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A statewide high-speed rail system in California would attract up to 104 percent more passengers and generate up to 170 percent more revenue than originally projected, according to a study recently conducted by transportation consulting firm Cambridge Systematics.

Presented earlier this week to the California High Speed Rail Authority board, the study projects ridership could total between 86 million and 117 million passengers and revenue, between $2.6 billion and $3.9 billion annually by 2030. The high-speed rail authority’s 2000 business plan projected ridership to total 68 million and revenue, $1.8 billion by 2020. The updated forecast factors in rising automobile use, increasing auto and air travel costs, and a high-speed rail link to Orange County.

The proposed 700-mile California high-speed rail system calls for operating trains up to 220 mph between the Bay Area and southern California.