Even though federally constructed railroad goes against everything I believe in, I think the recently announced high-speed rail network could be kind of neat. I’m not even skeptical given that Chicago is a major hub. I mean, I’m sure they chose it because it’s centrally located in the United States, and not for any other reason.

If the Government™ is going to construct and run this rail, I’m sure it’ll never get done. Just think of the environmental impact studies required for a network of this size! If the Government™ just bids out the money to companies, they’re going to do what I understand other government contractors do – bid a horribly low bid, and then have tons of cost overruns, and then maybe provide a Springfield-style monorail.

I like the idea of high-speed rail, especially near urban centers, though. I like that it could lower pollution and commuting time, if the meme can be spread that it is reliable, relatively quick, and relatively inexpensive. Unfortunately, since there’s no natural market for it and the government is kind of pushing it on the regions, I’m sure it won’t be but one of the three. I don’t think people will give up their cars, unless they eventually pass a law that requires people to drive less, California style – which wouldn’t surprise me. Would it surprise you? If there was a market for this kind of transportation, wouldn’t you think the pursuit would have started already?

My old townhouse in Virginia backed up to a Virginia Railway Express (VRE) station. I long toyed with the idea of taking a route of train and subway to commute to work. However, even with government subsidies meant to encourage ridership and alleviate traffic, it was more expensive to use mass transit than it was for me to drive, park, and maintain my car. I really wanted to take the train, but it just wasn’t financially smart. I see many people making the same judgments.

It’s just an unfortunate mix. There will be money (huzzah, stimulus!) to build the rail, but there will not be enough money to actually run and maintain it. The government can only subsidize so much (see:Amtrak) before the market is going to have to start kicking in money via paying customers.