Cities invest in rail transit when sufficient local and/or state funding is available to construct and operate such systems. Often it takes strong leadership to make this happen. A case in point is when former Denver mayor John Hickenlooper became a major advocate for the FasTracks program. The campaign involved a ballot measure to raise local taxes. Most American politicians are too spineless for this, but Hickenlooper was an exception. The result is that Denver is now undertaking one of the most ambitious rail transit expansion programs in the US.

However, the reality is that for every Denver, there are more cities like Cincinnati and Milwaukee which have been attempting to develop rail systems for decades, but have their efforts derailed by Tea Baggers like John Kasich and Scott Walker.

Still other cities such as Cleveland and Kansas which considered rail eventually pursued Bus Rapid Transit systems.

Several metro areas with extensive rail networks have recently implemented or are also planning Bus Rapid Transit systems. Los Angeles was previously mentioned and Boston, Chicago and San Francisco also fall into this category.