Air Quality Benefits and Reduced Dependency on Fossil Fuels

The California High Speed Train (HST) System will be an essential component of helping California meet the greenhouse gas emission requirements set forth in the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32). It will also provide a transportation alternative that will not rely on oil for power—giving California travelers another transportation option should fuel and airline prices continue to rise.

Comparing the energy required by each mode to carry a passenger 1 mile, a California HST needs only about one-third of the energy required by an airplane and roughly one-fifth of the energy required by a commuter automobile trip. Comparing the pollutant burden generated by each mode to carry a passenger 1 mile, a HST generates approximately less than one-tenth of the pollutants (excluding carbon dioxide CO₂) that would be generated by an airplane or by a commuter automobile trip. The representative base HST forecast for the statewide system would result in a reduction of 5.8 million barrels of oil and 6.8 billion pounds of CO₂ emissions annually by 2030.¹ Upon implementation of the CHSRA Board’s adopted policy goal of using 100% renewable energy sources, the total estimated reduction in fossil fuel energy resources for HST would be 12.7 million barrels of oil, as well as reducing 12 billion pounds of CO₂ emissions annually by 2030.².

Diversions from automobile travel to HST could lead to a projected 2.3% statewide reduction in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on the highway system, with VMT reductions of between 1.75% in the Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties) and 8.0% in the Southern Central Valley (San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Kern and Kings Counties)¹.

The Climate Change Scoping Plan produced by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) (pursuant to AB 32) includes the HST system as one of the state’s fundamental strategies in meeting the 2020 emissions reduction goals. By 2020, the HST system is expected to have just started operations between San Francisco and Anaheim and is estimated to be only at 26% of the full ridership levels--resulting in a reduction of one million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent. You can download the CARB Scoping Plan.

Notes

1 ADDENDUM/ERRATA to Final Program EIR/EIS for the Bay Area to Central Valley Portion of the CHST System.

2 Navigant Report: Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report to CHSRA Board.