112338 Cato Bp107.qxp
9/24/08
10:35 AM
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Rails Won't Save America
by Randal O'Toole
No. 107
October 7, 2008
Executive Summary
car such as a Toyota Prius. People who respond to
Rising gas prices and concerns about green-
high fuel prices by taking transit are not saving
house gases have stimulated calls for to build
energy; they are merely imposing their energy
more rail transit lines in urban areas, increase
costs on someone else.
subsidies to Amtrak, and construct a large-scale
Rail transportation is also much more heavily
intercity high-speed rail system. These megapro-
subsidized than other forms of travel. Where high-
jects will cost hundreds of billions of dollars, but
way subsidies average less than a penny per passen-
they won't save energy or significantly reduce
ger mile, and subsidies to flying are even lower,
greenhouse gas emissions.
Amtrak costs taxpayers 22 cents per passenger mile
Although media reports suggest that many
and urban transit costs 61 cents per passenger mile.
people are taking public transit instead of dri-
Even if rail transport did save energy, spending
ving, actual numbers show that recent increases
more money on rail will get few people out of
in transit ridership account for only 3 percent of
their cars. People who want to save energy should
the decline in urban driving. Also, contrary to
plan to buy more fuel-efficient cars and encour-
popular belief, rail transit does not save energy.
age cities to invest in traffic signal coordination,
Many light-rail operations use more energy per
passenger mile than the average sport utility vehi-
which can save far more energy at a tiny fraction
cle, and almost none uses less than a fuel-efficient
of the cost of building new rail transport lines.
Randal O'Toole is a senior fellow with the Cato Institute and author of The Best-Laid Plans: How Government
Planning Harms Your Quality of Life, Your Pocketbook, and Your Future.
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