This study will examine U.S. regional intercity passenger transportation, with a focus on markets for which there are potentially multiple modal options with distances in the range of 100 to 500 miles. Consideration will be given to travel by personal automobile, airplane, motor coach, and train, including attention to opportunities and challenges for service by high-speed and conventional passenger rail, curbside bus, and future modes of travel made available by emerging system technologies.

The study will describe U.S. intercity travel markets, including mode share for tripmaking, geographic patterns (e.g., coast, regional corridors), traveler characteristics (e.g., party size and household income), and trip characteristics (e.g., duration, distance).

In examining market demand, the committee will compile available information on factors that influence travel choices, such as service, price, accessibility, convenience, comfort, frequency, reliability, safety, and travel time. To the extent possible, this information will be interpreted with respect to traveler demographics and how they are expected to change over time.

In examining transportation supply, the study will draw upon experience in the United States and other industrialized nations with respect to factors such as modal competition and cooperation, service cost and revenues, funding requirements, and alternative institutional and financing mechanisms, including public-private partnerships. The study will also consider the physical condition, structure, and capacity of transportation networks.

The study will assess future travel markets and potential mixes of services to meet the demand for short-haul intercity passenger transportation. The committee will examine policy and planning issues that arise in public debates concerning the provision of transportation services. The report will offer guidance to policymakers where warranted to inform these debates, acknowledging areas of uncertainty and identifying those that may be addressed through further research.