Air, high-speed rail, or highway: A cost comparison in the California corridor

This study evaluates the full cost of three modes of intercity transportati on: air, highway, and high-speed rail for the California corridor, connecti ng the Los Angeles basin and the San Francisco Bay Area in order to compare the economic implications of investment in, or expansion of, any of these three modes. This study presents estimates of four types of external, socia l costs: accidents, congestion, noise, and air pollution. Based on the resu lts, it is concluded that the full cost of air transportation for the Calif ornia corridor [$0.1315 per passenger-kilometer traveled (pkt)] is signific antly less costly than the other two modes. High-speed rail and highway tra nsportation have approximately the same full cost; rail costs $0.2350/pkt a nd highway costs $0.2302/pkt, However, the modes have a different distribut ion of internal and external costs; automobiles have the highest external c osts, while high-speed rail has the highest internal costs.