It should be noted that another misleading comparison is that of comparing light rail construction costs to that of adding another freeway lane.
Adding freeway lanes does nothing to alleviate traffic congestion in densely populated urban areas. Quite the opposite: they funnel MORE traffic into the area, increasing the potential for gridlock and lack of suitable parking. And it just isn't feasible to continually expand the width of ALL the roads in a densely constructed urban area.
The dedicated right-of-way of light-rail systems avoids this madness, permitting large numbers of commuters to travel quickly and conveniently without compounding the traffic problem.
Nice writing, but I would like to see cites for some of his claims.