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[quote user="zinker"] <blockquote> <div><img src="/trccs/Themes/trc/images/icon-quote.gif" /> YoHo1975:</div> <div></div> So the argument is based on usage. That is I suppose valid, but then the next question I ask is, what percentage of users need to benefit to justify the cost? Is there a hard number? Seems kinda wishy washy to me.  ... I would also argue there are Social benefits to the nation as a whole that come from a HSR system and every portion of the system built applies to those benefits. So, I'd argue that people will benefit indirectly from projects built not int heir district or locale.  <div style="clear:both;"></div>   </blockquote> Even the people who would not use an HSR system would benefit from it, at least indirectly. How will highway users benefit from HSR? The people who are using HSR will not be on the roads, clogging them with more traffic, creating more wear and tear on them, spewing more pollution, and burning precious fossil fuels. Based on that, a subsidy for HSR may well be justified since we will all benefit from it in some way. <div style="clear:both;"></div> [/quote] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">That would indeed be a benefit to everybody who uses roads even if they do not use HSR.  But the question is, how much benefit for how much cost?  Certainly, a $500-billion HSR system will reduce the use of highways, and thus lower their cost of maintenance and construction.  But, what would be the result if we took the $500-billion and put it into better roads? <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">For that matter, we could pay people to not drive in order to encourage less use of the roads.  There is plenty of driving that is not essential, and could therefore be eliminated.  I suspect that paying people to not use the roads would do more to reduce the road maintenance cost and congestion than building an HSR system to accomplish the same thing. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">And when you mention the benefit of HSR reducing the use of fossil fuel, that won’t happen unless the power comes from renewable energy sources.  Otherwise, HSR will be coal-fired trains for the most part.
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