In March, Capitol Metro launched a new a light rail system from Cedar Park to downtown Austin. On the first day, 2,900 people boarded the train. That number subsequently dropped to an average of 917.

With the cost of the light rail system beyond $100 million dollars, that translates to more than $200,000 for each car removed from Central Texas roads. (The 917 boardings probably represent about half that number of riders if most people were traveling roundtrip.) Grumbling taxpayers are already throwing the word “boondoggle” around like it was 1935!
 
What’s going on here? Numerous studies have suggested that the adoption of mass transit takes time, as commuters learn the pros and cons of a new system. Also, the current light rail is extremely limited, with a handful of stations and only one downtown stop, which itself is more than 10 blocks from the University of Texas, the Capitol, and many state agency buildings.

Yet, it’s worth considering that the benefits of light rail may go beyond how many vehicles it removes from the road. For instance, do mass transit systems increase the value of real estate (and the city’s tax base)? Does the development of mass transit systems create jobs? Does it lead to an increase in residential and commercial development near the stations? To sum up, if you build it, will they come?