Show-Me Institute Study on High-Speed Rail
Today, we released a new study about the proposed high-speed rail corridor that, if constructed, would connect Saint Louis, Kansas City, and Chicago. The study was written by Randal O’Toole, one of the nation’s leading thinkers on transit and planning. Missourinet covered the study this morning, and I’d like to thank Combest for linking to it. Randal appeared on The McGraw Show this morning on KTRS, and I’ll put a link up to that interview when it gets put online. This afternoon at 2 p.m., Randal will be guesting on the Mark Reardon Show on KMOX, and I encourage you all to listen in.
Be sure also to read the briefing paper and the op-ed that go along with the full study.
Having had a recent experience of a comfortable, 140 minute train from downtown London to downtown Paris I wholeheartedly endorse this. I know of nobody that flies anymore between the 2 cities unless they have a very specific reason to do so. Key is, of course, to make the timetables work for the business commuter, who would hopefully be the major user and beneficiary. If the service is good enough and the timetables work the market will bear prices that deliver an economic return.
Comment by Mike — September 30, 2009 @ 7:58 a.m.
Insightful, but unintentionally funny comment, from Mike in England. It’s unintentionally funny because Randal’s paper clearly says that high-speed rail will offer convenient, but heavily subsidized, travel to the “bankers, lawyers, and bureaucrats” who work downtown and travel to other downtowns. So the 92% of Americans who don’t work downtown get to subsidize the high-earning 8% who do. Anyway, to have a banker say how great high-speed rail is so he can go from downtown London to downtown Paris quickly and easily sort of makes Randal’s point exactly. We won’t even get into the much higher populations of London and Paris than St. Louis and Kansas City. Also, when they built the “Chunnel” it probably was cost effective to include a rail line in it. But if you paid un unsubsidized price for that ticket I’ll eat my hat.
Thanks for the commentary, though. I’ll testify that the pro-rail comment above comes from someone who truly believes in and understands free markets. All sides always welcome here!
Comment by David Stokes — September 30, 2009 @ 11:52 a.m.