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 just watched a TV special on the railroad to Miami then to Key West. The entire thing was built by Flagler, using his own money (he was the brains behind John D Rockefeller and Standard Oil).
He created Maimi (they wanted to name the town Flagler but he insisted on using an Indian name.
If Florida really needs this high speed rail and it will make money, why don’t these Democratic politicians get Warren Buffet, Bill Gates or George Soros to invest their OWN money in the project?
At $4.00 a gallon and 23 mpg, costs about $15 to get there.
Compare that to the time to drive to the train station, park, get to the terminal, buy your $30 ticket, wait for your train. At 200mph, you get there in about 25 minutes. Then, go rent a car at $50 a day.
Bottom line is nobody will save time or money taking the train. Makes no economic sense whatsoever.
Rail advocates said Scott is focusing on an anti-rail ideology rather than business and “fact-based” decisions.
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What people *might* or *might not* do in the future are not “facts”, they are projections. They are based on predicting behavior, and, as such, they are probably wrong.
Anybody know where this “author” is getting his info from? I can find nothing on the FDOT home page indicating any kind of independent consulting study let alone a study that indicates a surplus.
We should make a deal. Since the city of Tampa thinks this will be a huge money maker we should allow Tampa to keep any surplus generated by high-speed rail ticket sales. Conversely, Tampa alone should be on the hook should a yearly shortfall exist.
Some how I don’t invision 9,000 people a day thinking...
Instead of taking 90 minutes to drive to Orlando from Tampa.
I’m going to drive 30 minutes to the airport
Pay $10 to park my car
Pay $32 for the train to Orlando
take 60 minutes to ride to Orlando
and then figure out how to get around Orlando.
Where oh where is the $42 in value?
If the line was as successful as they say it is, why hasn’t Amtrak built a line from Tampa-Saint Pete to Orlando yet? It should be very lucrative.
another offering from Delusional Studies While U Wait, Inc.
LOL. The only people that would ride that train are tourists and the low income folks who don’t own a car. You can see them riding the bus any day in Orlando.