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 Reason's Ted Balaker discusses transportation solutions on CNNfn.
"Robert Poole of the Reason Foundation is the expert on transportation issues of all kinds, from light rail to highways." - Orange County Register
"As cost-effective alternatives to rail projects, the Reason Foundation advocates bus rapid transit systems and special high-occupancy/toll freeway lanes…"
- San Diego Union-Tribune
The Impact of Rail on Transit Ridership
Rail fails to justify its cost
A new Reason-American Dream Coalition study shows that over the past two decades, transit ridership has declined in 13 of 23 U.S. regions that have rail transit, despite big money projects and large subsidies. Although rail transit carries only 36 percent of transit trips, it consumes 66 percent of transit capital funds. Light rail is particularly wasteful, producing only 3.6 percent of transit trips yet consuming 12 percent of transit capital funds. The report states "transit's fundamental problem is that Congress has given transit agencies incentives to overspend on high cost transit systems rather than to provide the most efficient transit service to the industry’s core market of low-income and other transit-dependent people."
» Full Study: Rail Disasters 2005 (.pdf)
» Full Study: Rail Disasters 2004 (.pdf)
Rail's Miserable Performance
Should Give Pause, Not Hope
Light rail projects usually come in over budget and fail to produce the predicted ridership numbers. Portland, Oregon, hailed as rail's only success story, leads the nation with a light rail system that accounts for 0.76 percent of travel. In Houston, attracting a new rider to the Main Street rail line costs nearly 10 times as much as attracting a new rider to bus service. As three North Carolina areas consider rail, a Reason study finds commuters care more about getting to work or to an appointment quickly and conveniently, and less about how this goal is achieved. In other words, commuters value end results. If a transportation system is to truly emphasize results, it must be measured by objective performance standards. When that happens, rail fails to measure up.
» Study: Light Rail's Past Performance vs. Future Hopes (.pdf)
» Study: The Impact of Rail Transit on Urban Livability (.pdf)
» Privatization Watch: Surface Transportation Issue
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Rail Disasters 2005
June 2005
By Randal O'Toole
» Full Study (.pdf)
Past Performance vs. Future Hopes: Will Urban Rail Improve Mobility in North Carolina?
June 2004
By Ted Balaker
» Full Study (.pdf)
» Policy Summary
Great Rail Disasters: The Impact of Rail Transit on Urban Livability
February 2004
By Randal O'Toole
» Full Study (.pdf)
San Jose Demonstrates the Limits of Urban Growth Boundaries and Urban Rail
March 2003
By Randal O'Toole
» Full Study (.pdf)
Busway vs. Rail Capacity: Separating Myth from Fact
February 2002
By Peter Samuel
» Full Brief (.pdf)
Does Transit Really Work? Thoughts on the Weyrich/Lind "Conservative Reappraisal"
September 1999
By Peter Gordon
» Full Text (html)
Urban Transit Myths: Misperceptions About Transit and American Mobility
September 1998
By Randal O'Toole
» Full Study (html)
Myths of Light Rail Transit
September 1998
By James V. DeLong
» Full Study (html)
More Light Rail Studies
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Transit Subsidies Not Cost-Effective
Rail subsidies drain coffers, harm poor
July 17, 2005 | Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Ted Balaker, Reason
» Full Text
Rail Systems Don't Stay on Track
Hyped ridership figures contradicted by facts
July 11, 2005 | Orange County Register
By Ted Balaker, Reason
» Full Text
Rail Isn't Worth the Wait
Hawaii has better options
February 15, 2005 | Reason.org
By Ted Balaker, Reason
» Full Text
Carolina Officials Intrigued by San Diego's Rail
High cost, low ridership shouldn't be admired
January 27, 2005 | News & Observer
By Ted Balaker, Reason
» Full Text
Why Light Rail Is Wrong for Tampa
Light rail fails across the country
January 16, 2005 | Tampa Tribune
By Harry E. Teasley, Jr., Reason
» Full Text
Strange Thing About Light Rail
No matter how much it fails, politicians want more
July 14, 2004 | Orange County Register
By Ted Balaker, Reason
» Full Text
End of the Line for River Line Rail
Estimates that Line is worst in country
May 21, 2004 | Reason.org
By Owen Courreges, Reason
» Full Text
More Light Rail Op-Eds and Commentaries
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