Getting America to Ride the High-Speed Rails

HNTB's America THINKS survey highlights public perspectives on high-speed
train travel

KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The romance of riding the rails may
be returning to America thanks to new federal funding and a public hungry for
ways to save time, money, the environment, and add a measure of convenience in
their hectic lives.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090407/CG95377)

According to a new study commissioned by HNTB Corporation, more than half of
Americans (54 percent) would choose modern high-speed trains over automobile
(33 percent) and air travel (13 percent) if fares and travel time were about
the same.

"Our country needs high-speed rail as part of a balanced transportation
system," said Peter Gertler, chair of the firm's high-speed rail practice. "It
has been the missing lynchpin in our national network. Without it, the whole
system is less effective."

Now is the time to act
High-speed rail is receiving renewed attention in this country due to a
variety of factors, including last year's spike in fuel prices, the passage of
a $10 billion bond measure in California last November to support the
development of a high-speed rail system there, and $8 billion this year for
high-speed rail in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Prominent
supporters from both political parties include President Barack Obama; Vice
President Joe Biden; Rep. Jim Oberstar, chair of the U.S. House of
Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; Rep. John Mica,
ranking Republican member of the committee; California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger; and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, who recently toured high-speed
rail systems in Spain.

The survey showed Americans would be most excited by the possibility of more
convenient travel (71 percent), less expensive fares (69 percent) and faster
trains (55 percent) with the introduction of high-speed rail in their region.

Gertler said educating people who haven't ridden high-speed trains remains a
priority. There were clear differences between experienced and nonexperienced
riders, including a much lower preference for traveling to large cities nearby
via car (41 percent versus 69 percent) and a higher expectation of
productivity when traveling high-speed rail on business (51 percent versus 38
percent). He added the fact that less than three in ten (29 percent) Americans
understand the environmental impact high-speed trains can have versus
traditional train travel - and high-speed rail's overall positive impact
versus other forms of transportation - emphasizes the need for a more informed
public.

"High-speed rail will benefit the country in a variety of ways, including
improved mobility, job creation, reduced usage of fossil fuel and fewer annual
greenhouse gas emissions," Gertler said. "High-speed trains use one-third as
much energy as comparable air travel and consume less than one-fifth as much
energy as driving. This is proven technology that America can adopt and
protect its status as a mobility super power."

Transforming transportation in America
High-speed trains operate significantly faster than traditional trains,
traveling from 110 mph to more than 200 mph. The highest-speed trains are
powered by electricity, but others run on diesel fuel. Currently, the only
operational high-speed rail system in the U.S. is the Acela Express, which
travels between Boston and Washington, DC, and achieves speeds up to 150 mph.

HNTB's research, the second in a series of "America THINKS" surveys, found
even greater acceptance of high-speed rail among the 18 percent of Americans
who have experienced such travel here or abroad. An overwhelming majority of
high-speed train travelers (82 percent) found it more enjoyable than plane
travel and slightly more than half (51 percent) said they would be most
productive on high-speed trains when traveling for business.

"For more than 40 years, with the exception of the Acela, the United States
has not been able to implement high-speed rail while other countries
developed, ran, and are retiring their first high-speed trains to museums,"
Gertler said. "Now with new funding and renewed vision, more Americans will be
able to appreciate the value of this transformative transportation
alternative."

Even among those who haven't traveled by high-speed rail, more respondents
said they would prefer traveling on such trains (22 percent) rather than by
plane (6 percent) or bus (3 percent) to the closest large city. Only
Americans' love affair with their cars provided a stronger pull (69 percent).

In fact, nearly half of the nation (49 percent) said the best benefit of
high-speed rail in their region would be the ability to travel more easily to
cities up to 400 miles away. Experts agree high-speed rail is best-suited for
journeys of 100-500 miles or 1 to 3 hours. The U.S. Federal Railroad
Administration has identified 10 such corridors as potential centers of
high-speed rail activity.

About the survey
HNTB's America THINKS survey polled a random nationwide sample of 1,007
Americans March 18-23, 2009. It was conducted by Kelton Research, which used
an e-mail invitation and online survey. Quotas were set to ensure reliable and
accurate representation of the total U.S. population ages 18 and over. The
margin of error is +/- 3.1 percent.

About HNTB Corporation
HNTB Corporation is an employee-owned infrastructure firm serving federal,
state, municipal, military and private clients. With nearly a century of
service, HNTB has the insight to understand the life cycle of infrastructure
and the perspective to solve the most complex technical, financial and
operational challenges. Professionals nationwide provide award-winning
planning, design, program management and construction management services. For
more information, visit www.hntb.com.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Additional Survey Results
-- Seven in ten (70 percent) think train travel in general would be more
appealing to Americans if it included more routes or cities in certain
regions.
-- A majority (56 percent) of Americans would be more apt to sign-up for
high-speed train travel if it was the most comfortable option.
-- Americans who live in urban areas are the biggest proponents of
improved
quality and comfort of train travel (65 percent) versus rural and
suburban dwellers (57 percent).
-- Nearly a third (31 percent) place job creation at the top of their
lists
benefits from high-speed rail coming to their region.
-- Women would be more excited than men about the environmental benefits
of
high-speed rail in their area (45 percent versus 41 percent) while
more
men would appreciate faster trains (62 percent versus 50 percent.)

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link.
Peter Gertler
http://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=87447

SOURCE HNTB Corporation

John O'Connell of HNTB public relations, +1-816-527-2383, joconnell@hntb.com