2018 Theses Master's

The Limitation of Multi-criteria Feasibility Evaluations in High-Speed Rail Projects in the US

Zhang, Kaiqi

Though the United States has proposed several high-speed rail (HSR) lines, the current number of completed high-speed rail lines in the US is still zero. Feasibility evaluations for each proposal have been done, but each project has been stopped. California high-speed rail is under construction, but Northeast Corridor was held off. If the feasibility studies show that the project is feasible, why one is happening but the other one is not? What’s the role of feasibility studies in decision making process? What may happen within the decision-making process to make one project stop? It is useful to research the limitations of multi-criteria feasibility evaluations in HSR projects from California HSR and the Northeast Corridor as representative mass transportation projects, as well as considering how politics influence HSR decision-making. The research results will benefit professional planners who use feasibility studies to support decisionmaking, as well as scholars who prepare feasibility studies.