The 30-year discounted present value of passenger system revenues was estimated between $0.7
billion and $1.4 billion. Freight revenues contribute an additional $.24 billion, while the present
value of consumer surplus was projected in the range of $0.66 billion to $1.4 billion. Within the
public benefits category, the present value of highway congestion savings is expected in the
range of $0.31 to $0.55 billion, and airport congestion savings are forecast to be between $15
million and $22 million. Air congestion estimates are based solely on rail ridership estimates
and, in the context of a reliever airport, are likely to prove highly conservative, as they do not
account for capacity limitations at the Twin Cities airport. The estimated emission savings range
between $35.3 million and $129 million, while air carrier operating savings are estimated to be
between $9 million and $14 million. This estimated air operator savings is also highly
conservative in light of possible capacity limitations at the Twin Cities airport. The total present
value benefits range from $2.1 billion for the 150+ mph American Flyer technology to almost $4
billion for the Maglev train. Exhibit 7.6 summarizes the present value of the benefits.