With the right design choices, good public transit is self-reinforcing.
With the right design choices, good public transit is self-reinforcing. A train line that runs quickly and frequently between an area’s main business and population centers will attract plenty of riders, and give people and firms even more reason to locate close to stations. This creates a virtuous feedback loop, where well-trafficked stations bring in more ridership, more businesses, and higher property values,3 which lead to more tax revenues, which can be used to run trains even more frequently or add new lines reaching more neighborhoods. A variety of transit options can all support each other by creating a “synergy,” with the busiest routes served by trains, further routes served by buses or bike shares, and commuter rail or high-speed rail between cities extending the system even further.