[Tampa, FL] The Tampa Tribune has obtained a state report that contradicts much of what Gov. Rick Scott said were his reasons for saying no to federal funds earmarked for a high-speed rail route that would have run between Tampa and Orlando.
According to the story, two separate firms hired by the state to analyze cost projections and ridership numbers concluded that by 2026, a high-speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando would make a profit of between $31-$41 million dollars.
That is in stark contrast to Scott’s assessment that it will lose money and be a “boondoggle.” Scott recently pointed to a report in California that their system was facing huge cost overruns.
The Tampa Tribune story says that Scott was briefed on the two studies before making his decision, proving that the governor did indeed ignore the financial experts and focus squarely on the Reason Foundation’s politically-motivated assessment of high-speed rail.
Even more damning was that when the two firms added in the revenues from the projected route between Miami and Orlando, the positive numbers soared.
By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate
Photo: Jon Curnow
Related reading:
Unger: High-Speed Rail (KCET blog) Brian Unger believes there are more pressing issues than a high-speed rail train from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Who’s in a hurry to get to a wine tasting in Napa, anyway? KCET is the nation’s largest independent public television station.
State Environmental Study For High-Speed Railway (KTTS) Federal transportation regulators are moving faster than expected on choosing the best route for a section of the Chicago-St. Louis high-speed rail line running through the Illinois state capital. A spokesman for the Federal Railroad …
Rare creatures at risk if HS2 passes through Water Orton, claim wildlife group (Birmingham Mail) RARE creatures, including otter and water vole, are under threat following claims the HS2 high-speed rail link will cut through Birmingham’s most important green oasis in Water Orton. The Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust, which manages the …
Mike Tharp: Faith’s call inspires thrift store (Merced Sun-Star) Castle as a high-speed rail maintenance facility … green jobs from UC Merced research … lower fees … less red tape … job training. Zeke Nelson, 33, is a minister at Church of the Cross in Delhi who last summer set up another church in …
high-speed rail
