Rail Builds Better Economy

"This week transit advocates gather in Salt Lake City for the Rail-Volution conference to celebrate the remarkable economic boost that modern public transit systems are giving to dozens of American cities. Two of the places they'll talk about are Minneapolis and Detroit. Just last June the Twin Cities, one of the Midwest’s fastest growing metropolitan regions, celebrated the first anniversary of the Hiawatha Line, a light rail route linking downtown Minneapolis with the region’s airport and the Mall of America. A few days later, the U.S. Census dropped Detroit — which has one of the worst public transportation systems of any major metropolitan region anywhere — from its list of America’s 10 largest cities. This is hardly a coincidence. Minneapolis’ Metro Transit reported six million rides in its first year of light rail, 61 percent higher than predicted. The Twin Cities regional population jumped nearly 3 percent since 2000, a healthy growth rate. Detroit, which has the worst regional transit system of any major American metropolitan region, lost 50,000 residents in the same time, the most of any city."