The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) partnered with the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to release a new a guide for evaluating the return on investment (ROI) for both high-speed and conventional intercity passenger rail corridor projects.

The guide, Assessing the Business Case ROI for Intercity Passenger Rail Corridor Investment, gives guidance to cities, metropolitan agencies, state DOTs, and federal agencies. It provides a common methodology to measure public benefits and assess return on ROI.

“America has an opportunity to build a high-performance rail network to position us to overcome our economic challenges and compete in the global marketplace in the coming years,” said Paul P. Skoutelas, APTA president/CEO.

When examining intercity rail development, these requirements are different from aviation and road investment:

• Requirements for right-of-way, stations, and station area access involving multiple communities, and broader areas that may span multiple states

• Requirements for rolling stock operated by a dedicated service franchise agreement

• Concentration of traveler activity at station stops in intermediate cities, as well as endpoints

• Requirements for supporting feeder transportation services connecting with HS&IPR stations

The guide can help decide how public agencies can participate in supporting and enabling high speed rail and intercity passenger rail projects.