You, I, and most Americans know that passenger rail service died out in the 1960s. Only little boys who like playing with toy trains, fools, and liberals believe that passenger trains can be resurrected from the dead, becoming profitable and taking their place as a large part of the nation's transportation network.
So what is Joe Biden doing proposing that we spend $8.2 billion on 10 passenger rail projects around the country?
It's not that trains aren't really cool and can be a pleasant way to travel. It's that without huge subsidies, no one could afford to ride. And even with those subsidies, Amtrak, the nation's only national rail carrier, loses a billion dollars a year,
It's not just Amtrak. Municipal rail systems in big cities are losing money hand over fist. A Brookings Institute study found on average, commuter rail systems lose about $1 for every passenger trip.
The federal government has invested billions in a high-speed rail system in California. It's already years behind schedule and monstrously over budget. The new funding will be spent on 10 rail projects, including $3.5 billion for a Las Vegas line running from Sin City to just outside of Los Angeles. The administration predicts one million passengers a year.
But that's still not enough. There are going to be subsidies for that rail line too. Will the subsidies make the train fares low enough to attract riders?
"New all-electric trainsets will produce zero emissions and be powered by 100% renewable energy," per the White House.
Meanwhile: The investment will also support improved train infrastructure in North Carolina, the Washington, D.C. area, Chicago, Pennsylvania and more.
Yes, and: Amtrak and Texas Central (another private high-speed rail company) are exploring a partnership around Houston-Dallas service.
New Amtrak service connecting Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati is also on the table, as is a line connecting Scranton and New York City.
The point that advocates of passenger rail service make is that Europe is far ahead of the U.S. in fast, reliable, and comfortable passenger train service, and if Europe can do it, why not the U.S.?
Americans prefer speed. The most profitable train routes in the U.S. are Amtrak lines in the Northeast corridor where it's quicker to hop on a train and go from New York to Boston than it is to deal with traffic and airport nightmares.
None of the proposed passenger rail expenditures would cut time from a plane trip.
Other passenger rail projects that will receive funding include a Los Angeles-San Francisco train that will reach 220 miles per hour, a rail expansion between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia, and other upgrades in Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana and other states.
There is a years-long lag time between the projects' funding and their completion. But Biden administration officials hope the president's spotlight — and resulting union jobs from the construction — will help boost public support for Mr. Biden's economic policies. A CBS News poll last month found Americans believe their finances would be better off if former President Trump were elected over Mr. Biden in 2024.
Consider that planes are major climate villains and that trains are far more carbon-friendly. Eventually, we'll be crowding into these subsidized trains because our options will have disappeared.
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