> Rail systems are almost never profitable. The US, at least in spirit, doesn't like government subsidies. Excuse me? Japan privatized its rail system in the l

> Rail systems are almost never profitable. The US, at least in spirit, doesn't like government subsidies. Excuse me? Japan privatized its rail system in the late 80s, doesn't subsidize any of the JR companies[1][2] (which are all publicly traded to boot), and has a profitable enough industry that there are now numerous private operators[3] of various sizes who successfully compete.[4] 1 http://www.railway-technology.com/features/featurelevel-playing-field-eu-efforts-to-break-into-japans-rail-industry-4379553/ http://www.railway-technology.com/features/featurelevel-play... 2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Japan 3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyu_Corporation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyu_Corporation, and see the box at the bottom for lots more 4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Greater_Tokyo#Other_railway_operators_serving_central_Tokyo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Greater_Tokyo#Oth...