Once I built a railroad...

Cato's Randal O'Toole has a post today gloating over the failure of the administration's plan to develop high speed rail. I'm glad the plan died too, but typically Mr. O'Toole is blind to why rail can't compete with roads: roads are free at the point of use. Here's my favorite quote:

The Times suggested that Florida taxpayers will resent Scott’s decision whenever they are stuck in traffic. But no one seriously believes that intercity rail will ever relieve traffic congestion, most of which is in cities, not between them.

Hmm. Is there a place where most of the traffic congestion is between cities? Ooh! Ooh! I've got one!

We have some light rail here, but even our rail, in this most rail friendly of areas, doesn't do a lot to alleviate traffic congestion. Why? The government crowds its own rail service out with free road access. Start directly pricing the cost of road construction and maintenance into road tolls, and rail will explode in popularity.