How I think of it: its 1.9 Billion to upgrade the line and increase capacity. Say double capacity. You have to average that out over the life expectancy of

How I think of it: its 1.9 Billion to upgrade the line and increase capacity. Say double capacity. You have to average that out over the life expectancy of the upgrade (20 years maybe, how long have the tracks been there now). Of course there are maintenance and operation fees, but the railway is probably paying those now. So in construction costs: 1900000000 dollar /130000 riders /20 year = 700 $/rider/year. It helps the economy of the city/state as more people can live and work there increasing you tax base. Helps housing smooth out housing prices a little as people can commute the same time from further out. Also you have to compare against the cost of increasing road capacity. Trains carry a lot of people and aren't subject to traffic like busses. Nobody likes taking the bus, it has a stigma for some reason. Its expensive, but infrastructure always is. Oddly so in the US.