NYC William Henry Vanderbilt on High Speed Rail in 1882

[steamtrain6868]

From %20pay?”%20Dresser%20asked."]Link

Does your limited express [between New York and Chicago] pay?" Dresser asked. "No, not a bit of it. We only run it because we are forced to do so by the action of the Pennsylvania Road. It doesn't pay expenses. We would abandon it if it was not for our competitor keeping its train on."

"But don't you run it for the public benefit?"

"The public be damned. What does the public care for the railroads except to get as much out of them for as small a consideration as possible. I don't take any stock in this silly nonsense about working for anybody's good, but our own because we are not. When we make a move we do it because it is our interest to do so, not because we expect to do somebody else some good. Of course we like to do everything possible for the benefit of humanity in general, but when we do we first see that we are benefiting ourselves. Railroads are not run on sentiment, but on business principles and to pay, and I don't mean to be egotistic when I say that the roads which I have had anything to do with have generally paid pretty well."

 

[steamtrain6868]

120 Years later and the Debate goes on.......Unfortunate this is what happens when you have private infrastructure that was needed by a a young country that had little money to start on its own other then the prospect that lands would be opened up by the railroad. So they turn to private investors who say that they will act in the public interest but end up robbing the country .....A deal with the devil..

 

[George Harris]

Financial reality check time. And your sense of entitlement that others should do what you want at no expense to yourself comes from ? ? ? ?

If you think a business should be so altruistic, then put your money where your mouth is in the area that you can do something or shut it.

 

[the_traveler]

I don't know about anyone else, but I do not feel like paying a toll of $500,000.00 to go to the store a few miles away. (Oh, I'm sorry, those roads were paid for by the Government. And how did the Government get the money?

) And do the airlines pay fully for the staff and operation of Air Traffic Control?

If they did, do you think you could fly coast to coast for $99 (or even $250) each way?