3/2:

Wisconsin was the fourth-highest (after California, Florida, and Illinois) recipient of federal high-speed rail money, receiving $823 million to initiate Milwaukee-to-Madison service. The state’s application proposes to use this money to operate six trains a day between the two cities as a continuation of service from Chicago to Milwaukee.

The proposal does not call for high-speed (faster than 125 mph) or even moderate-speed (faster than 80 mph) rail. Instead, the top speeds will only be 79 mph until even more money is spent improving signaling to allow for “positive train control” (which insures trains will automatically stop when necessary even if the engineer fails to stop the train).

With three stops between Madison and Milwaukee, the average speed will be just 58 mph. That’s a bit higher than the current Badger Bus, which averages 42 to 52 mph depending on which bus you take. But the rail route is longer than the bus route, which means the train will take longer (1 hour 40 minutes) than the fastest bus (1 hour 30 minutes).

In addition, the bus stops in the middle of the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, while current plans call for the train to terminate at Dane County Airport on the edge of town, with transit connections to downtown and the university. This gives even the slower (1 hour 50 minute) buses a huge competitive advantage.

Badger Bus operates on the same frequencies — six round trips per day — as proposed for the rail line. The state’s application estimates that rail fares will range from $20 to $33 compared with current bus fares of $17.50. It appears the state is chasing the snob market, that is, people too proud to ride a bus.

Considering that this is an 81-mile rail route, the price tag of $823 million (a small portion of which will go for improving Chicago-Milwaukee service) is roughly $10 million per mile. This is nearly three times the amount estimated by the Antiplanner for improving service to 110 mph. The high cost is due to the fact that the tracks between Madison and Milwaukee haven’t seen passenger service in many decades and some of them are in very poor shape.

A 47-mile segment owned by the Canadian Pacific is currently used for freight trains going up to 60 mph and by Amtrak at 79 mph. The state estimated it would cost $274 million, or nearly $6 million per mile, to bring improve these tracks and add enough sidings for 6 more trains per day. A 34-mile segment owned by the state of Wisconsin is in such poor shape that freight trains are limited to 10 mph. The state estimates it will cost $317 million, or more than $9 million per mile, to improve these tracks to 79 mph standards. (This doesn’t include the costs of locomotives, stations, rail cars, a maintenance facility, or environmental mitigation, which bring the total cost to $773 million or just under $10 million per mile.)

The state estimates that, in the fifth full year of operation, the Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison route will carry about 536,000 more passengers than the Chicago-Milwaukee route carried in 2008. Generously assuming that all of these new riders will be on the Milwaukee-Madison line, that’s an average of 734 trips each way per day, or about 122 people per train — roughly three bus loads (figuring two-thirds occupancy).

Amortizing the $773 million capital cost at 7 percent over 30 years results in an annualized cost of $61.7 million. The state also estimates it will need operating subsidies of $7.5 million for a total of $69.2 million in annual subsidies. That is a subsidy of nearly $130 per passenger trip.

The state estimates the rail line will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a little more than 7,000 tons per year. This represents a cost of $9,700 per ton of greenhouse gas emissions abated. Considering that the price of carbon offsets currently ranges from $6 to $28 per ton, something that costs $9,700 per ton is a huge waste.

Of course, the rail line is also expected to reduce some other pollutants, but so too would any other action that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The trains are actually projected to emit more particulates than the cars they take off the road, and if the state has overestimated ridership, the trains will probably produce more of other pollutants as well.

The state claims the trains will help relieve congestion, but they aren’t a very cost-effective way of doing that either. Out of 7.8 million annual auto trips in the corridor, the trains will take only about 208,000 off the highway, or about 2.6 percent. There are far better ways of relieving 2.6 percent of congestion at far lower costs.

The environmental assessment estimates that 19 percent of rail passengers would otherwise take the bus, which means Badger Bus will lose 23 passengers per trip. If you believe the state’s numbers, this will probably put Badger Bus out of the Madison-Milwaukee market, and at least will force it to reduce its service to two or three trips per day.

What if, instead of six trains per day, Wisconsin increased bus service to 24 round trips per day? That would be a bus every half hour during peak periods. Some buses might stop at intermediate towns while others would be express. I estimate this would require about a dozen new buses costing about $6 million, or less than 1 percent of the cost of the trains. Of course, the environmental assessment for the rail line did not consider a bus alternative; it just considered “no build” and alternative rail routes. But I suspect the far greater frequencies of the bus alternative would compensate for the snob factor and attract all or nearly all of the riders who would take the trains.

The National Transit Database reveals that privately operated buses cost an average of about $5 per vehicle mile to operate (see column AI). Running 18 round trips per day would therefore cost less than $5.5 million per year. Compared with the projected $7.5 million operating loss from the trains, the state would save money even if no one rode the buses.

Of course, eventually the state hopes to spend a few hundred million more to increase rail top speeds to 110 mph. This will result in trip times as short as 69 minutes, for an average speed of 73 mph. That’s still not enough to justify the cost, especially since buses can still be competitive when you consider the additional time required to get from the airport to any destination in Madison.

What is really going on is a very different kind of snob factor: Madison wants trains because trains are supposedly cool, not because anyone in Madison will ever really need to ride one. It especially wants trains if someone else will pay for them. When a unsubsidized bus ride costs $17.50 and a train ride (including amortized capital costs and operating subsidies) costs $150, it is hard to imagine that anyone really thinks the train makes sense.

1/31:

The $4.4 billion question: Will Central Floridians take the train?

SunRail, high-speed rail are coming -- but ridership remains in question

Central Florida is in for a culture shock.

Dependent for generations on the automobile for virtually all means of transit, the region relatively soon will have not one, but two, new passenger trains running through it.

But will people ride them when, as President Barack Obama pointed out in Tampa last week, "we don't love gas prices, but we love our cars?"

That could well become the $4.4 billion question.

Critics maintain the two trains will be a massive waste of money, rolling along the tracks with largely empty seats. After all, they say, the only time most people notice any trains now – whether is it the occasional Amtrak or the more frequent freight traffic – is when they have to impatiently wait for them to pass through an intersection.

"People want the convenience of cars, especially when needing to get to far-flung destinations in our urbanely sprawled Central Florida," said William Shallcross, 54, and a Winter Park developer.

