No Inter-City Rail Without Intra-City Rail

This editorial in the Columbus Government Examiner discusses what I think is one of the biggest predictors of success/failure for high-speed rail in the US. The piece rightly points out that without transit to get people around once they arrive at their destination, people won’t take the train.

The success of the Acela is due in part to the subway systems of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington. These big, old, dense cities have made transit a priority for a long time, and there is sufficient infrastructure for passengers once they get off the Amtrak. Younger, smaller cities like Portland and Seattle have been investing in light rail and streetcars, and Amtrak ridership has increased over the past few years. It’s not hard to get on a train in Seattle, get off in Portland, and get around most of Portland easily using TriMet. Without these systems, people would just drive down on I-5.