* Inefficiency: The San Sebastian Line is a railroad project that's completely unnecessary and wasteful. It's a political project designed to satisfy the whims of politicians and special interests, not to serve any practical purpose.
* Political interference: The project is driven by political pressure, not by economic need. It's funded by government subsidies and supported by laws that force the railroad to operate it, even though it's losing money. This demonstrates the power of the state over private enterprise.
* Dependence on handouts: The San Sebastian Line is a prime example of a "welfare project," relying on government assistance to survive. This, in Dagny's eyes, breeds a culture of dependence and undermines individual initiative.
* Compromise of efficiency: The line is poorly planned and executed, with substandard materials and incompetent management. This is a direct consequence of the government's meddling and control over the project.
* Symbol of the decline: For Dagny, the San Sebastian Line represents the larger decline of American society, where political expediency trumps economic rationality and the needs of the productive are disregarded.
Dagny sees the San Sebastian Line as a microcosm of the larger societal issues she battles against in the novel. It symbolizes the erosion of merit, the rise of government control, and the decline of individual achievement. It's an example of how the "looters" in society (those who don't produce but take from the productive) are able to impose their will through political manipulation and force.