Winter Park will have a station for the first new train slated for the area. Called SunRail, the $1.2 billion system would operate on a 61-mile set of tracks running from DeLand in Volusia County through Winter Park and downtown Orlando to Poinciana in Osceola County. The first 30 miles of the route should be ready in late 2012, with the entire setup coming on line in 2014.

The second train, a high-speed system that will cost $3.2 billion when the cost of land is included, will link Orlando International Airport with Lakeland and Tampa by late 2014 or early 2015.

Right now, no connection between the two trains is set, although officials have started discussing ways to join them, perhaps at the SunRail Sand Lake Road station in south Orange County.

That gap bothers John Gilbert, an 81-year-old retired aerospace engineer from Lake Conway.

"Tampa gets a high-speed train, but we have to go out to the airport," Gilbert said. "We have all these politicians, all kinds of things that get in the way."

The key to winning ridership is being on time and operating safely, said Bonnie Arnold, marketing director for Tri-Rail, the commuter train that has run along Interstate 95 in South Florida for 20 years.

"If people don't think you are reliable and don't think you are safe, they aren't going to ride you," she said.

Tri-Rail, which also hooks into a light rail system that circulates in downtown Miami, was the first commuter train launched in South Florida, which like metro Orlando had no real experience with rail transit.

The train started during an expansion of I-95, which clogged traffic in the state's most densely populated area. Arnold said some of the best advertising the train had was breezing by motorists stopped in traffic jams.

Now carrying about 13,000 passengers a day, Arnold said Tri-Rail constantly promotes itself at festivals and co-promotes with fast-food restaurants. It also offers a 25 percent fare discount to people who sign up at work.

Perhaps the biggest incentive for ridership will come with time and the traffic it brings, said Dave Grovdahl, chief transportation planner for MetroPlan, which sets transit policy in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.

"What do you do when you can no longer make your trips because of congestion on the roads?" he asked.

Grovdahl said many of the major roads in Central Florida – I-4, Colonial Drive, State Road 436 – are hemmed in by development or the environment and cannot be widened. That means the congestion of today will only worsen.

"You can't dynamite the high rises in downtown Orlando," he said, referring to often-jammed Orange Avenue. "You're stuck with it. It's at the max."

Buses, he said, provide short-term relief because they can get drivers out of their cars, but they are prone to get stuck in the same traffic jams as every other vehicle.

Grovdahl also predicted that gasoline prices will rise again, possibly hitting the $4 a gallon mark, like they did during summer 2008. Ridership broke records on mass-transit systems across the nation that year.

But Shallcross contends the expense of tickets – it could cost $29 one way to ride from OIA to Tampa and at least $2.50 on SunRail – is likely too much for many people. He also questions whether either train will be able to get anyone close enough to where they are going to avoid having to also ride a bus or call a cab.

Winter Park City Commissioner Beth Dillaha is especially adamant about her opposition to SunRail.

"I don't believe that many commuters will be willing to invest that much time and money,'' she said. "People care about how to get from point A to point B as efficiently, in terms of time and money, as possible and most do not want to be held 'hostage' without their cars and the ability to come and go as needed."

Lynx, the regional bus service in metro Orlando, is in the early stages of figuring out what it will take to work with the trains, including coming up with new routes and how the fares will be split.

Jack Couture, a 66-year-old retired banker and frequent Lynx rider, said the only way people will consider the trains is if they offer "accessibility and availability — let's face it."

Ultimately, though, a train can bypass buses, cars and trucks stuck in traffic, freeing up passengers to read or work during the trip, Grovdahl said.

"They take the stress out," he said.

1/5:

In Volusia, there is still work to be done on SunRail

By Al Everson
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Dec 18, 2009

While supporters of SunRail hail the Florida Senate's passage of the bill authorizing the project, there is still a great deal of work to be done before the train hits the track.

Volusia County Chair Frank Bruno sees a need for more discussion among the local partners, a new agreement on funding the long-planned commuter-rail system, and, not least, more money from Washington.

"The locals need help," Bruno said at the conclusion of the County Council's Dec. 10 meeting, as council members discussed the status of the $1.2 billion project.

The County Council and the four other government partners — Seminole, Orange and Osceola counties, and the City of Orlando — ratified operating and funding agreements in 2007, but those arrangements are now outdated.

"You're going to be asked to sign a new agreement," County Manager James Dinneen told the County Council. "The terms are all different now."

SunRail is supposed to connect Volusia County with Orlando, using the CSX rail tracks for commuter trains. The first phase of the service will connect DeBary and Downtown Orlando, and the second phase will extend the service northward to DeLand and southward from Orlando to Poinciana.

SunRail is being touted as an alternative to traffic-clogged Interstate 4. The Florida Department of Transportation is also a partner in the project.

When it approved the local-share agreements more than two years ago, the County Council committed Volusia to pay as much as $67 million of the capital and infrastructure costs of the commuter-rail system.

That cost includes rail stations in DeBary and DeLand, as well as signalization. The county would sell bonds, and paying back the debt would cost approximately $150 million over 30 years.

The annual payment would be $4.8 million to $5 million, Bruno estimated, and the county would probably pay the debt service from its general fund, which derives its cash from property taxes.

But the projected cost for Volusia and the other localities may be higher in 2009 or 2010 than in 2007.

"The project cost may have increased beyond what it is in the [current] agreement. There's reason to believe that it has," County Attorney Dan Eckert said.

While Bruno said much of the county's expense for commuter rail would be related to economic development — because of anticipated extra employment created by the system itself and new development around rail depots — he also said Volusia will need additional funding from Washington.

Bruno said he had talked with U.S. Rep. John Mica after the Florida Legislature passed the liability and rail-funding measure Dec. 8, and learned Mica had secured an additional $60 million for SunRail. However, Bruno noted, it is not clear how the additional funding will be allocated.

Mica confirmed the $60 million is in addition to the original $300 million already committed to SunRail, plus as much as $250 million that may be used for the project. Mica, who serves on the House Transportation Committee, said the revised cost estimates will become available early in 2010.

"They should have the figures in February or March, and they would submit them to the Federal Transit Administration and the Office of Management and Budget," Mica said.

He predicted construction of new infrastructure and acquisition of the commuter trains "may actually start in the summer, June maybe."

"We had support from the Bush administration. We have support from the Obama administration," he concluded.

12/28:

Making the trains work

The gist: Rail's future hinges in large part on how a new rail commission does its job.

