California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) released „Rail and the California Economy” , a research report investigating how the state’s vast passenger and freight rail system contributes to California’s economy, as well as an overview of opportunities for rail to address the state’s needs and challenges in the future.
The report also supports the „California Transportation Plan 2040” and „California State Rail Plan”.
Over USD 400 billion of United States imports moved through California in 2015. That’s about 18% of the national total, and 75% of containerised goods leaving the U.S. were transported by rail. Without rail service to and from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, container flows through these ports would be reduced by 39%, while port truck traffic would increase by 44%.
In addition to freight rail, passenger rail plays a huge role in the state’s economy. The LOSSAN passenger corridor, which is under Amtrak and runs from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, has a positive economic effect on the Southern California region by stimulating growth in terms of residential, industrial and commercial development. Many different LOSSAN-corridor towns have utilized their existing stations as anchors for new transit-oriented development, and catalyst for economic development of their communities.
Regional commuter rail can also generate beneficial economic impacts by providing savings for its passengers, and reduce congestion and travel time for travelers on other modes.
“Rail is a fundamental component of our transport system that plays a strategic role in meeting California’s transport needs. California’s population is projected to grow by 21 million by 2050 so efficient movement of freight and people, while assuring safety and meeting air-quality goals, will continue to be our focus as we move forward with our plan”, Malcolm Dougherty, Director, Caltrans mentioned.
Caltrain system is one of the busiest regional rail service in the country, operating along a 77-mile corridor that extends from San Francisco, through Silicon Valley to San Jose. At the height of the peak commute, there are six trains per hour, each accommodating 1,000 passengers, which correlates to a network capacity of over 4,500 people per hour in each direction. This is the equivalent of adding an additional freeway with two lanes in each direction.
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