Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 11/2009

High-Speed Rail Is Not "Interstate 2.0"

Randal O'Toole

September 2009

The Cato Institute

Abstract

The administration has likened President Obama's high-speed rail plan to President Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System. Yet there are crucial differences between interstate highways and high-speed rail. First, before Congress approved the Interstate Highway System, it had a good idea how much it would cost. In contrast, Congress approved $8 billion for high-speed rail without knowing the total cost, which is likely to be at least $90 billion.