December 28, 2009

12/23:

My Word: Rail seals Central Park's fate

The politicians got their legacy-burnishing deal. Winter Park residents got dozens of noisy, full-sized commuter-rail buses circulating daily in tranquil, pristine Central Park and doing irreparable damage to this private sanctuary.

Our historic train station for destination Amtrak passengers, as opposed to transient commuter-rail passengers, will never look the same.

You can bet that I was against commuter rail, right? If you want to succumb to your preconceived ideological notions, suit yourself. The fact is that I was never against commuter rail in the right location, under the right circumstances, and at the right time.

I rode commuter rail to school from the second grade onward. Even at that young age, I wasn't naive enough to believe that commuter rail provides jobs and road widening doesn't. And I realized that commuter rail complements widened roads. It doesn't replace them.

U.S. Rep. John Mica and state Rep. Dean Cannon have assured continued Interstate-4 gridlock by diverting attention and dollars from road-widening efforts. Wider roads actually alleviate interstate gridlock much more effectively than commuter rail, with its 4,300 daily passengers initially, could ever hope to do.

It's unforgivable and disingenuous to pretend otherwise.

Had we been wise enough to run a federally incentivized commuter-rail train down the middle of the interstate like they do in northern Virginia, I would have championed the cause. We couldn't even figure out how to spare Central Park by serving Winter Park's limited needs with the Florida Hospital stop.

Oh, and one more thing...

Please don't ask us to pretend that The National Trust for Historic Preservation didn't grant a "threatened" listing to protect Central Park from the character-changing effects of commuter rail, the commuter-rail station and the commuter-rail buses.

Don't ask us to pretend that the sole commuter-rail manufacturer didn't go out of business, that Tri-Rail doesn't need a bailout despite near-record ridership, and that the 61.5-mile commuter-rail route is densely populated by those with urban-demographic profiles and mass-transit cultural inclinations.

And don't ask us to pretend that a large corporation isn't fleecing taxpayers, and that the Winter Park mayor's hospital employees will use their commuter-rail trips to snap up $395 handbags in all colors to stimulate Winter Park's economy.

Wait until you see what Cannon and Mica have planned for you next: an industrialized coastline and oil drilling within five miles of our world-class, pristine, hurricane-prone beaches.

Protecting your Florida environmental tourism economy isn't on their list of concerns.

Will Graves, an environmental activist, lives in Winter Park.

12/19:

New York City has the greatest transit system in America. It carries a third of all transit rides, and well over half of all rail transit rides in the U.S. Fares cover close to two-thirds of its operating costs, more than any other transit system. New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is what every other transit system aspires to be.

Broke.

So broke that the MTA is planning “service cuts that would affect nearly every bus, subway and commuter rail rider in New York.” These include the complete elimination of two subway lines and many bus routes, along with reductions in frequencies on many other routes and cuts in services to disabled riders. These cuts are deemed necessary to close a $383 million gap in the agency’s 2010 budget — more money than the entire annual budgets of most transit agencies.

The most controversial part of the plan is a proposal to start charging children, who have historically been given free bus and subway rides to school. This alone is supposed to make up for almost half the gap in the budget — but anytime you start charging for something that has previously been free you are asking for trouble.

Some think the MTA is pulling a Washington Monument strategy, trying to find the most visible and painful cuts so taxpayers and appropriators will fall all over themselves to find more funds for the agency. Maybe.

But the real question is how we expect to pay for transit systems that we run at such huge losses every year. In cities where transit carries only 1 or 2 percent of travel and 2 to 10 percent of commuters, the answer is to tax all non-transit riders a little bit each. But when half of all commuters use transit, as in New York City, it is harder to find non-users you can tax to make up for the losses, and they tend to resist paying for it.

Transit’s friends like to claim that it is sustainable transportation. Actually, it is the least sustainable form of transportation in the United States.

*************************************************************************

December 03, 2009

Will 3rd time be charm for SunRail?

Special session to address commuter rail system

TALLAHASSEE-- Advocates are hoping the lure of federal stimulus dollars will overcome opposition to creating a Central Florida commuter rail system and shoring up an existing line in South Florida during an nine-day special session that starts today.

The state is seeking $2.6 billion in federal stimulus money to also begin building a high-speed rail system between Tampa and Orlando that eventually may extend to Miami.

Florida, though, is one of 24 states seeking $50 billion -- more than six times the $8 billion available. High-speed projects with links to commuter rail systems are expected to have a leg up in the competition for the stimulus money.

"We have been informed directly, or rather indirectly, from our federal friends that if we can accomplish something before the end of the year, we have a much better opportunity for the high-speed rail component," Gov. Charlie Crist said.

Legislation to create the proposed SunRail system in the Orlando area failed during the past two regular legislative sessions. It passed in the House both times but was rejected in the Senate, including a 23-16 bipartisan vote earlier this year.

That measure drew opposition in part because it also had a $2-per-day car rental surtax in three South Florida counties to help subsidize their financially troubled Tri-Rail system.

SunRail is expected to cost $2.66 billion over 30 years with the state, federal and local governments each contributing $700 million and the rest coming from fares, said Rep. Gary Aubuchon, a Cape Coral Republican who is sponsoring the special session bill in the House.

Aubuchon said SunRail would be transformational even if Florida doesn't get the high-speed dollars.

"In the short term, we will be able to put thousands of Floridians to work," he said. "We will be able to alleviate congestion along the I-4 corridor from Poinciana toDeLand. And we will be able, in the long term, to transform not just our mode of transportation in the state but really our land-use development along those corridors."

Besides the attraction of high-speed stimulus dollars, the rental car surtax has been dropped. Instead, the state would give Tri-Rail up to $15 million per year from Florida's Transportation Trust Fund on top of its annual $18.9 million state subsidy.

State economists last month increased their revenue estimate for the trust fund by $389 million, or about 2 percent, through June 30, 2015. The fund is supported by fuel taxes, and the economists now expect higher gasoline consumption than previously forecast.

Other stumbling blocks, though, remain.

The SunRail plan calls for purchasing 61.5 miles of track from CSX. Labor unions are against the deal because they say about 100 CSX workers and eventually several times that number would be replaced by state-contracted employees who likely would be nonunion.

The Republican-controlled Legislature's leadership has rejected proposals that would protect those union jobs. Florida AFL-CIO President Mike Williams calls the legislation "government-sanctioned union-busting."

