A Cautionary Tale About Light Rail

Lightly travelled rail lines do little to serve transportation needs, but the costs can be spun into other benefits. George Warrington, the director of New Jersey Transit, acknowledges that the new light rail line will have "no noticeable effect on traffic congestion," but he describes the new system as an economic development project. "Private capital is gravitating back to downtowns across the state, and the anchor for much of that attraction is the train station."