Cleaner Air and Less Sprawl Trains use much less energy and cause less air pollution per passenger than cars or planes. Downtown train stations will encourage development in city and town centers, counteracting suburban sprawl. Less need for new highways and airports. Paris' Saint-Lazare train station handles 2.5 times as many passengers as Chicago's O'Hare airport, using only a fraction of the space. New Jobs and Economic Growth 15,000 jobs during construction, and 2,000 permanent jobs during operation.
Stations become magnets for economic development.
Promotes tourism and intra-regional economy. Once built, high-speed rail in the Midwest will pay for itself.