With “Amtrak Joe” Biden in the White House and the Democrats’ takeover of Congress, high-speed train advocates gleefully anticipate federal funding for a true high-speed rail system. Before Congress approves such funding, however, it should ask hard questions including: How much will it cost? Who will pay for it? And how many will actually use it?
Such questions are particularly pertinent considering how poorly the last high-speed rail spending spree worked out. In 2009 and 2010, the Obama administration gave $11.5 billion to states for high-speed rail projects. While only the California project was expected to produce trains faster than 150 miles per hour, the other projects were supposed to increase frequencies and speeds in nine corridors.
Ten years later, only one corridor has seen an increase in frequencies, by two trains a day. Three corridors saw speeds increase by an average of 2.3 miles per hour. Speeds actually declined by an average of 1.1 miles per hour in three other corridors. Four corridors saw no changes at all. Basically, the $11.5 billion was wasted.
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