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DreyfusshudsonYour proposal for improving rail service in the U.S. is one of the more thoughtful ones that I have seen.  It begs two points.How will it be funded?  U.S. debt stands at $9.4 trillion, which is approximately $90,000 for every American household.  On top of this most taxpayers carry mortgage debt, consumer debt, credit card debt, state debt, and local debt.  And this is before the unfunded liabilities for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.  When these are added to the debt burden, the total liability is an average of $440,000 per household, according to David Walker, Comptroller of the Currency.  Given these numbers, urging a significant spend in public monies to fund an expansion of passenger rail, without a game plan to pay for it does not seem like a good way to go. The Passenger Rail Working Group estimated that it would cost $252 billion to implement its vision for expanded passenger rail in the U.S.  It did not propose a detailed plan for funding it.  According to Amtrak's president, it would cost $24 to $40 million per mile to build high speed rail in the United States.  And this excludes real estate acquisition costs.  Sixty billion would fund approximately 1,875 miles of high speed rail.  Of course, if lower speeds were accepted, one would get considerably more miles of what I call rapid rail.  I live just north of Austin.  I have been a Texan for more years than I care to remember.  But I am familiar with the Lone Star state.  Rail could be competitive between Fort Worth and San Antonio (centre to centre), as an example, but it would require a hefty investment in new right-of-way, equipment, and station facilities.  Unfortunately, most Texans don't live downtown.  In fact, most of them don't work downtown.  And although the pattern is changing somewhat, most people will continue to live in the suburbs.  Thus, if rail is to grab a significant portion of the corridor population, it would have to add suburban stops in Benbrook, Georgetown, Round Rock, San Marcos, and North San Antonio.  These stops would likely lengthen the schedule considerably.
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