centers 100-500 miles apart. Top speeds 110 – 150 mph, grade separated, some dedicated some shared track. Emerging HSR Developing corridors of 100-500 miles, with strong potential for future HSR. Top speeds 90-110 mph on primarily shared track. Conventional Rail Top speeds up to 79 (possibly 90) mph on shared track. Intended to provide travel options and develop rail market.

3. 3 FRA’s Evaluation Criteria Public Return on Investment Transportation Benefits Ridership/passenger miles / OTP / delay data Reduced trip time / additional service frequency Impact on highway / air congestion / avoidance of alternative investment Support of Network integration / capacity Economic Recovery Benefits Promote expansion of business opportunities & short and long term job creation Other Public Benefits Environmental quality / energy efficiency / promotion of livable communities Project Success Factors Project Management Approach Quality of project management plan Applicants technical capacity and experience Thoroughness of cost methodology / assumptions Sustainability of Benefits Quality financial plan / revenue and operating forecasts Comprehensiveness of agreements with operators and host railroads Other Attributes Timeliness of Project Completion Readiness of project to be commenced, timeliness of completion and realizations

4. 4 Included all cities 50,000 or greater

5. 5 27,000 city pairs – 100-500 Miles Apart

6. 6 Criteria Used Population Distance Transit connections Economic productivity Congestion In a megaregion

7. 7 Criterion 1: Population

8. 8 Criterion 2: Distance

9. 9 Criterion 3: Rail Transit Connections New York Chicago Houston Miami San Diego Salt Lake City 50 Miles

10. 10 Study Favors Cities with high per capita GDP Per Capita GDP San Francisco: $69,000 Washington DC: $69,000 Boston: $61,000 Criterion 4: Economic Productivity

11. 11 Criterion 5: Congestion

12. 12 Criterion 6: Megaregion

13. 13 Index Results and Scores RankCorridor ScoreRankCorridor Score 1New York-Washington100.0026Detroit-Washington87.27 2Philadelphia-Washington98.2427Cleveland-New York87.25 3Boston-New York97.2228Philadelphia-Pittsburgh87.23 4Baltimore-New York96.8329Portland-Seattle87.19 5Los Angeles-San Francisco96.4330Pittsburgh-Washington86.69 6Boston-Philadelphia96.0531Los Angeles-Sacramento86.58 7Los Angeles-San Diego94.9232New York-Providence86.58 8Los Angeles-San Jose94.1933Raleigh-Washington86.36 9Boston-Washington92.7934Detroit-Philadelphia86.30 10Dallas-Houston91.3735Chicago-Louisville86.25 11Chicago-Detroit91.0936Hartford-Philadelphia86.20 12Baltimore-Boston90.3937San Diego-San Jose86.14 13Chicago-Columbus89.4238Hartford-Washington86.13 14Chicago-Saint Louis89.2539Chicago-Cincinnati86.02 15Los Angeles-Phoenix89.0340Cleveland-Philadelphia85.99 16Chicago-Cleveland88.7141Charlotte-Philadelphia85.60 17Charlotte-Washington88.3942Philadelphia-Raleigh85.58 18San Diego-San Francisco88.3243Buffalo-New York85.58 19Columbus-Washington88.2144New York-Virginia Beach85.52 20Cleveland-Washington88.1345Austin-Dallas85.47 21New York-Pittsburgh88.0346Manchester-New York85.41 22Phoenix-San Diego87.9747Philadelphia-Providence85.36 23Las Vegas-Los Angeles87.7948Bridgeport-Philadelphia85.31 24Detroit-New York87.4749Columbus-Philadelphia85.24 25Chicago-Minneapolis87.3350New York-Rochester85.11

14. 14 Not Included: Existing Air Market

15. 15 Not Included: International Cities

16. 16 Not Included: Intermediate Stops

17. 17 HSR Phasing Plan: Phase 1

18. 18 HSR Phasing Plan: Phase 2

19. 19 HSR Phasing Plan: Phase 3

20. 20 Trans-American Passenger Network

21. 21 Long Term Commitment

22. 22 www.America2050.org www.rpa.org