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Passengers trains have value anywhere where the cost of expanding the highways and airways is prohibitive, i.e. high density corridors.   In Texas the I-35 corridor is shaping up as a high density corridor that could support quick, frequent, comfortable, passenger rail service, although it would require a significant investment to make it feasible.  A 110 to 125 mph train along the I-35 corridor would be able to service Fort Worth, Cleburne, Waco, Temple, Austin, San Marcos, and San Antonio.  This makes more sense to me than a high speed choo choo between Dallas and Houston that does not serve any intermediate points. The long distance trains make no sense.  They are not a serious transportation option in Texas. They could go away tomorrow, and very few people would even know that they are gone. They are just throwing good money after bad. The Texas Eagle, prior to the Great Recession, ran so late, as a rule, that those of us who rode it joked that we would not get to San Antonio before the bars closed.  With the coming of the Great Recession, however, the on-time performance improved.  The reason is clear.  Freight traffic diminished in response to the downturn in the economy.  Now, of course, the economy has come back.  And so too has the freight traffic. And the Eagle is again running late more often than not. Most people that I know realize that  motor vehicle accidents happen, and there are costs associated with them.  However, you reference does not include an estimated cost to Medicare and Medicaid, which was one of your estimates, if I remember correctly.  This appears to be the operative paragraph: "The economic toll of motor vehicle crashes is borne by society through a variety of payment mechanisms. The most common of these are private insurance plans such as Blue Cross-Blue Shield, HMOs, commercial insurance policies, or worker’s compensation. Medicare is the primary payer for people over the age of 65. When these sources are not available, government programs such as Medicaid may provide coverage for those who meet eligibility requirements. Expenses not covered by private or governmental sources must be paid out-of-pocket by individuals, or absorbed as losses by health care providers." The only group that does not pay insurance premiums would be Medicaid recipients.  Otherwise, even for Medicare, the people pay insurance premiums to cover potential accident costs.  Moreover, your numbers are from 2000.  That's 14 years ago. I did not read the entire document; I don't have time to wade through data that is 14 years old. Driving is getting safer.  It is not more dangerous, although the raw numbers may make it appear to be so. According to Table 2-17: Motor Vehicle Safety Data, National Transportation Statistics, On-Line Edition, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles in 1960 was 5.06.  In 2011 it was 1.10.  The rate for injured persons, which first shows up in 1990, was 151.  By 2011 it had dropped to 75.  Lastly, the crash rate, which again first shows up in 1990, was 302, but by 2011 it had dropped to 181. When adjusted for constant dollars, I suspect that it is possible that the impact cost of motor vehicle accidents is less than it was in 2000, although I admit that I don't have any data to support this notion. When making longitudinal comparisons, one has to factor into the cost equations quality impacts, i.e. better treatment options with higher price tags, which is very difficult to pull off. Contrary to what most of us who like trains believe or would like to believe, most Americans are not going to give up the convenience and comfort of a personal vehicle for a seat on a public transport vehicle, i.e. bus, commuter train, intercity trains, etc., unless there are clear time, cost, and personal value benefits associated with doing so.
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