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Commuter rail in Montana?
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Progressives are very high on light rail, commuter rail, and a host of other lifestyle changes that come under the banner of New Urbanism. These transit alternatives don’t have to make economic sense. They are a green fashion statement made by people who often use the word, sustainable. <br /> <br />The city of Minneapolis has just spent $250 million for a study on the feasibility of bringing back the streetcar system. I don’t mean light rail. We are talking streetcars on many of the city streets replacing the buses. City leaders want to get people out of their cars and into transit, so they want people to live next to transit routes. They reason that streetcar tracks appear as a symbol of a permanent route, whereas buses have no such symbol of their permanence. And the sense of permanence is key to comfort people into the commitment of building and living along the route. <br /> <br />Montana or any other under-populated red state is about the last place I would expect rail transit to take hold, but if the area in question is populated by a bunch of Hollywood types, it makes perfect sense. As far as paying for it, they are always mostly paid for by the people who don’t use them. And it’s not just the cost of construction and capital equipment that needs to be paid for. There is also a huge cost of operation. <br />
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