Comments on: Show-Me Institute Study on High-Speed Rail http://www.showmedaily.org/2009/09/study-on-high-speed-rail.html Advancing liberty with responsibility by promoting market solutions for Missouri public policy Thu, 24 May 2012 06:15:06 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: David Stokes http://www.showmedaily.org/2009/09/study-on-high-speed-rail.html/comment-page-1#comment-3685 David Stokes Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:52:06 +0000 http://www.showmedaily.org/?p=7269#comment-3685 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! 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!

]]> By: Mike http://www.showmedaily.org/2009/09/study-on-high-speed-rail.html/comment-page-1#comment-3683 Mike Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:58:12 +0000 http://www.showmedaily.org/?p=7269#comment-3683 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. 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.

]]>