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.
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.
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.
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....
Re: #1; It the same with Rat’s and vote recounts. Recount and recount until you get the result you want then stop. See the movie “Key Largo”.
Its like this, the poll asks something similar to, “would you like to ride a bullet train if this state had one?”
Very few mightl answer “no”, and therefore we have this crap reported as news.
If these DOT individuals, this hack newspaper, this hack writer, Obama, etc., really believe this boondoggle could make money then they need to privately fund it themselves. They need to put their money where their mouth is or shut up.
Meanwhile, the Florida taxpayers shouldn't have this loser hung around their neck.
The Gov. is right. Here in Tampa, we have a trolley system that for the last 5 years, is costing residents millions a year.... It doesn't make any money... But the elites had to have it. There isn't a mass transit system in the U.S. that isn't running in the red.... Look at Amtrack.Yup... in the real world, passenger rail needs on going subsidies. The consultants’ argument is self-serving. Let’s hope high speed rail never gets built in FL.