Posted Jul 20, 2022, 4:07 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NYC/Polanco, DF
Posts: 30,550
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IMO the U.S. issue with rail funding is the bizarre funding formulas, largely unrelated to demand and ridership.
Most rail ridership in the U.S. is in the NYC area. I believe something like 75% of heavy rail ridership is in the NY area. Yeah, the region gets more funding than most areas, but it gets far, far less than the proportionate ridership. It historically gets like 20% of the funds, when it carries 75% of the ridership, which leads to weird pork projects like random U.S. trolley or commuter rail systems in metros that generate near-zero ridership. But it's good for ribbon-cuttings and platitudes about regional mobility, equity and clean air. It's how you get commuter rail in Albuquerque, or light rail in Norfolk.
But in competitor nations, the transit funds go to transit riders. French rail funds primarily go to Paris, Spanish rail funds primarily go to Madrid and Barcelona, etc.
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