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ChaffordLooking at the big picture is not a finance plan.  There is a 'question' whether the United States can afford to build or rebuild its passenger rail network.  Many politicians and rail advocates don't seem to worry about how to pay for it.  But many economists, financial experts and accountants, including the Comptroller of the Currency, believe there is a financing problem.  The loaming financial problems for the U.S. are a pending train wreck.  The scenarios for avoiding it are not pretty, although they are straight forward.  The U.S. can implement a steep increase in taxes, one that could throttle the U.S. economy, to cover the federal debt burden, or it can slash Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, amongst other things, or it can opt for a combination.If there is a market for expanded passenger rail, there is a way to finance it.  Private enterprise!  As soon as the free market pencil pushers see that there is money in passenger rail, they will sign-up in droves.  Unfortunately, it not likely to happen in the near future, because the market for generating suitable returns is not there.   Rail in short, high density corridorsl, as well as expanded bus service, is a suitable alternative for short haul air service.  And given  the abundance of coal, as well as the potential for more nuclear power in the U.S., electrification of the rail lines may be feasible, although it is cost prohibitive now.The Energy Information Administration projects that the U.S. will have decreased it dependence on petroleum based fuels by 15 per cent by 2020.  How?  By switching to alternative fuels.  GM will introduce an electric car by 2010.  So will Nissan and Honda.  At first they will be short range vehicles, but as the technology improves, as it surely will, they will improve.  Moreover, several months ago the U.S. Air Force tested a B-52 powered by bio-fuels.  According to the press release that I read, it was successful.  There is even a good probability that airplanes will be powered by alternative fuels.Many rail advocates seem to think that the way we do things now is the way that they will be done in the future, i.e. power cars, airplanes, etc.  The history of technology does not support this view.
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