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This supporter of properly regulated, competitive markets, has a slightly different perspective, although I don't disagree with the idea of the government owning and/or paying for the rail infrastructure and the users paying for the operating costs through the farebox. Without government support most of the nation's transport infrastructure would not have been built. The key question, then, is how to pay for it?  The best answer, from my perspective, is for the users to cover all of the costs. This includes highway users, airways users, waterways users, etc. It means eliminating all subsidies, requiring the users of each mode to pay their proportional share of the operating and capital costs. If this model were implemented, passenger rail probably could be a winner in relatively short, high density corridors. Subsidies hide the true cost of goods and services, thereby frequently motivating buyers to sub-optimize the use of them. Because Americans have not seen the true cost of driving at pump, they have opted for gas guzzling SUVs and pick-ups, long distance commutes, and under utilization of alternative modes of transport, all of which are examples of outcomes when people don't see the true cost at the price point.  The problem with government involvement in transport projects is politics. The federal transportation bill is a big opportunity for the politicians to bring home the pork. They are not likely to give it up. As a result, a significant amount of money is wasted on marginal transport projects. Here are three examples:  U.S. 87 from Eden, TX to San Angelo, TX is a four lane highway with light traffic through the middle of nowhere. The Georgetown, TX airport has a control tower that is staffed from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. It handles very few flights. Amtrak runs the Cardinal, which should be re-named the Senator Byrd Express, loses heaps of money. It was included in Amtrak's schedule because of pressure from the late Senator Byrd. There are many more examples like these.
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