The “Invisible Hand”
by Andrew C. Selden, Minneapolis, MN
Too many rail advocates, private individuals and public sector employees alike, hobble the advancement of rail passenger service in the U.S. by viewing trains from a classic socialist point of view: rail passenger service should be (”must be”) provided in any given market by a single provider, using other peoples’ money, applied through a centralized planning and administrative process. Lip service is paid to consumer preference, but infrequently and grudgingly. The planners “know” that rail is “good” and they know where and how it is best deployed.