N.C. Should Avoid Pursuit of Stimulus Dollars for High-Speed Rail

New JLF report explains how federal plans would waste taxpayers' money

RALEIGH (Winston-Salem Journal) — North Carolina would waste taxpayers' money if it signs on to federal plans for high-speed rail service. That's the conclusion of a new John Locke Foundation Policy Report.

"The average North Carolinian will take a round trip on a high-speed train only once every 27 years," said report author Randal O'Toole, senior fellow at the Cato Institute. "That's certainly not worth the cost of pursuing high-speed rail service for this state. The administration's proposed high-speed rail plan will cost $1,000 for every federal income taxpayer, yet the average American would rarely or never ride high-speed trains."

President Obama persuaded Congress to devote $8 billion of federal stimulus funds to high-speed rail projects across the country, O'Toole said. The federal government will accept proposals from the states to build some of the 8,500 route-miles of high-speed rail identified by the Federal Railroad Administration.