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Fates of SunRail, South Florida's Tri-Rail run on parallel tracks
MIAMI – Veronica Jackson pored over a training notebook as she sat in a Tri-Rail commuter train one day last week. Glancing over, she could see thousands of cars and trucks creeping along Interstate 95, brake lights blinking as darkness fell.
"I love it," said Jackson, 24, an officer for the Transportation Security Administration. "I don't have to drive."
Across the aisle sat William Regnery, a 44-year-old bag handler for American Airlines. His Tri-Rail take: too many delays, too few trains.
"When they have a delay, they have a delay," he said, shaking his head. "It's not five minutes or 10 minutes. It's 30 minutes or 40 minutes or more."
Yet, service interruptions soon could be the least of Tri-Rail's worries. It's facing the possibility of going out of business, as well as owing the federal government $256 million.
Like the SunRail commuter train proposed for Central Florida, Tri-Rail is looking to the state Legislature for help during a special session that could be held in December.
Tri-Rail backers are seeking a source of permanent funding from lawmakers, possibly a $2 daily surcharge on rental cars. SunRail enthusiasts are asking for approval of a liability agreement, a request denied twice by the state Senate in the past.
If the Legislature fails to come up with money, "it would be devastating," said Jeff Koons, a Palm Beach County commissioner and chairman of the agency that runs Tri-Rail.
And if Tri-Rail fails, SunRail could go down for good, too.
"Philosophically, we are joined," Tri-Rail Executive Director Joe Giulietti said of the two systems.
Here's why: Neither train has the votes to get what it wants from lawmakers without the other's backing.
Even though Tri-Rail's ridership is near record levels, it still needs $40 million to $50 million annually to cover operating costs. That's how much the $2 surcharge could generate annually in South Florida. Tri-Rail serves Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, all three of which are reducing contributions to the train because of budget woes.
SunRail backers are willing to vote for the surcharge if Tri-Rail proponents support the insurance policy for its project.
That deal was offered last year, but the South Florida contingent largely balked at it, in part because of a caveat that the surcharge would have to be approved by a voter referendum no later than 2014. So Tri-Rail went home without its subsidy, and SunRail had no liability pact.
But now the federal Department of Transportation is dangling the possibility of awarding up to $2.5 billion to Florida for a high-speed train that would link Orlando with Tampa. But there is a caveat here, too. To be eligible, the Legislature first must prove it supports mass transit by getting Tri-Rail its dedicated funding and SunRail the liability agreement.
Federal officials also are threatening to make Tri-Rail repay the $256 million it was given to double the track along most of the 72-mile route the train follows. The logic is that Tri-Rail would be reneging on its pledge to run at least 48 trains daily if it reduced service because of the shortfall and, eventually, shuts down.
Adding urgency to the situation is that the federal DOT could make its choices for high-speed money in January. The fund holds $8 billion, and federal authorities are sifting through 45 requests from 24 states seeking a total of $50 billion. An additional 214 applications from 34 states are asking for $7 billion for planning and smaller projects.
The result is a spate of political machinations throughout the state as the dates of the potential special session — Dec. 7-11 — draw nearer. Supporters are trying to line up the 21 votes needed to pass Tri-Rail/SunRail in the 40-member Senate. House leaders indicate they have the votes.
State Sen. Lee Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs, is confident of passage but said work remains to be done.
"It's just nailing it down," he said.
State Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate, and one of only three Democrats in the Senate to vote for the SunRail/Tri-Rail package in April, said the Legislature has to find a way to get both trains what they are requesting.
"If we are going to move forward, we are not going to move forward by reinvigorating the past," he said.
One potential glitch developed last week when Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, said federal officials were lukewarm on a voter referendum because it could be defeated at the polls. Atwater indicated he might be open to another solution, such as devoting a portion of the state's gas tax to rail, instead of traditional road-building projects.
Giulietti maintains Tri-Rail and SunRail deserve the aid.
"An area like Orlando is ready for mass transit," Giulietti said. "The density is there."
Tri-Rail, he said, has carried more than 50 million passengers since starting 20 years ago as a temporary alternative for motorists trying to avoid a massive I-95 widening project. Daily ridership has been as high as 16,500 because the double-tracking completed in 2007 allowed trains to run more often and with fewer delays. Record gasoline prices helped, too.
"They," Giulietti said of Tri-Rail's ridership, "are out of their cars and riding the system."
Transportation consultant Thomas Boiton of Lake Park contends it would be almost criminal for Tri-Rail to cease operations — simply because a road-only future is impractical in a region with an estimated 5.4 million residents.
"You can't build yourself out of congestion," Boiton said.
But not everyone supports Tri-Rail in South Florida.
"If there ever was a government project that took money from the many to provide a service to the few, it's Tri-Rail," said John R. Smith, a 68-year-old financial planner who lives in Palm Beach Gardens. "This is truly a financial black hole."
State Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, supports Tri-Rail but opposes SunRail. Tri-Rail, she says, should be funded. But SunRail, she maintains, is too expensive at $1.2 billion and assigns too much liability to the state if there were an accident.
Though Dockery, who has launched a bid for governor, has campaigned for nearly two years against SunRail, most Tri-Rail riders know little about the planned train to the north. Their main interest is in getting to and from their jobs in South Florida.
Gunnar Stewart, a 49-year-old attorney's representative, figures he saves several hundred dollars a month by riding from his home in Fort Lauderdale to work in downtown Miami because he is not spending money on gas or parking. As a bonus, he gets to relax on the train.
