Tri-Rail continues to roll

Published July 1st, 2008

By John Johnston
Managing Editor

Palm Beach County recently agreed to lop off several hundred thousand dollars from its normal Tri-Rail subsidy – but nonetheless approved a $6.7 million commitment for the current fiscal year.

The county did so, however, by at the same time, reducing the county’s road improvements plans by the same amount; a win-win for taxpayers – at least in dollars and cents.

Tri-Rail had said earlier in the year that if it didn’t receive it’s normal county subsidy, it would have to eliminate weekend and holiday service, and cut its 50 trains per day in half.

This week, Broward and Miami-Dade County joined with Palm Beach in assuring Tri-Rail of at least another year of currently configured operation.  The financially beleaguered and heavily subsidized commuter rail line hopes to persuade the Florida legislation to give it a dedicated state funding source -- i.e., a rental car tax -- so that it doesn’t have to come to each South Florida county each year, hat in hand, begging for survival.

Palm Beach County commissioners agreed to forgo $6.7 million in previously approved roadwork, instead agreeing to reallocation of that money to the financially ailing commuter rail line.

The three South Florida counties each currently give Tri-Rail about $7 million annually to subsidize operations and finance capital projects. Broward and Miami-Dade agreement to also continue its subsidy will mean that each county will have cut this year’s Tri-Rail dole by about five percent each.

The total area of Palm Beach County – and including what’s under the Atlantic Ocean, and Lake Ockechobee -- is 17.27 percent covered by water.
Nonetheless, that still leaves a whole lot of real estate to traverse – some 1,974 square miles -- which is why the heavily subsidized Tri-Rail system continues to be heavily subsidized – upwards of $8 per person, each time that person rides the rails.
Which is also why the Palm Tran bus service came into being 33 years ago. And which is why commissioners, and while dealing with Tri-Rails’ woes – didn’t ignore the bus crowd –earmaking another $1 million for Palm Tran out of gas tax revenue.