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[quote user="Juniperhouse"] How much should we charge for gasoline?  How much should we charge for roads? How do we charge for roads, especially if alternative fuels or energy sources arrive, and you have vehicles such as electric cars that do not burn gasoline (no gas tax, but use road capacity)?  If we charged as much as we should for roads, what difference would it make not only for passenger trains, but for local transit such as trolley lines?  [/quote] Clearly, fuel taxes do not cover the total cost of driving.  Accordingly, motorists don't know how much it really costs them.  If they did they would probably modify their behavior, i.e. drive more fuel efficient vehicles, use public transport, etc., where the cost of expanding the highways and airways is prohibitive or the hassles associated with driving to work are too great. Your numbers are reasonably accurate.  For example, in 2007 $34.5 billion was transferred from the General Fund to the Highway Trust Fund.  But on a per mile basis the federal subsidy received by motorists was approximately .0138 cents per mile compared to 24.45 cents per mile for Amtrak's passengers.  The numbers were even worse for commuter and light rail.  The key is cost per mile, which is an indictor of utility, as opposed to gross figures, which are useless for comparison purposes. In Texas, where I live, state fuel taxes pay for most of the state highway system, although in a convoluted way.  The country roads, as well as 90 per cent of the cost of most city streets, are funded by property taxes, which are paid by practically all of the state's motorists.  In addition, over the past decade, the state has turned increasingly to toll roads because the gasoline tax has not been sufficient to cover the cost of building the roadways the state needs.  According to the late Texas Transportation Commissioner, Texas would have to increase the gasoline tax to $1.40 per gallon to meet Texas' road needs without resorting to toll roads.  This translates into 6.2 cents per mile for a typical personal vehicle in Texas.  When added to the federal gasoline tax, plus the federal subsidy, the fuel tax for the feds and state would be 7.0338 cents per mile.  Assuming that the per mile cost of county roads and city streets doubles the per mile cost, the total would be 14.0676 per mile, which is considerably below the per mile subsidy for Amtrak.  Translated back to gallons, the fuel tax in Texas would be approximately $3.17 per gallon.  Adding it to the current price of a gallon of regular gasoline in Texas would bring the total to approximately $4.87 cents, which is well short of $6 to $8 per gallon.  Many supporters of expanded rail (intercity, commuter, and light), including yours truly where practicable, argue that rail would be more viable if the true cost of gasoline was passed on to motorists in the price of fuel at the pump.  However, the argument misses two key important points. When gasoline goes above a yet to be fully known threshold, the manufactures will rush to alternative fuel vehicles, and the cost of petroleum will become less important.  We are seeing the makings of that move now as a result of $4 gas this summer.  The other point is more subjective, but very import to consider.  The average American, except for those in a few of the country's largest cities, will not give up their car to sit on a crowded train, next to a person who bathes once a week and is jabbering on a cell phone while munching on a Twinkie.  It is simply not going to happen.
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