[DakotaGator]

If 1 cent was spent on this study it was a waste of money.

Here’s all that ever needs to be known about constructing a rail line; If it’s worth it, private enterprise will build it and run it at a profit. If government builds it, it will never make a profit and therefore is not worth the effort!

[GeronL]

It will be twice that estimate, AT LEAST

[ProtectOurFreedom]

This was spelled out very plainly in Burton Folsom’s excellent book “The Myth of the Robber Barons.” Every government subsidized rail line and steamship line in the 1800s was a huge money loser. Those built with private capital made tons of money.

[muawiyah]

Actually, there are a couple of more things ~ one of them is that Freight does not have the same time and comfort constraints required for humans and therefore can spend more time sitting on a siding and ride on rougher rails.

Since freight traffic is going to pay for rail upkeep and force scheduling, passenger rail systems can never share the same right of way as freight! And, without rails, passenger rail systems will need ENORMOUS SUBSIDIES forever ~ plus, competing forms of transportation (personal automobiles, and airplanes) are more comfortable than the best rail passenger system under any conditions.

I'm betting on AUTOMATED AUTOMOBILES and an entirely new concept of transportation. These devices will turn into a utility.