Medium Speed Rail: Costly Cubs-Cardinals Express

From savvy reader Mary:

Illinois Governor Quinn gleefully welcomed the news of federal funding for a high speed rail link between Chicago and St. Louis, the Cubs-Cardinals express. Just like the Amtrak service between Chicago & Milwaukee, where the $22 one way fare doesn't cover operating costs, Illinois will end up subsidizing this service to St. Louis. If Mr. Quinn wants to play with trains, he should buy a Lionel set and not put Illinois further in debt by building a high speed rail line.

High speed rail is not even high speed, as my friend John Ruberry notes.

Last year:

Another takedown of high speed rail, which would cost 30 times more than the $13 billion advertised. Reason looks at the track record, and the shaky underpinnings:

We can't afford this--why are we even talking about it. Does anyone besides Joe Biden think rail is the future?

...well maybe our own doofus Ray LaHood.

Sigh.

Hey. I think trains are romantic. So I watch North by Northwest. Classy. And lots less expensive....Oh crap:

The Elizabeth, N.J., man was traveling to Chicago after reportedly attending the Los Angeles Anarchist Book Fair last weekend.

Passengers riding with him Tuesday heard Lutalo speaking on his cell phone, declaring he hadn't killed anyone yet and demanding cooperation from a purported cohort.

"We have to work in small groups," he was quoted as saying in an affidavit. "They can hold you for 18 months. Do they have security on these trains? Are you with me or not?"

Lutalo later mentioned Al Qaeda before saying "17th century tactics won't work. We have 21st century tactics."...

More. Oh crap. CNSNews.com Obama Says High Speed Rail Will Create Jobs, But U.S. Must Rely on Foreign Companies

..."the full picture is more complicated." Really?

I worry. Will there be more road, um train track kill?

For the U.S. to decide to build high-speed train systems using primarily U.S. companies, "would be like Bangladesh deciding they want to have a space program and only use technology they have developed and manufactured themselves," said Anthony Perl, chairman of the National Research Council's intercity rail panel.

Full circle. I worry. Will they crash into each other?

Solution. Put the terrorists on trains.