Public HealthTransportation PlanningUrban PlanningTransportTransport PlanningTransportationPublic TransitTransportation EconomicsTransportation SystemsUrban MobilityUrban TransportUrban TransportationHigh-speed RailHigh-speed Rail InfrastructurePopulation SizeRail Corridor PlanningRail CorridorsTransit Ridership DemandTransport Corridor AnalysisTransport Corridor Development
Defining the corridors in America that are most appropriate for high-speed rail service is critical to the long-term success of America’s high-speed rail program. This paper offers one mechanism for assessing which potential high-speed rail corridors will have the greatest ridership demand based on population size, economic activity, transit connections, existing travel markets and urban spatial form and density. The authors evaluate 27,000 city pairs in the nation to create an index of city pairs with the greatest demand for high-speed rail service. The paper provides a list of the top 50 city pairs, which are primarily concentrated in the Northeast, California, and the Midwest, and provides recommendations for phasing corridor development in the nation’s megaregions.