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Rethinking Low Speed Rail
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<p>[quote user="henry6"]</p> <p>Dave has an excellent point. It is easy to talk NY-Chicago as a non stop service...in the air. But it need not be on the ground. People in intermediate towns have to get somewhere, too, and need to be served. My concept of local districtes and a "main line" train servicing ony the end points of each district is much like what railroad used think, commuter services in this country often do, and European rail services strive for. It does take transets and people. Trainsets are equipment investments, real tangable assets, banks and bottom liners understand and embrace. People are a waste of money, labor, no tangable value, detracts from the bottom line, and therefore the cost that elminiates American business acumen from dealing with rail passenger service...service, not running trains. [/quote]</p> <p>Bottom liners (presumably you mean accountants and financial analysts) point out whether the users of a product or service pay for them. If they don't someone else has to tote the note, i.e. taxpayers, other product line users, etc.</p> <p>Bankers embrace investing in equipment only if they believe the buyer will be able to pay back the loan. Otherwise, no dice. Proponents of passenger rail, irrespective of location, are not able to get commercial loans because the bankers know that the users will not pay for it. This is why most projects are funded by governments or given a government guarantee.</p>
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