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Why Colorado Should Not Build High-Speed Rail

IB-2009-F ( June 2009)
Author: Center for the American Dream

PDF of full Issue Backgrounder Paper
Scribd version of full Issue Backgrounder Paper

Executive Summary

The Federal Railroad Administration’s high-speed rail plan will cost federal income tax payers $1,000 each— and most of them will never ride it. Colorado isn’t even a part of the plan, but a local proposal for high-speed rail will probably cost $9,000 for every Colorado resident—and most of them will probably never ride it either. High-speed rail won’t relieve congestion, save energy, or reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Colorado should spend its share of federal high-speed rail stimulus funds on safety measures such as grade crossing improvements, not on new trains that will obligate taxpayers to pay billions of dollars in subsidies.