Re:U.S. Passenger Rail Ridership (2013)
by rayiner on Sunday December 07, 2014 @06:03PM
(#8713969)
They shouldn't. The DC-NY route generates an operational surplus, and the states along the route should shoulder the capital costs by issuing bonds, they way they do for any other infrastructure project.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Re:U.S. Passenger Rail Ridership (2013)
by waterlesscloud on Sunday December 07, 2014 @07:02PM
(#8714195)
So all the federal dollars should come out of supporting it? I guess then we'd learn what the subsidies really are.
The northeast corridor has a major capital expenditure backlog due to years of poor financing, about $21 billion. On an ongoing basis, the required capex is probably about a billion a year, about half of which can be paid by operational surpluses. The rest should be borne by a group of states, the same way NY/NJ/CT maintain the commuter and airport infrastructure in those states.