Aubuchon contends the project would affect no more than eight union employees who would be offered a handsome severance package or a chance to transfer to another CSX job at company expense.

"In this environment, I still find it remarkable that with over a million Floridans out of work, somebody would want a guarantee that they would keep their job in perpetuity," Aubuchon said.

The deal also would let CSX continue to haul freight on the tracks. That's led to questions over liability for accidents involving CSX trains.

SunRail's most vocal legislative critic, Sen. Paula Dockery, argues the $432 million price tag for the CSX track is too high. The Lakeland Republican also has objected to part of the plan that would divert long, noisy, slow-running freight trains through her hometown.

*********************************************************************

December 02, 2009

Lawmakers get one more shot on passenger rail

It's time the Florida Legislature got on board for passenger rail service.

At stake: SunRail, a proposed commuter-rail service that would link west Volusia County to downtown Orlando and Osceola County; additional aid for TriRail, South Florida's mass transit system; and $2.5 billion in federal funding for high-speed rail between Tampa and Orlando.

Lawmakers should approve the latest version of legislation that would clear the tracks for passenger-rail service. It isn't perfect, but leaders have negotiated a pact that is significantly better than the bargain rejected in the spring by the Legislature. Even better, the legislation approving the deal -- to be presented in a special session starting Thursday -- leaves room for further improvement.

In calling the special session, Senate President Jeff Atwater and House Speaker Larry Cretul laid out the details of the plan. The basics remain: The Legislature would purchase 61 miles of track from rail giant CSX to be used for SunRail commuter trains from DeLand to Poinciana and approve additional aid for the financially ailing TriRail.

The CSX deal has caused the most controversy, and rightly so. As originally negotiated, it was a lavish giveaway. It's still generous under the new plan, given that CSX will be leasing back the track to run freight trains 12 hours of each day. But CSX has agreed to accept some of the legal liability for any accidents on the line, most notably for any accidents involving freight trains. CSX would also be on the hook for a $10 million insurance deductible if two trains collide.

The proposed legislation also directs state transportation officials to study the impact of increased freight traffic on Lakeland. State Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, has been SunRail's most adamant critic, in part because north-south freight traffic would probably be shifted from the east coast line to rails that run right through the city's downtown. It's a valid concern, and the proposed legislation would allow the state to spend real-estate tax money on attempts to lessen the impact. (The legislation would commit money from the same source to TriRail.)

By itself, SunRail would be worth pursuing, as a crucial part of Florida's effort to reduce automobile traffic and improve mass transit. The project also promises a straightforward economic boost. Over its 20-year construction period, SunRail is projected to create more than 100,000 construction jobs and more than 21,000 permanent jobs.

But U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood provided an additional, powerful incentive to move ahead on SunRail in October, when he delivered a blunt message to state lawmakers: "Get your act together" on commuter rail, he said, or Florida will lose not only the federal money earmarked for SunRail, but the chance for billions in high-speed rail projects in the state.

Lou Frey, an Orlando attorney and political commentator, cracked Tuesday morning on WMFE 90.7 FM's "Intersection" talk show that the proposed rail deal has had "more deaths than an assassin movie." But key state leaders -- most notably U.S. Rep. John Mica -- have been dogged in their refusal to give up on SunRail. LaHood's ultimatum was clear: Florida has one more chance to get rail service on track. If lawmakers don't move forward, the chance of building any kind of mass-transit network for the state looks dim.

11/26:

Legislators plan for Dec. 3 start of rail special session

House and Senate leaders OK plans for SunRail, TriRail

By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel

8:29 a.m. EST, November 26, 2009

TALLAHASSEE - - State lawmakers are penciling in next week as the starting point for a special legislative session to pave the way for Central Florida's $1.2 billion SunRail commuter train project.

The Florida Legislature's presiding officers sent a memo to lawmakers Wednesday, telling them a deal is close to shore up both SunRail and provide a bailout for TriRail, the cash-strapped transit system in South Florida. The memo advises lawmakers to consider making travel plans to get to Tallahassee late next week to start work.

The special session has been tentatively planned to go down the week of Dec. 7-11. But because the Jewish observance of Hanukkah starts on Dec. 11, legislative leaders may ask the rank-and-file to get an early start on committee hearings to go over the legislation.

Gov. Charlie Crist and legislative leaders have been quietly massaging the details of a special session to resolve liability-insurance issues for the proposed SunRail commuter system through Orlando, as well as provide a dedicated funding stream for South Florida's commuter system. Tri-Rail already gets $20 million annually from the state and needs $27 million more to cover operating costs. It also faces the possibility of having to repay the federal government $256 million if it folds.

"At this time, I am optimistic that we are very close to having legislation that achieves this objective, while addressing the concerns raised by Senators regarding liability for freight and passenger rail and a dedicated, sustainable funding source for commuter rail," said Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, in the memo.

He promised another update on Monday.

Federal transit officials have stressed to Florida that if it hopes to secure any of its requested $2.5 billion in federal funding for a proposed high-speed rail link between Orlando and Tampa, it should try to demonstrate a commitment to those inter-connected commuter rail projects.

Behind the scenes, legislative staff have been haggling over how to structure financial support to Tri-Rail, the wording of the insurance agreement that would shield rail-car operators from lawsuits, and starting dates.

The initial idea was to include a new $2-a-day rental-car "surcharge" in the rail package to prop up Tri-Rail. But last week, House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, called that option a "heavy-lift" in the current political climate. The Legislature raised taxes and fees by $2.3 billion last spring to balance the state's budget.

Now lawmakers think they can tap surplus gas-tax revenue due to come into the state's road-building trust fund in future years.

"Constructive conversations in recent days have encouraged the hope that a special session on passenger rail may in fact occur," Cretul said in the memo to House members and staff.

The rental-car surcharge idea isn't totally dead, though. Legislative leaders have been tinkering with the idea of setting up a rail authority that would disburse funds in the future not just to Tri-Rail, but also future commuter systems in Central Florida, Jacksonville and Tampa, as a way to build support.

11/25:

Dockery: Sunrail Is A Waste Of Money

Reported by Stephanie Coueignoux

WINTER PARK -- "I can set the house that you just bought for me on fire and you're responsible for the liability. That's the deal that we have."

