Community Impact
Local business benefits: Folks who travel by train may travel to or from a community where they’re likely to use a taxi, rent a car, stay at a hotel, eat at a restaurant, go to a concert, attend a sporting event, and do some shopping. And while this may vary from city to city, these streams of revenue are of great benefit to many. See our section on Economic/Business impact for more detail.
New station development: Anywhere a train stops the community will need (and want) to improve their stations. And station development leads to more employment, new construction jobs, increased property values, new development of land adjacent to the station, and an increased local tax base. All of the above are often grouped together and referred to as Transit Oriented Development, or TOD.
Passenger Rail Impact: Research indicates that local communities currently providing passenger rail are realizing a revenue benefit of $62 million annually. This economic boost is in addition to benefits such as highway congestion relief, improved air quality, better energy conversation, and increased safety.