"I would rather do this," he said, "than sit in traffic."
"I love it," said Jackson, 24, an officer for the Transportation Security Administration. "I don't have to drive."
Across the aisle sat William Regnery, a 44-year-old bag handler for American Airlines. His Tri-Rail take: too many delays, too few trains.
"When they have a delay, they have a delay," he said, shaking his head. "It's not five minutes or 10 minutes. It's 30 minutes or 40 minutes or more."
Yet, service interruptions soon could be the least of Tri-Rail's worries. It's facing the possibility of going out of business, as well as owing the federal government $256 million.
Like the SunRail commuter train proposed for Central Florida, Tri-Rail is looking to the state Legislature for help during a special session that could be held in December.
Tri-Rail backers are seeking a source of permanent funding from lawmakers, possibly a $2 daily surcharge on rental cars. SunRail enthusiasts are asking for approval of a liability agreement, a request denied twice by the state Senate in the past.
If the Legislature fails to come up with money, "it would be devastating," said Jeff Koons, a Palm Beach County commissioner and chairman of the agency that runs Tri-Rail.
And if Tri-Rail fails, SunRail could go down for good, too.
"Philosophically, we are joined," Tri-Rail Executive Director Joe Giulietti said of the two systems.
Here's why: Neither train has the votes to get what it wants from lawmakers without the other's backing.
Even though Tri-Rail's ridership is near record levels, it still needs $40 million to $50 million annually to cover operating costs. That's how much the $2 surcharge could generate annually in South Florida. Tri-Rail serves Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, all three of which are reducing contributions to the train because of budget woes.
SunRail backers are willing to vote for the surcharge if Tri-Rail proponents support the insurance policy for its project.
That deal was offered last year, but the South Florida contingent largely balked at it, in part because of a caveat that the surcharge would have to be approved by a voter referendum no later than 2014. So Tri-Rail went home without its subsidy, and SunRail had no liability pact.
But now the federal Department of Transportation is dangling the possibility of awarding up to $2.5 billion to Florida for a high-speed train that would link Orlando with Tampa. But there is a caveat here, too. To be eligible, the Legislature first must prove it supports mass transit by getting Tri-Rail its dedicated funding and SunRail the liability agreement.
Federal officials also are threatening to make Tri-Rail repay the $256 million it was given to double the track along most of the 72-mile route the train follows. The logic is that Tri-Rail would be reneging on its pledge to run at least 48 trains daily if it reduced service because of the shortfall and, eventually, shuts down.
Adding urgency to the situation is that the federal DOT could make its choices for high-speed money in January. The fund holds $8 billion, and federal authorities are sifting through 45 requests from 24 states seeking a total of $50 billion. An additional 214 applications from 34 states are asking for $7 billion for planning and smaller projects.
The result is a spate of political machinations throughout the state as the dates of the potential special session — Dec. 7-11 — draw nearer. Supporters are trying to line up the 21 votes needed to pass Tri-Rail/SunRail in the 40-member Senate. House leaders indicate they have the votes.
State Sen. Lee Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs, is confident of passage but said work remains to be done.
"It's just nailing it down," he said.
State Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate, and one of only three Democrats in the Senate to vote for the SunRail/Tri-Rail package in April, said the Legislature has to find a way to get both trains what they are requesting.
"If we are going to move forward, we are not going to move forward by reinvigorating the past," he said.
One potential glitch developed last week when Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, said federal officials were lukewarm on a voter referendum because it could be defeated at the polls. Atwater indicated he might be open to another solution, such as devoting a portion of the state's gas tax to rail, instead of traditional road-building projects.
Giulietti maintains Tri-Rail and SunRail deserve the aid.
"An area like Orlando is ready for mass transit," Giulietti said. "The density is there."
Tri-Rail, he said, has carried more than 50 million passengers since starting 20 years ago as a temporary alternative for motorists trying to avoid a massive I-95 widening project. Daily ridership has been as high as 16,500 because the double-tracking completed in 2007 allowed trains to run more often and with fewer delays. Record gasoline prices helped, too.
"They," Giulietti said of Tri-Rail's ridership, "are out of their cars and riding the system."
Transportation consultant Thomas Boiton of Lake Park contends it would be almost criminal for Tri-Rail to cease operations — simply because a road-only future is impractical in a region with an estimated 5.4 million residents.
"You can't build yourself out of congestion," Boiton said.
But not everyone supports Tri-Rail in South Florida.
"If there ever was a government project that took money from the many to provide a service to the few, it's Tri-Rail," said John R. Smith, a 68-year-old financial planner who lives in Palm Beach Gardens. "This is truly a financial black hole."
State Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, supports Tri-Rail but opposes SunRail. Tri-Rail, she says, should be funded. But SunRail, she maintains, is too expensive at $1.2 billion and assigns too much liability to the state if there were an accident.
Though Dockery, who has launched a bid for governor, has campaigned for nearly two years against SunRail, most Tri-Rail riders know little about the planned train to the north. Their main interest is in getting to and from their jobs in South Florida.
Gunnar Stewart, a 49-year-old attorney's representative, figures he saves several hundred dollars a month by riding from his home in Fort Lauderdale to work in downtown Miami because he is not spending money on gas or parking. As a bonus, he gets to relax on the train.
"I would rather do this," he said, "than sit in traffic."
