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[quote user="Samantha"]NARP is largely silent on how its proposal would be funded, other than to say it should be funded with a methodology akin to that used to fund the interstate highway system.  I asked them for the details on how the funding would be accomplished.  NARP headquarters did not respond, but a Texas NARP Board member suggested that it was not NARP's responsibility to say how its proposal should be funded.  That, in his opinion, is the responsibility of the government; NARP's role is to advocate a solution without putting any numbers around it.  That strikes me as irresponsible.[/quote]I don't think irresponsible is the word. I would merely say the plan is incomplete. NARP is not in a position to decide where the money will come from. That is indeed the responsibility of the legislative branch. As a rule, legislators like to be sold on a plan, but they don't like to be told how to pay for it. They prefer to decide that themselves because they  have to juggle a whole pile of competing budget requests and funding sources. NARP can make suggestions, and they have in the past suggested a 2-4 cent increase in the gasoline tax to "prime the pump" until rail can be more self-supporting through economies of scale. One of your fellow Texans, a very conservative Republican who I chat with on another board, suggests that four cents in the federal gas tax which currently goes to the general fund should instead go to rail development. Works for me. Likewise NARP can only make a rough guess about cost. They don't have a staff of full time transportation planners and economists like governments do. Let's be clear, NARP is not proposing a "must do this to make us happy" list. NARP is suggesting several established transportation corridors where passenger rail could play a role using existing rights of way. Further study by government planners is a given before any particular route is proven viable. I see this gird and gateway map to be more of a kick in the pants to get the government to at least look at these potential routes. There can't be any harm in that.
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