[MeganC]

“And it’s still a huge money loser.”

Nope, not at all. The trains were originally implemented as an alternative to a much more costly widening of Interstate 80 from State Route 65 to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. By diverting 1.5 million round trips per year from I-80 the Capitols (as they’re called) have saved the taxpayers the approximately $7 billion dollars that was being contemplated to widen the freeway along the same 125 mile route.

The trains were originally supposed to recapture 12% of their costs in fares when the system was (mis)managed by Amtrak and CalTrans. With the JPA running things they’re now recapturing 40% of costs in fares which makes for a net savings for California taxpayers when weighed against costs for rebuilding I-80 to carry 1.5 million additional round trips annually.

[VeniVidiVici]

With the JPA running things they’re now recapturing 40% of costs in fares which makes for a net savings for California taxpayers when weighed against costs for rebuilding I-80 to carry 1.5 million additional round trips annually.

So the additional 60% needed to cover costs comes from where?

[been_lurking]

With the JPA running things they’re now recapturing 40% of costs in fares

So the taxpayers cover 60% of the cost.

How can you call that financially sound?

[PeterPrinciple]

The latest reports the Florida Department of Transportation commissioned at a cost of $1.3 million indicate a $10.24 million surplus from high-speed rail operations in 2016, with ticket revenue of $60.8 million, $12.3 million more than predicted before.

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Any body buying that? $60.8 million of revenue and a surplus of $10.24 million, so total operating cost is $50.56 million? But it cost 1.3 million just to get these numbers? So if I did invest I would have a return of 21%. That is the deal of the century right now, investors ought to be lining up.

Now the reporter may be stupid and not helping the situation. Or? The numbers make no sense.

The other side of this is that we have a federal agency that has to give away $2.4 billion very quickly...............