The piece starts with an analogy about the MTA, but I find it a rather weak one. The NYC government could have imposed a regulation that any subway built in the

The piece starts with an analogy about the MTA, but I find it a rather weak one. The NYC government could have imposed a regulation that any subway built in the city must be built by certain standards for tunnel size and the ability to interchange. That would have helped provide some ability for the two systems to interlink. Moreover, the city government intervened significantly into the operation of private train and subway businesses. The article even notes the city tried to compete directly. Government-run businesses often use the law to squash competitors. Then, when the competitors go out of business, they say it's a natural monopoly and everyone forgets about it.