Posted on 03/10/2011 7:48:47 AM PST by Iron Munro
Every time career politicians and bureaucrats lose on an issue they manage to come up with a new consultant's report that backs their point of view.
Notice that the consultants were paid $1.3 million for these studies. Similar amounts were paid for previous consultant reports that projected lower ridership. But when politicians and bureaucrats don't like the projections they keep spending money on more studies and POOF!,like magic, each report is more favorable to their position.
Only when they get the report they like do they agree those are the real figures and they stop paying for more studies.
I call Barbara Streisand...........
Turn the project into a private IPO and see how many investors will dig deep.
Exactly.
Private investors line up when think something will be profitable. And stay away when they don’t.
They just can not let it go. They should build one to the state mental institution in Chattahoochee. The Chattahoochee Choo Choo.
Horse Hockey!
MORE GOVERNMENT LIES
funny how all this demand exists. it’ll continue to exist until the system becomes operational, then it will evaporate, as it always does. the models the ‘experts’ use are faulty, adn their predictions will not come true.
has there ever been a ridership prediction for any mass transit proposal that was anyway near the actual figure?
expect even more rosier predictions until they give up entirely.
If it will run a surplus every year like they claim, then some evil capitalist would have built it long ago.
If at first you don’t succeed, inflate the numbers until you do.
Private investors do Due Diligence. Government hacks do a study. This graphically demonstrates the difference between the two.
Usually these “analysis” ignore the capital construction costs.
That's the one possible area that a commuter rail service could make sense with the number of visitors/tourists in the area. But, if it's a great idea, private funding should be available.
Yup, that is why AMTRAC is making so much money - - - -
Oh wait. We have to subsidise that disaster with tax dollars.
"As low as," in other words, "at a minumum."
And you need one roundtrip ticket per person. How many people are driving from Tampa to Orlando and back with only one person in the car? How much are train tickets for your wife and three kids on your way to the Magic Kingdom? How does that compare to the price of gas even at $5 per gallon?
If they’re allowed to assume $7 a gallong gasoline, then I’m sure that will help their numbers, too.
Heck, why not assume the state stops issuing drivers licenses? That’ll increase ridership as well.
Its a huge money maker. Moral of the story if it can make money it will be built.
None. With a layout of $2.4 BILLION and an expected profit of $10.4 million, the rate of return is less than 0.5% annually. You would be a fool to sink that much money into it.
If High speed rail would make a profit they would be people lining up to bid on the private to invest in a private company.
Well lets see... The Libertarian group must be crazy, the conservative group must be completely nuts, but the two "independent consulting firms" are rock solid evidence of it being a highly profitable decision with no risk at all....
Interesting because high-speed rail just about anyplace on the planet runs at a HUGE FREAKING LOSS and requires massive Government subsidies to stay afloat.
But this one particular train will be different. Go figure.
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