In addition: Gas prices are already reaching record highs for the past 15 months and are expected to break $3/gallon during the summer.
The House's plan for yet more money for Amtrak and transit projects couldn't come at a better time... though it should go further. If we're going to sink into debt.. we might as well do so by building massive amounts of good infrastructure.. so when the bills come due, we can at least count on efficient means to move products to market, stimulate economic growth, and pay some of our debt off.
The payoff for rail can come quickly. For instance, IL funded additional rail service on its Chicago to downstate routes in 2006. People worried that this would waste money and attract few riders. When the price of gas shot up in 2007-08 ridership boomed beyond expectations. A timely investment by Congress ahead of another gas price rise could provide similar benefits.