Strong words from State Senator Paula Dockery on the subject of Sunrail. She stopped by the Winter Park city commission to speak on the issue.

People in the education community are now asking their elected officials if they can guarantee no cuts will be made to education if commuter rail passes.

A lot of folks were not happy to see her there and definitely made their feelings known.

Despite that, Dockery said she's glad she had a chance to speak her mind that, in theory, the commuter rail is a good idea, but in reality, it's a financial disaster.

"I would suggest it's highly unusual that a state elected official that doesn't represent Winter Park desires to speak here to this body."

That's how Winter Park Mayor Ken Bradley introduced State Senator Paula Dockery at Monday's city commission meeting.

The Republican Senator was there to speak out against Sunrail, a project she feels is a waste of taxpayers money. A project, Winter Park residents voted for in 2007.

"I want to know why we have the biggest opponent of Sunrail here," one man wanted to know.

Dockery says the idea of Sunrail is right, but leaving the residents to foot the bill is wrong.

Orange County Commissioner Bill Segal, who supports Sunrail, believes Dockery is only here for her own political purposes.

"It's a last ditch stand," Segal said. "They're all just here to stir the pot."

Segal says while Sunrail will cost money. It's an investment for a new, more urban Central Florida.

11/21:

New Voices: A dark comedy called SunRail becomes tragedy

By Christian W. Waugh Special to the Sentinel

November 21, 2009

SunRail didn't start out as a bad joke. The citizens of Central Florida, no longer amused by losing weeks of their lives every year staring at bumpers, demanded alternatives. With no new private solutions on the horizon, citizens justifiably turned to policymakers to fill the gap for their demand with an increased supply of transportation methods that would alleviate the agony of the after-work commute and perhaps even create more pleasant routes home.

And policymakers listened. Local partners in Central Florida unanimously approved the plan and the state Legislature has dutifully debated its merits. Still, somehow, the Legislature has voted it down on every occasion. What gives?

A lot, it turns out. The SunRail plan is one of the most market-insulated, destined-for-red-ink boondoggles to ever grace the face of a ballot. The route roughly parallels Interstate 4 and will be a less-flexible and less-rapid form of transit than for those who drive a car.

And if you do want to brave the crowded SunRail morning or after-work commute, you will still need to drive to the station.

Economically speaking, most people value their ability to go to lunch with whomever they please or leave work quickly in case of an emergency. On this account, it is doubtful many drivers will be willing to trade down to SunRail.

Want proof? Check out the disastrously unprofitable and unused TriRail in South Florida. It lost $80 million last year, and now lawmakers are insanely considering a tax on rental cars, which would undermine our tourist economy, to make up for it.

But that's only part of why SunRail is becoming funny business.

No real business could survive if it only brought in 20 percent of its operating and maintenance expenses from its customers.

And that's an optimistic estimate of how much of SunRail's costs will be paid for by the people who ride it. The rest, in this case, will be paid for and subsidized by local and state governments, whose money comes from us.

That means the vast majority, who prefer cars, will be subsidizing the few who ride SunRail. Further, it will be yet another budget obligation that hamstrings our Legislature in future years into deficit spending and/or tax hikes.

Less romantic comedy than dark, SunRail turns positively tragic when one considers the original potential for such a project. Although it is almost impossible to have a profitable mass-transit system, there is at least one place that it has succeeded: Hong Kong. Its Mass Transit Railway started off as a government enterprise but was privatized in 2000. Today it makes hundreds of millions of dollars every year.

Further, the MTR issues Octopus smart cards that are like a mix between the debit cards one simply swipes by a sensor and the Buy Local Orlando discount cards. Octopus cards are taken at every 7-Eleven, Circle K, and McDonald's, among other businesses. They are a creative and convenient store of value that gives people an incentive to ride the MTR.

Finally, the MTR develops its stations with commercial opportunities in mind, offering space to vendors, which in turn brings more people to the service. This could be one way of overcoming the daunting population-density problem for Orlando mass transit.

Have any state legislators considered hiring consultants from Hong Kong, where experience and expertise abound in popular, profitable rail systems? The poverty of commercial imagination and innovation, the absence of business sense and the obvious lack of vision should mean SunRail is given the hook and is pulled off the stage.

SunRail would be funny, if it weren't so sad.

11/17:

SunRail hits new snag -- how to pay for TriRail

Aaron Deslatte Tallahassee Bureau

November 17, 2009

TALLAHASSEE - Florida lawmakers' efforts to rush through legislation authorizing the SunRail commuter train in a special lawmaking session next month may have hit a new snag -- convincing federal transportation officials the state can pay for its end of the deal.

But the issue this time isn't the $1.2-billion SunRail project – which died in the Florida Senate during the past two sessions – but how to create a dedicated funding stream for South Florida's rail system, Tri-Rail.

Federal transit officials have repeatedly stressed that if Florida hopes to secure any of the $8 billion in stimulus dollars available nationally for high-speed rail projects, it must demonstrate a commitment to interconnected commuter rail projects.

Tri-Rail, the commuter system that runs through Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, has long favored enactment of a $2-a-day "surcharge" on cars rented in the three counties to help finance the cash-strapped system. The idea has been pitched in Tallahassee for years and passed several years ago -- with the provision that it first go to a public vote in the counties imposing the tax -- but then-Gov. Jeb Bush vetoed it.

Legislation this past session called for the measure to be approved by county commissions in each county – and then be put to a referendum, either in 2010 or 2014.

And that's why federal transit officials aren't sold on the surcharge idea -- because it could be rejected by voters down the road.

Federal officials said they "want to know that the funding source is sustainable and risk-free," Senate President Jeff Atwater, R- North Palm Beach, said in an interview Tuesday.

"Three years from now, you have a referendum in South Florida and it fails, was Florida really committed to rail? ... That's the question we're trying to figure out."

Atwater said the feedback came from two officials he and other lawmakers met with recently in Washington: Karen Rae, deputy administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration; and Peter Rogoff, Federal Transit Administration administrator.

"They didn't say it was a deal-killer if it had a referendum, but it is a concern."

Still, he and others acknowledged that imposing a new tax on travelers during a special session could prove a prickly political dilemma for rail backers.

Atwater said the final rail bill may contain the rental-car surcharge, or "maybe you see something completely different" -- something like devoting a portion of the state's gas tax to rail, instead of traditional road-building projects.

