Providing commercial and economic support for the California High-Speed Rail

California is in the early stages of implementing a high-speed rail program that will transform mobility and regional economies across the state. With the new service, rail travel times between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the state’s two largest economic hubs, will be cut from over 10 hours today to 2.5 hours. The program also has the potential to generate wide-reaching economic benefits, both during and after implementation.

How we helped

Our project team is providing commercial, economic, and rail operations capabilities to the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Steer collaborates across program functions to embed robust commercial and business case analysis into the Authority’s decision-making processes, playing a key role in its Business Oversight Committee. We have provided commercial advice on the procurement of key program components, including track, systems, and rolling stock. Steer has also advised the Authority on international precedents for the commercial arrangements at stations to inform their ancillary revenue forecasts and delivery approach. Recently, our team has been working in conjunction with the Authority’s Business and Economics Division to evaluate the program’s broader impacts through rigorous analyses of regional economic and Authority expenditure data.

Successes and outcomes

Our work across various key program areas has helped the Authority advance the program through several stages of early implementation. Furthermore, our economic analysis work in particular has demonstrated how investment in the program can create value beyond the program itself, helping Californians across the state realize the potential for it to deliver transformative mobility, economic, and quality of life impacts.