Houston and Dallas Rail Systems Require Heavy Subsidies

Houston’s Metro subsidies come to $112,100,000 in taxpayer support this year. Dallas Area Rapid Transit's (DART) rail system receives $619,960,000 in annual operating subsidies, with local sales tax and the Federal Transit Administration providing the most funding. Rail Subsidies

According to Randal O’Toole, a public transportation expert with the market-oriented Cato Institute:

“Houston has seen a decline in overall [public transit] ridership,” O’Toole told Watchdog. “Buses carried nearly 88 million trips in 2001 before light rail. In 2014, bus plus rail was only 72 million trips.”

“Houston experienced a short-term gain when it first opened its light rail, then lost all of that gain and more. It experienced another short-term gain when it added five more miles of track, but I suspect it will lose that again soon,” O’Toole predicted.

Though Dallas posted ridership gains with the opening of its rail line, “expansions in 2008 and 2011 resulted in no net new ridership,” he said, citing statistics from the National Transit Database and the American Public Transportation Association.

Alternatively, O’Toole suggested, “It is always possible to design a bus system that moves more people, faster, cheaper, more flexibly and safer than light rail. No exceptions.”

Keep LoneStar Rail(LSR) in the barn so that it cannot suck up tax revenue from the citizens of Georgetown that exceeds any possible economic benefit. Preferably, Central Texas citizens should kill LSR and drive a stake through it's heart.