Lawmakers and Gov. Charlie Crist acknowledged Tuesday that time was short to hammer out those finer points in time to hold a special session in December.

Crist said he was "hopefully optimistic" that a special session would be scheduled within the next week, although he stayed out of the details of how to pay for South Florida's system. Last spring, his office was adamant about not moving forward with similar rail legislation unless the $2 rental-car tax required ratification by a public vote of the counties imposing it.

"My preference would be for a referendum, but we have to stay open-minded," the governor said.

Attorney General Bill McCollum reiterated at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting that the Legislature needed to act quickly to land federal rail support.

'We need SunRail to go through. Rental cars, by and large, are rented by people who come to visit our state. It is a transportation issue," McCollum said, adding he didn't consider the surcharge a new tax.

"Somebody's got to be paying for that, and the best people are those who come to the state and use the [road] system."

State Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink said she also went to Washington and heard from federal transit officials that Florida needed to get its commuter-rail systems on firm financial footing to draw down high-speed dollars.

Sink had been a critic of the SunRail project two years ago but said Tuesday she wanted to "bring this deal in for a landing." But she shied away from endorsing the rental-car tax to pay for Tri-Rail.

"I'm not well-informed right now about what the different revenue sources might be," Sink said. "I just have to see the details."

11/10:

Riders Oppose MARTA Fare Increases, Service Cuts

By Jonathan Springston, Senior Staff Writer, The Atlanta Progressive News (June 18, 2009)

(APN) ATLANTA – MARTA officials are spending this week making its case to the public for fare increases and service cuts while giving riders a chance to voice their opinions.

Several dozen citizens packed council chambers at City Hall Tuesday night, June 16, 2009. Many signed up to speak out on proposals in MARTA’s fiscal year 2010 budget, which is designed to close a multi-million dollar operating budget gap.

Many complained existing conditions on MARTA are less than great. Samantha Boyce, a regular rider of the 24 Belvedere bus, noted riders already suffer through unreliable buses, rude drivers, and long wait times that result in riders being late to work and other obligations. Further cuts would only make the problems worse, she said.

"We’re the ones who are suffering the most," Boyce said. "We are at their mercy."

For the last decade, MARTA has been forced to dip into reserves to make up budget gaps. But recent political and economic realities have put MARTA in an even tighter corner.

The poor economy is driving down expected sales tax revenue from Fulton and DeKalb Counties, which accounts for half of MARTA’s operating budget, by $74 million.

The Georgia General Assembly left the agency in a bind earlier this year after it failed to pass SB 120. This legislation would have lifted State restrictions, allowing MARTA to access funds in its capital reserve, about $65 million, to make up the operating gap.

Walter Jones, Director of MARTA’s Office of Management and Budget, said Tuesday the State is imposing "outdated and outmoded restrictions" on the agency and noted Georgia provides no funding to the agency.

To avoid disaster, MARTA is proposing a package of changes to make up the gap for FY 2010, which begins July 1: raising the fare by $.25 to $2.00; a $1 parking fee increase at four lots; no train service after midnight; increase in wait times for trains by several minutes; elimination of bus routes 23, 182, 245, and 273; and changes in 41 other bus routes.

MARTA last raised its fare in 2001 from $1.25 to its current level of $1.75 and committed not to raise fares for five years. Officials tried to raise the fare again in 2005 but, as previously reported by Atlanta Progressive News, community opposition from groups like Atlanta Transit Riders' Union squashed the plan.

Jones said adjusted for inflation, current fare should be at $2.17, implying a fare increase is long overdue.

MARTA estimates the fare increase will generate an extra $4.8 million, and that the service cuts will generate an extra $8.4 million for 2010.

The agency is using other measures to plug the gap, including drawing $32 million out of operational reserves, $19.2 million in cost containment measures, and $6.4 million in safety enhancements.

MARTA workers are sacrificing as well: no annual merit increases, an increase in medical benefit contributions, and up to 10-day furloughs for all non-represented employees.

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 732, which represents MARTA employees, has agreed to a 15-month deferral on collective bargaining on economic matters due to the current economic slump.

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) threw MARTA a lifeline in May 2009 when it agreed to send the agency $25 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds originally earmarked for long-term transit projects in Atlanta.

The lifeline is a one-time payment, which MARTA plans to use towards its operating costs. After the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) signed off on the lifeline last week, MARTA announced it will reallocate $25 million of its own capital money to fund transit-related infrastructure projects inside the MARTA service area.

Jones said MARTA can "put off a day of reckoning" with this proposed package but warned drastic options could be back on the table next year if the economic crisis does not abate and if more revenue streams do not become available.

"Relying on one-time grants and reserves is not a long-term solution," Jones said.

The Board is set to vote on the budget June 22. If approved, service changes will take effect August 15, 2009 and the fare increase on October 1.

Public hearings continued at 7 pm Wednesday at the South Fulton Service Center on Stonewall Tell Road in College Park and the Maloof Auditorium on Commerce Drive in Decatur.

For more about the FY 2010 budget and the proposed changes, visit www.atlantaprogressiveblog.com.

10/25:

Gambling, trains get bundled

by Mark Lane

News Journal

The Legislature finished its yearly session May 1 but left undone work behind. Since then, hardly a month goes by without the governor talking up or batting down the idea of a special session.

Last week the governor was in talking-up mode.

He was talking up a special session to get commuter rail built in Central Florida and fiscally on the tracks in South Florida. And this would be done to get the state's on-again, off-again high-speed rail plans on again.

Plus, he's suggesting, that since everyone would be hanging around town anyway, they also might want to approve the Seminole gaming compact. You know, the one that's been gathering dust since September.

So now Indian gaming is linked to high-speed rail, which, in turn, is linked to commuter rail.

How did that happen?

Well, the state would like to receive $2.5 billion in federal spending on high-speed rail. Florida historically has not done so well in getting federal transportation dollars. We tend to be a donor state, meaning Florida gets less in federal transportation spending than we put in. Our highway dollars help fund roads and bridges in Alaska, Montana and New York.

Some big transportation projects could address that imbalance. And in so doing, create thousands of jobs in a state with above-average unemployment and insane pockets of traffic congestion. And among the biggest projects going is high-speed rail.

Floridians love the idea of high-speed rail -- as long as somebody else pays for much of it.

