Printable Version

» Per-Capita Spending on Rail in Other Countries

The United States ranks low among industrial nations in terms of its spending on railroads -- both in whole terms and per capita.

Population density is not entirely a determining factor -- on the chart below, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Canada all spend more than the U.S. per capita, yet have lower population densities. Estonia is slightly more densely populated than the U.S., yet invests over twice as much in rail per capita. Some states in the U.S. have population densities closer to that of some of the other countries.

Even as a society, you get what you pay for. Is it any wonder that the passenger rail system in the U.S. is so skeletal compared to other countries?

Notes:

• US spending includes 2007 federal appropriatons for the Federal Railroad Administration (including for Amtrak and high-speed programs).
• Canada includes VIA Rail Canada only, for 2007.
• Adding in the rail funds in the Recovery Act, the United States' total per-capita rail spending for fiscal 2009 totals $35.75

• International Union of Railways (UIC), Paris, for spending figures except:
• United States, from appropriations information.
• China, from BusinessWeek (planned 2009 spending)
• Google for population figures and exchange rates.

Here is similar information from 1999 in chart form, with countries ranked by spending per capita (red bars, left scale). Note how population density (blue line, right scale) has no discernable pattern -- meaning there is no significant link between rail spending and population density, as some maintain.

» back to main resources page