News and Issues

The St. Louis Federal Reserve published a deeply flawed article by Thomas A. Garrett in the "Regional Economist" entitled "Is Light Rail a Boon or a Boondoggle." Channel 2 picked up on the article as did David Nicklaus of the Post-Dispatch.

CMT is organizing well-reasoned responses to these articles from economists as well as letters to the editor and other media.

To view a copy of the article, please click here.

Critics refute the arguments presented by the Federal Reserve Bank. Also, here are some responses to the article that were submitted to the Post Dispatch:

Dear Editor:

Not long ago the Federal Reserve Banks ignored the value of families and the environment in their economic models. Now this same cherry-picking approach is being applied by Fed St. Louis to show us all that MetroLink, despite its fantastic success, is really a mistake.

How's this done? Easy! (1) Highlight light rail costs; (2) selectively admit that auto-roadway costs are artificially low while insufficiently tabulating the real costs; (3) posture that public transit is mostly about the poor who'd be better served with buses, cabs, or even free cars every five years for MetroLink's costs; (4) turn truth on its head by claiming that light rail is a self-serving special interest boondoggle when, in fact, the road lobby--the most powerful well-healed political force in American history, profits from continued paving and sprawl anyway they can get it, including toll-gates at the end our driveways. (5) Finally, never mind that when all costs are considered, a well-planned light rail system will deliver more passengers at less cost per mile during peak hours, when it is needed most, than any comparable roadway project-and do it without delays and far less "externalities."

Then, cultivate a business columnist willing to regurgitate creative accounting to make bad scholarship credible and it's done!

David D. Dobbs

Publisher www.lightrailnow.org

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