Depending on your definition, this actually is not peak performance.
Subways are.
Obviously, the tunnels are absurdly expensive, but nothing moves as many people as quickly around a city as a subway.
They’re also extremely reliable, meaning people are even more likely to actually use them, and their above-ground footprint is essentially zero.
Supplying people with basic life necessities should not need to garner a profit.
This goes for food, water, shelter, but also electricity, healthcare, public transportation, and internet.
(Coincidentally, most of these are basic human rights.)
Society as a whole experiences net benefit (even am economic one) from those, so society as a whole should fund them.
Yes, this requires taxes.