Here is why government should get out of the passenger train business:
A drive from Tampa, Fla., to Orlando, Fla., takes about 80 minutes. But nearly $1.3 billion in federal “stimulus” money is helping build a high-speed train between the two cities. So instead of 80 minutes by car, travelers can make the trip about 25 minutes faster by train.
That’s spending a lot of money and saving very little time.
Of course, the train will not deposit travelers at the front doors of their particular destinations, so they will need a rental car or public transportation once they arrive in either Tampa or Orlando. As The New York Times put it, “(T)ravelers may discover that they have taken a fast train to a slow bus.”
The result: You might not save any time by taking the “high-speed” train versus driving yourself. The trip could even wind up taking longer, and it would require you to meet the railroad’s schedule rather than set your own. And all that hassle and inconvenience will come with a $1.3 billion bill to taxpayers.
Add to that the decades of cost overruns by the federally run, unpopular Amtrak rail service – which has never broken even but has consumed billions in taxpayer subsidies.
Isn’t it clear that Washington has no business running railroads?