Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Measuring The Economic Impact Of High Speed Rail Construction For California And The Central Valley Region, Hilary Nixon, Matthew Holian, John Niles, J. M. Pogodzinski

Mineta Transportation Institute

The nation’s first high-speed rail project is under construction in California’s Central Valley as of the date of this report. This research analyzes the immediate economic impacts, focused on employment and spending generated by California High-Speed Rail (HSR) Construction Package 1 (CP1) in the Central Valley and the rest of California. The authors use a two-pronged approach that combines original economic analysis and modeling with case study vignettes that explore the economic impacts through the lens of a sample of businesses and individuals directly impacted by this phase of HSR development. Overall, the economic analysis suggests that CP1-related spending (forecasted …