It's worth pointing out that the intent of transportation infrastructure isn't to turn a profit, but to be a potent multiplier for economic gains in other segments of the economy.
There's barely a road in the entire country that's turned a profit (gas and vehicle registration taxes don't come close to covering road construction costs, and of course most roads aren't tolled), yet we still rightly consider roads as being worth it. We should treat our rail, transit, and other transportation infrastructure similarly. Expecting a profit is completely missing the point, but doing so is a nice bonus.
There's barely a road in the entire country that's turned a profit (gas and vehicle registration taxes don't come close to covering road construction costs, and of course most roads aren't tolled), yet we still rightly consider roads as being worth it. We should treat our rail, transit, and other transportation infrastructure similarly. Expecting a profit is completely missing the point, but doing so is a nice bonus.