Reducing Tri Rail service is not a good option – just ask the 4 Million folks that ride it
Sometimes I can’t help but get angry at the ineptitude of the politicians in Tallahassee with these decisions they are making. With all the emphasis on going “green” and helping the environment, the last thing we can do is cut rail service. Yes, Tri Rail, like AmTrak, is old and needs work but in the end, it works and needs expansions and improvements much like our roads and bridges. In a previous article I wrote called “High Speed Rail is finally coming and it will be a good thing”, I outline the benefits of the possibility of expanded rail in Florida. It’s worth investing in our infrastructure. Tri Rail in 2008 alone had a ridership that exceed 4 Million passengers annually. To be almost exact, it was actually 4.3 Million and that’s a fact. I think we’ll all agree that’s a large number for a relatively small regional line and further proves that more and more folks ride it for convenience and savings and it’s mostly a good thing.
On the budget front, Florida is also becoming the recipient of a $12.2 Billion federal stimulus over the course of three years, more than enough to cover the shortfalls which at this point is at around $8 Billion. Last time I checked and did the math, I’m sure somewhere in the difference of $4 Billion, a few hundred million to improve and expand Tri Rail and bring High Speed rail to Florida would be nice and is practical to do. Sure some programs have to be reduced as a result (and I can already think of more than a few wasteful ones already, can you?) however because of this large stimulus, it will provide a nice cushion and will avoid drastic reductions, unlike the drama that Governor Crist is currently preaching, which is just a bunch of hogwash anyway. I hate to see and hear politicians mope, cry and complain about reductions. Hey, don’t forget we elected you so that you can come with some good workable ideas but so far, we’re not seeing a whole lot of progress, just a lot of complaining and bellyaching, Mr. Crist.
The fact is here in Florida we drive too much and therefore pollute too much. More emphasis needs to be placed on car pooling, rails, telecommuting and alternative modes of transport. Plain and simple other states and countries do it and it works for them and so it will work for us, there is no time left to oppose the inevitable, let’s suck up the complaining and start working on solutions to move our state and country forward and not backwards.
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Reducing Tri Rail service is not a good option – just ask the 4 Million folks that ride it
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