The report examines the economic and environmental impacts of investing public money in High-Speed Rail (HSR) infrastructure. The authors argue that the key question is whether society is willing to pay the opportunity cost of HSR, which is context-specific. The report considers the costs and benefits of HSR, including its impact on the environment, noise, land use, and intermodal effects. The authors also discuss the role of pricing policy in determining the economic viability of HSR. The report concludes that the challenge is to determine whether the benefits of HSR are valued highly enough to justify the investment costs.
