Those systems, mainly road and air, are saturated to the point that safety and reliability are compromised. The states and the private sector are meeting the challenge by investing record amounts of money in those systems. We have made the business decision that we receive a greater return on investment by increasing the capacity of passenger rail rather than by making alternative investment decisions. An example is the cost of adding a lane of interstate is more expensive than improving a segment of rail. Second, because intercity passenger rail trips tend to be 100 to 500 miles in length, many of the corridor planning, analysis, and construction management tools routinely used at the state level apply.
States can and do plan, build and maintain interstate transportation corridor systems.
We meet a myriad of environmental, planning, and safety standards. These projects require massive investments and we deliver them every day. Third, improved intercity passenger rail is attractive to states because it is incremental. Our programs are publicly funded to deliver public services, and states must make prudent investments. We recognize that new transportation infrastructure cannot be built overnight, but we need to start where we are today and work to improve those systems.