3 ms·

Why should I, a taxpayer, subsidize rails? It's sarcasm, many drivers don't realize that the public subsidizes them too, but have such silly arguments.

• thesuitonym 1y ago
  No, it's actually a good question. If the rails are private, why should the public subsidize them? For clarity's sake, I think railways should be public, and paid for with a combination of taxes and fares.
  • epolanski 1y ago
    I think rails should be public, like skies and roads, and train companies should pay for their usage.
    • kccqzy 1y ago
      That sounds like an excellent idea. However I think rail transport depends more heavily on quality infrastructure. If a state doesn’t maintain its roads well and allow potholes to develop, it is probably rare for that to cause a fatal accident (I’ve heard of potholes causing damage to cars but not deaths). But improperly maintained rails lead to derailments and deaths.
      • ndsipa_pomu 1y ago
        Potholes do regularly result in cyclists' deaths.
    • circuit10 1y ago
      You may still need a public train service or subsidies of some kind to make sure unprofitable but vital routes get served