01557522

Component

Transportation planners in the Midwest are advancing an agenda for high-speed rail while simultaneously investing in numerous corridors. Resources have been spread out over a variety of routes on account of political boundaries, the differing goals of government agencies, and other factors. To assist in establishing priorities, this paper compares the size of the travel markets in seven Midwestern corridors. Using a technique known as the gravity model, it demonstrates that the corridors linking Chicago to Cincinnati and Detroit likely exceed the others on the basis of total passenger traffic, and, along with the Chicago – Twin Cities route, generate the greatest passenger-miles of travel. The routes to Cleveland, Grand Rapids, and St. Louis compare less favorably on account of their relatively small intermediate cities. Although the approach considers only a few variables, it provides a valuable framework for helping prioritize the region’s rail-passenger goals.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AR010 Intercity Passenger Rail.

01550057

15-4929

English

15p

2015

Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Appendices; Figures; References; Tables

Gravity models; High speed rail; Markets; Passenger traffic; Transportation corridors

Chicago (Illinois); Cincinnati (Ohio); Cleveland (Ohio); Detroit (Michigan); Grand Rapids (Michigan); Midwestern States; Saint Louis (Missouri); Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (Minnesota)

Planning and Forecasting; Railroads; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2015 Paper #15-4929

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Dec 30 2014 1:39PM