Special session proposal would keep Tri-Rail rolling
by Dara Kam | December 3rd, 2009Lawmakers are preparing to start a 10-day session on rail issues that in part could keep Tri-Rail on track.
The 49-page bill legislators will consider includes an extra $13 million to $15 million a year for Tri-Rail that’s been operating at a deficit since its inception two decades ago.
That’s “probably as good as we could get right now,” said Palm Beach County Commissioner Jeff Koons, who is also chairman of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority that oversees Tri-Rail.
That’s a big deal for leaders in Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Broward counties where Tri-Rail runs. Federal officials have threatened to ask the counties to give back more than $200 million if Tri-Rail service is cut back as officials there have threatened.
Tri-Rail is paid for by the state, rider fares and the three counties in which it runs – Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade.
But the commuter line used by 15,000 riders daily has operated in the red by about $15 million every year.
Leaders in the three counties say they don’t have the money to make up the deficit and state lawmakers have refused to grant them the $2 rental car surcharge (also known as a tax) they’ve sought to cover their losses.
Now, state lawmakers are willing to fork over $13 million to $15 million a year to keep Tri-Rail on track to prove to federal lawmakers that Florida is serious about commuter rail. That way, the state will have a better chance at getting some of the $8 billion in stimulus money for high-speed rail projects.
The money will come from gas taxes and other fuel fees and should qualify as a “dedicated funding source” federal officials are seeking, Palm Beach County Commissioner Jeff Koons said.
“I think we ended up in the middle in the sense that we didn’t get our funding source but then a reallocation of those dollars is probably as good as we could get right now,” Koons said.
Tags: commuter rail, Florida House, Florida Senate, Palm Beach County, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, special session, transportation, Tri-Rail
December 3rd, 2009 at 8:24 am
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December 3rd, 2009 at 9:33 am
What a waste of money. We stop for that thing two and three times a day and there is never anybody on it. Just another money wasting project and people protecting their government jobs.
You would have to start educating this nation in kindergarten before you will ever see much more than one person-one car. Especially in Florida.
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:54 am
Amazing! We can barely keep Tri-Rail running and people are still considering an $8 billion high speed rail system. With the money that we spend to keep Tri-Rail running, we could give every rider a car of their own. A day will come when it won’t matter what we want to do because we won’t have the money to do anything.
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:15 am
Mass transportation is a great thing, when planned correctly instead of in the patchwork, special interest fashion being displayed in this special session.
Lets take Tri-Rail as a case example of this utter failure on the part of the state to plan properly. 15,000 riders in a metropolitan area of nearly 5.5 million and Tri-Rail, for 20 years straight, cannot stay afloat without subsidies.
SunRail analysts predict a whopping 14,500 riders by 2030, when the Orlando metropolitan area will have 3.5 million people. Clearly, SunRail will not be able to break even without constant taxpayer subsidies. And why all this inconsistent planning and burdening of taxpayers? Because there is an outlying possibility we might get federal dollars. But whether we get federal dollars for a bullet train or not, we will continue to have SunRail and Tri-Rail as burdens on the budget for decades to come. Sounds like good governance is not a concept the legislature is capable of comprehending. Remember, this is the same legislature that originally rejected the bullet train before.
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:34 am
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December 3rd, 2009 at 10:42 am
Stop It, Moth-Ball It, Cancel It, Retire It….WHAT DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?
Time to plug up this “Tax-Payer” drain and go back to the drawing board. These cities are too spread out to have a cost-effective mass-transit system.
We are NOT Disney Land/World confined withing a well defined area.
December 19th, 2009 at 7:55 am
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