Who Pays for Rail?
While the city and county of Honolulu pushes on with its plan for taxpayer-funded rail, it’s worth noting that other countries, with rail systems we’re told we’re ought to admire and emulate, have found other ways to pay for it. Namely, private investment. For instance, this interview, mainly concerning a Pittsburgh, PA, rail project, points out that Tokyo’s impressive subway system is run at a profit by a private company. Even European governments from Sweden to Germany have been privatizing their bus and commuter rail systems. Apparently, even the world’s most socialized governments are realizing that—surprise!—private enterprise spends money more efficiently than government bureaucrats.
