Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
<P mce_keep="true">[quote user="Maglev"] <P>From today's (May 28, 2009) <EM>Trains News Wire</EM>: (excerpt)</P> <DIV id=ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder_ctl00_divByline></DIV> <DIV id=ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder_ctl00_divAuthor></DIV> <DIV id=ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder_ctl00_divPublicationDate class=caption>Published: Thursday, May 28, 2009</DIV> <DIV id=ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder_ctl00_divArticleSections> <DIV style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 25px"> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD>"DALLAS - Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority announced this week an effort to see if an increasingly popular method to jump start highway projects will work for transit projects in the United States."</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></DIV> <P>The two transit agencies have begun seeking firms interested in a public-private partnership to design, construct, operate, maintain, and finance a cross-regional passenger rail service starting as early as 2013..."  "DART's current long-range system plan calls for Cotton Belt service starting by approximately 2027...."</P> <P>[/quote]</P> <P mce_keep="true">No where in Texas, or the United States for that matter, is passenger rail transportation profitable.  With the exception of the NEC, on occasion, it cannot cover the operating costs let alone the capital investment.  Neither is public transit.  It is not even close.</P> <P>Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Fort Worth Transportation Authority (T) contract for the operation of Trinity Railway Express (TRE).  They own the former Rock Island track.  </P> <P>For FY07, which is the latest data available, the average subsidy required to carry one passenger on one trip was $6.57.  Coupled to an end point to end point fare of $2.50, the total cost to carry one passenger from Cow Town to Big D was on average $9.07.  By comparison, it would cost me $7.90 to drive in my Toyota.</P> <P>The line in question, assuming they follow DART's long range plan, will run through parts of Collin, Dallas, and Tarrant counties.  It will, amongst other things, serve DFW airport, which is one of the busiest airports in the nation.</P> <P>The game plan appears to attract private financing by offering the investors a set return on their investment, with the shortfalls being covered by the taxpayers.  The primary advantage would be that the capital requirements for the project would not have an adverse impact on the federal budget deficit or the state or local budget.  The taxpayers would be required to make up the operating losses. </P>
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag