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We have light rail in my area. The best parallel I can draw is the Simpsons episode where the huckster sells the town the monorail on a set of false promises. There was an article in the local newspaper about what we were promised (when it was being built decades ago):

- 85% of the light rail's fees were going to be paid by users. Reality: Users pay only 15% of fees.

- Light Rail was going to move at 35 MPH average. Reality: Light Rail moves at about 15 MPH.

There were others I can't remember precisely but essentially the ridership is going down, the cost is going up. The opportunity cost of not building highways when you're dumping the money on inefficient light-rail is very high.

but essentially the ridership is going down, the cost is going up.

The facts are:

How many people use public transportation? In 2001, Americans took 9.7 billion trips using public transportation, an increase of 3 percent more than the previous year, outpacing growth in other travel modes. In the past six years, public transportation ridership in the U.S. has grown by more than 24 percent, faster than highway or air travel. The equivalent of almost a million new trips on public transportation were added each day in 2001.
APTA estimates that over 14 million Americans ride on public transportation each weekday. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates another 25 million use public transportation less frequently but on a regular basis.

Operating funds provide income for operational expenses. Most operating funds originate from local sources (73 percent). Passenger fares pay for 35 percent of operating expenses, local governments contribute 24 percent, and non-governmental sources and taxes levied by the transportation system, tolls and fees, 14 percent. State and federal governments contribute 22 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

Source: American Public Transportation AssociationRidership is increasing and passengers pay 35% of the operating costs on a national average.

As a conservative, I approve of federal matching funds for construction of transit systems. But I don't agree with federal contributions to operating expenses, even though they amount to only 5% of the cost. Those are costs that should be covered by passenger fare increases and/or local and state governments. I have no problem with state and local governments providing such subsidies as they deem necessary in their specific situation. Good transit systems facilitate commerce in congested urban areas, helping to expand the tax base while accommodating growth.