You might recall that we passed the Bullet Train Amendment in 2000 and then passed the Bullet Train Repeal Amendment in 2004. ("A boondoggle of epic proportions," then-Gov. Jeb Bush argued before, during and after the 2000 vote.)

One problem, though. It has not escaped the U.S. Department of Transportation's notice that Florida is pretty terrible about committing to and funding mass transit aside from buses. If a state can't do commuter rail, how can you expect it to do high-speed rail?

Well, it's funny what a few frank words from a secretary of transportation can do. The governor and Senate President Jeff Atwater now are up for a third try at helping commuter rail. Both building the SunRail system, which would connect Volusia County with Orlando and the big world beyond, and finding a stable fund source for Tri-Rail in south Florida. A December special session could wrap it all up as a Christmas present.

And both high-speed rail and SunRail, say supporters, are shovel-ready.

"Shovel-ready" either means the groundwork is there for a fast startup or the Legislature is poised to bury these things.

One or the other.

And that will be up to House Speaker by Accident Larry Cretul. A special session can't happen without his signing on and he's characteristically slow to say either yes or no to the idea.

Philosophically, Cretul opposes federal stimulus spending. And he'd prefer a more limited, narrower Seminole gaming pact than anything the tribe is remotely interested in discussing. Still, he hasn't ruled these things out, either.

If I had any idea what he will do, that would make an excellent close to this column. Still, I'm guessing that legislators will need to take their Christmas sweaters out of storage because you would not believe how cold Tallahassee can get in winter

10/22:

How far will this latest run for trains take us?

A whopping 64 percent of Florida voters rejected high-speed rail in 2004.

Twice in the past two years, the Legislature turned back a new commuter rail in Central Florida. It also rejected additional funding for existing commuter rail in South Florida.

There's nothing like stimulus dollars to stimulate choo-choo mania.

And so here we go again with three train proposals coming down the track.

Call it ObamaRail, the result of an $8 billion pot of money set up to fund high-speed train projects.

That has created an immediate scrum among the states anxious to get a piece of it.

Florida has put in for $2.5 billion to build a link between Tampa and Orlando.

Let's hope memories are short, because this is what former Florida Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher said when he led the high-speed-rail opposition in 2004: "It makes no sense to build something that people won't use."

To convince the feds that Tom was wrong, the state's political leaders are planning to convene a special session of the Legislature. Gov. Charlie Crist is on board, as is Senate President Jeff Atwater.

We just need future Speaker Dean Cannon to set aside his oil rigs and use his influence to make sure the House signs on, too.

And then, if all goes according to the script, they would approve building commuter rail here, and come up with some money for South Florida's commuter train.

Thus would we prove to the urban elitists in the White House that we are not just a bunch of commuting, suburban troglodytes.

"Shame on us if we don't take advantage of this historic opportunity," said temporary U.S. Sen. George LeMieux.

There is indeed a historic opportunity here.

Unfortunately, it doesn't entail going to a Tampa Bay Bucs game at 120 mph.

Gallagher was right. People won't use it.

U.S. Rep. John Mica understands this, which is why the Winter Park Republican hems and haws when asked about it. He was more upfront with the St. Petersburg Times when he called the Orlando-Tampa route a "dog."

Now he just says, "You can't take billions of dollars and throw it around carelessly." (What Washington does he live in?)

The Tampa-Orlando link contains none of the necessary ingredients for high-speed rail to work. The metropolitan areas are not big and dense enough. There is not enough commerce between the two of them. They are too close together. And neither has a local train system that could tie into the train stations.

Simply put, it would be a lot easier, cheaper and probably even faster to get into my Prius and drive to Tampa.

A planning group called America 2050 analyzed the best possible routes for high-speed rail, and Florida cities didn't crack the top 50 on the list. The best candidates were New York to Washington, Philadelphia to Washington, Boston to New York, Baltimore to New York and Los Angeles to San Francisco.

The only case to be made for an Orlando-to-Tampa route is that:

•We need the jobs.

•We could build it fast.

•It would be pretty cool.

Florida would get a hefty dose of temporary cash and temporary jobs. But when the train was finished, the feds would take their stimulus and go home. And Florida would be saddled with huge subsidies to keep an underused system operational.

Federal transportation planners understand this, which is why we won't get a dime for ObamaRail.

But that is fine. The real value of high-speed rail is the special session of the Legislature. We get the commuter projects, and by the time we don't get the high-speed-rail project, it will be too late for take-backs.

A route to Tampa may not make sense. But we do need routes from the airport to Walt Disney World, and the airport to the convention center.

And we need a mass-transit corridor through the center of the region that one day will serve as a spine for smaller transit systems cropping up between Volusia and Osceola.

These feeder systems have to be in place before high-speed rail enters the picture. That will be a good idea in the year 2025, by which time we may well be trying to stimulate ourselves out of the next recession.

And when that day comes, a Miami-Orlando line makes more sense than a Tampa-Orlando line.

Miami is the optimal distance, a place that is too close to fly to conveniently and too far to drive to conveniently.

Miami already has commuter rail in place and is gaining passengers. We can have one up and running fairly quickly.

If it takes the false promise of high-speed rail now to get us there 15 years from now, so be it.

10/20:

October 20, 2009

December special session considered for SunRail

TALLAHASSEE -- A controversial proposal to build a commuter-rail system in Central Florida could come back to state lawmakers this year.

Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, expressed support Monday for holding a special legislative session in December to consider approving the 61-mile SunRail project, which would connect Volusia and three other counties.

Gov. Charlie Crist also quickly offered his support for a special session, telling reporters, "I think that's a great idea."

Jaryn Emhof, a spokeswoman for the Senate president, said Atwater attended meetings Monday in Washington that dealt with Florida's efforts to win $2.6 billion in federal money to build a high-speed rail system that would initially link Tampa and Orlando and eventually could extend to Miami.

In evaluating the high-speed rail proposal, federal officials indicated they would look at Florida's commitment to rail transportation, including the SunRail project, Emhof said.

The senator would like to take up the SunRail issue before the end of the year, as the federal government is expected to make decisions about high-speed rail funding this winter. Florida's regular legislative session does not start until March.

SunRail needs legislative approval, but proposals have died the past two years in the Senate.

Opponents have questioned spending money on the project while the state faces severe budget problems. Also, they have criticized a proposal that would help shield rail company CSX Transportation from lawsuits if its freight trains are involved in accidents with commuter trains.

