Government is unlikely to be running trains in the future, but government sure has to regulate passenger trains.
There was 200 people crowded into the hall at the Midwest High Speed Rail annual meeting in Chicago this month. The highlight of the day was the train executive from Brightline, the private sector train that will begin operations in just a few months from Miami to West Palm Beach, eventually going to Orlando and then Tampa, connecting the state of Florida by rail.
We were actually cheering the guy. It is very exciting. And then I knew it was coming, I just didn't want to hear it yet, the executive said, "This is not public transit. We will be charging market prices." Meaning, no poor people, no working class people going to work on the train. If the train is filling up, the price for a seat will skyrocket.
The private sector will run the passenger trains. But here's one reason Government should own the tracks: so Government can regulate train fares, schedules and routes so they serve everyone in society.
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