First, you have to understand who Randal O'Toole is, the author of your carefully-selected "article". The guy is a professional shill for the petroleum and rubber-tired industries. He would like you to think he conducts objective and impartial "research", when in fact, he has pursued an aggressive anti-rail, anti-New Urbanist agenda.

The following is from the website of Dallas Area Rapid Transit. If you want to be concerned about money, be VERY concerned about the billions of dollars in development that Detroit isn't seeing because its transportation system would embarrass a Third World city.

http://www.dart.org/about/economicimpact.asp

DART ECONOMIC IMPACT


July 24, 2009
DART Rail expansion arriving with billions on board

The 45-mile Green, Orange and Blue Line DART Rail expansion is projected to generate more than $4 billion in economic activity between 2009 and 2014, according to a new study by economists at the University of North Texas. Including prior Green Line expenditures, the total economic activity is more than $5.6 billion.

The study, conducted for DART by Drs. Terry Clower and Bernard Weinstein of the UNT Center for Economic Development and Research, also determined the expansion will create 32,095 job-years of employment [or - an average of 6,400 jobs each year for the next five years]. Separately, ongoing operations of the multimodal transit agency will generate $663 million in annual economic activity and more than 5,300 jobs.

To address your point regarding Houston, they experienced a series of automobile crashes during the first year of operation of their light rail line, due to drivers not obeying the signaling and signage installed as part of the light rail system.