Yes, of course the money is coming from the goods sold, and so is the money for all other expenses the shops have. This is highly offset by the lower property p

Yes, of course the money is coming from the goods sold, and so is the money for all other expenses the shops have. This is highly offset by the lower property price of being able to place the shop outside the city center (and the additional convenience of being located right next to the highest-traffic road). So goods were still cheaper in the shopping center than in the stores located in the city-center. I didn't say this would be the most efficient solution, I just wanted to point out that asking if a transportation infrastructure is profitable, and only looking at it in isolation is silly, because the value it adds to the areas around its stops can highly outweigh the cost of operating it.