Who says Government can’t fix all your problems? Tsk! Tsk!
The $2 billion Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) [Florida Transportation Center or FDOT] began construction on a platform in 2011 to service long-distance Amtrak trains at its Central Station. Construction was completed in 2013, but, alas, no Amtrak!
The platform built for Amtrak is 200 feet too short for Amtrak’s long-distance trains, the Miami Herald reports.
Those in charge did realize shortly after they began that they had a problem but millions of dollars later, the problem exists and can’t be rectified easily if at all.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) blames Amtrak for not telling them about the problem until months in and Amtrak blames FDOT, saying they kept FDOT fully informed at all times.
How about they both should have known?
The problem now is an additional 200 feet puts Amtrak in the middle of their very busy 25th Avenue. Construction around this busy thoroughfare would be an unqualified mess. FDOT rejected that idea.
The other idea is to let Amtrak — for now — stick out into traffic while they are at the station.
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It is still in discussion and there are no immediate plans to do that or anything.
The whole mess cost $88 million.
It will likely cost millions of dollars more and could require permanently closing the street or maybe there is no workable solution. They’re currently discussing: eminent domain to snatch private property, hitting-up state taxpayers, and adding a bridge when they close the street.
Oh, and we mustn’t forget, the Central Station they’re screwing up is called their “Crown Jewel”.
It was never all that great an idea since Amtrak is a big money loser, always has been and probably always will be.
Amtrak’s unaudited total revenue was a record $3.2 billion for FY 2016. But, in addition, Amtrak reported an unaudited operating loss of $227 million, a reduction of $78 million over last year, and the lowest operating loss since 1973.
Oh goody!
Amtrak has a really funny spin on that for public consumption: “Amtrak today reported exceptionally strong unaudited financial results for the fiscal year which ended on September 30, 2016 (FY 2016), including an all-time unaudited ticket revenue record of $2.14 billion, a $12 million increase over the Fiscal Year 2015.”
They’re as effective as the Post Office! It’s your government at work!
President Trump wanted to cut the Amtrak subsidies — our tax dollars going down the Amtrak drain — but Congress chose not to.
This is your tax dollars at work with BIG GOVERNMENT in charge. Perhaps you can see why more big government in charge of everything in our lives might not be the best idea, can’t you?
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