***************************************************

Crist, Atwater: Vote on SunRail in December

6/28:

OrlandoSentinel.comFriendly advice for SunRail's boosters: Get real

Scott Maxwell

I'm not sure whether to cheer or roll my eyes.

Inherently, I support transit options and rail. And I think it's shortsighted and simple-minded to blast this project because it costs a lot of money and wouldn't carry many people at first.

That's how the first leg of most any rail system would be.

I have to imagine there were skeptics back in 1869 when New York's first underground tunnel — a mere 312 feet in length beneath Broadway — was constructed. It certainly wasn't practical.

But the visionaries knew then that you must walk before you can run. And that first step is the most painful.

That said, I have never liked the way this town's "visionaries" have handled rail.

They can be heavy-handed, condescending and less than forthcoming with the facts.

They offer vague and misleading answers to legitimate questions and then seem puzzled by the fact that everyone doesn't jump on board.

They help create the very gadflies that drive them so batty.

There's also the fact that so many of them seem to have their hands in the cookie jar.

I remember last month when we got our hands on the documents that showed how much public money had been spent promoting this thing — well over $1 million on lobbying and public relations alone.

More than a quarter-million of that went to the regional civic group, Myregion.org. Taxpayers already support this well-intentioned but amorphous chamber-of-commerce outgrowth, which is bigger on feel-good talk than concrete results.

So the taxpayers help fund this group ... which then bills the taxpayers for more money ... so they can convince everyone to spend more taxpayer money on a massive project. Nice gig if you can get it.

(And by the way: Nearly $1 million for sell-jobs that failed? Maybe someone should throw a few expected-results clauses into the next contract.)

There are a lot of people who support this project. SunRail proponents should find more of them who are willing to give help — without also giving them a bill.

Even the so-called "deadline" that was miraculously extended last week was an artificial one.

It was simply a date CSX chose to try to force lawmakers to strike a deal as quickly as possible. There's a reason that CSX both set the deadline and now agreed to extend it — because the company is going to make out like a bandit.

That's something else proponents have trouble admitting. When pressed about whether CSX is getting too much from taxpayers, they resort to the well-that's-how-everyone-else-did-it response.

My mother didn't buy that excuse when I was back in grade school. Maybe I need to sic Mom on the SunRail strategists.

On the flip side, though, you have an extreme (and extremely loud) portion of the anti-rail crowd that complains about everything associated with the project.

Some have legitimate concerns about costs and getting more trains coming through their towns.

But some simply don't want to spend any money — on this or most anything else. They propose loopy, unresearched ideas like extending Disney's monorail to downtown. They assume everyone who likes rail is getting a payoff. And they accuse most any medium that won't parrot their conspiracy theories of getting paid for their silence.

I don't blame SunRail supporters for giving up on trying to placate that crowd. Some don't want to be placated. They are most happy when miserable ... and eager to make others feel the same way.

And then somewhere between the constant complainers and paternalistic pom-pom shakers are what I think is the majority of us — people who want more transit options but have some legitimate concerns and questions.

We are the people who understand that SunRail would simply be a first step, but a crucial one. People who understand that nothing this significant comes cheap.

But we are also people who expect those championing this project to act more like responsible stewards of the public's interest than starry-eyed cheerleaders. People who want public officials to drive a hard bargain on their behalf. And people who want civic leaders who will do that without looking to get paid for it.

The best thing proponents have going for them is the possibility of tapping even more stimulus money for the project.

They should tout that fact, answer all the hard questions and retool their sales pitch — perhaps with some new pitchmen.

By WILLIAM MARCH

wmarch@tampatrib.com

Sponsors of Central Florida's SunRail commuter-rail bill all but admitted defeat Thursday night, shutting down debate on the bill after losing a key procedural vote.

"We in Central Florida wanted to have a hearing. I believe we're seeing we're not going to get to a vote," said sponsor Sen. Lee Constantine, R- Altamonte Springs, as he withdrew the SunRail amendment.

That means that to bring it back up tomorrow, the session's last day, he'd need a two-thirds vote, which he clearly doesn't have.

Earlier, Constantine had attempted to bring up an amendment considered key to get the support of South Florida Democrats. It would have allowed a $2-a-day surcharge on rental cars if approved by a super-majority vote of a county commission. The tax would be able to continue until the public voted in a referendum in 2014.

South Florida lawmakers had sought the tax to provide money for Tri-Rail, the commuter line in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. But under Senate rules, bringing the amendment up required a two-thirds vote, or 27 members.

Constantine's motion died on a 23-17 vote, four votes short.

"The forces of evil have won," said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

But others said there was a slim chance the $1.2 billion project could be resurrected on the floor tomorrow.

Dan Tracy | Sentinel Staff Writer

11:42 AM EST, February 9, 2009

"We do need to get numbers to try and get this going," said FDOT District 5 secretary Noranne Downs. The new bid specifications will be sent out Tuesday, with responses expected within two weeks, Downs said. Dropped from the new list will be two sections of rail switches that would allow freight trains and commuter trains to go from one set of tracks to another; improvements to two road crossings; the removal of contaminated dirt, possibly including arsenic, at a yard in Sanford where the control station is to be built; and hiring workers to flag traffic around some work sites.

FDOT officials would not release any prices estimates on the vetoed work, saying it would give bidders an unfair advantage in compiling their bids. District construction engineer Frank O'Dea said the deletions would not affect the safety or performance of the train known as SunRail. The dropped work, he said, can be done years later or handled by state workers.

From the Lakeland Ledger:

...the majority of voters surveyed in Central Florida and statewide are opposed to agreements for Orlando commuter rail.

2/9: Anecdotally, there is a pattern seen around the country when it comes to commuter and light rail:

It is forced on citizens regardless of how it will cause tax hikes and not solve any transportations issues. There are websites by the government (paid for by taxpayers) and then websites by citizens. Ultimately, it is forced on the many by the oligarchy running this scheme. Bus fares go up, bus routes are reduced. Someone is making money from this at the taxpayers' expense and it is never really discussed. Taxes are attached to such things as rental cars to pay for the rail system. Yet it continues because those in the position to say no, say yes; it's the only thing necessary for bad policies to exist. We will be getting this in DeBary. In seven years when the "partners" pull out, we will have to pay for it. We should institute a "Commuter Rail Tax" so everyone will know exactly what this will cost us.

Norm Erickson