APTA is home to the legacy members of the former High-Speed Ground Transportation Association (HSGTA) and the leading proponents and developers of high-speed passenger rail systems in the United States. In 2006, HSGTA elected to merge with the American Public Transportation Association, combining their expertise and reputation of HSGTA with the resources and legislative capacity of APTA to realize the vision of high speed rail in the United States.
APTA High-Speed Rail Resources
July 2012
This paper addresses the initial investment and on-going cost of operation and maintenance of high-performance passenger rail (HPPR) in four of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) sanctioned HPPR regional networks – Northeast, Chicago Hub, California, and Northwest – over a 40 year period. The system can generate a net benefit of at least $660 million annually. If the nation should forgo this opportunity, it stands to sustain a cost of at least $26.4 billion in foregone economic benefits over the next four decades.
July 2012
High-speed rail is critical to America’s economic future. Congestion on our highways and runways already costs $130 billion a year, and our population is expected to grow by another 100 million people in the next 40 years. That is the key rationale behind the Obama Administration’s more than $10 billion investment in high-speed and passenger rail projects across the country.
May 2012
The results of a national survey that show that nearly two-thirds of Americans are interested in traveling by high-speed rail and the figure soars to 74 percent among those in the 18-24 age brackets.
Released January 2012
This report is the summary of extensive research that examined the criticism that has been leveled over the past three years at the national efforts to improve intercity passenger rail and introduce true high-speed passenger rail in the United States. The report defines eight broad categories of criticism of high-speed rail and offers several counterarguments to each.
Definitions of categories of high-speed rail are presented with a history of federal laws supporting high-speed rail. Historical and projected growth trends of passenger trips, vehicles, and agencies for all types passenger rail are calculated. High-speed rail policy, plan, and need statements from APTA and other organizations are described. Summaries of research detailing high-speed rail land use impact, energy use and emissions reduction, and economic benefits are presented.
FRA Grant Criteria and APTA Comments
- Capital Assistance for High-Speed Rail Corridors and Intercity Passenger Rail Service
- Funding Availability - 6/23/09
Past Events
- APTA High-Speed and Intercity Rail Committee
Sunday, June 6, 2010, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. in Vancouver, British Columbia.
- APTA/UIC International Practicum on Implementing High-Speed Rail in the US
February 8-13, 2010, in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California.