Posted on 11/18/2007 11:55:17 PM PST by CedarDave
Four years ago this month, in ... a special legislative session called by Gov. Bill Richardson, lawmakers passed a mega-bill to improve 37 roads at a cost of nearly $1.6 billion.
Tucked into the legislation was a phrase that authorized one of New Mexico's most expensive and controversial transportation projects— not a road but a commuter rail system from Belen to Santa Fe.
Back in 2003, documents show, the cost for the rail project was listed at $90.2 million. Now the projected tab for the RailRunner Express has ballooned to as much as $425 million— and that doesn't include another $50 million held in escrow.
That's one-fourth of the total authorized for all projects in GRIP— also known as Governor Richardson's Investment Partnership.
While work on the RailRunner is proceeding full speed, other road projects authorized in the GRIP bill have moved to the back burner for lack of funding.
Over the past year, the GRIP funding shortfall has gone from $250 million to nearly $500 million.
It's a cash crunch created by what some lawmakers say is the need for more money for the RailRunner, increased costs for road construction and a projected decline in federal transportation funding.
The Legislature's attempt this year to gain more oversight of train finances proved futile. Richardson line-item vetoed language in the appropriations bill that would have required a separate RailRunner operating budget and quarterly reports on its progress and anticipated expenses.
In the five months since that veto, commuter rail capital costs have grown by 33 percent, legislators learned recently.
Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson, R-Las Cruces, said he feels the Legislature was deceived as to the project's true costs.
"How can you miss the mark five fold without deliberately being deceptive? What we've had here is bait and switch," Rawson said.
(Excerpt) Read more at abqjournal.com ...
Federal funding is not available as Richardson wanted this to be fast-tracked and the necessary environmental and cost-benefit studies were not performed as required for federal aid. Fare recovery is estimated to be between 7 and 9 percent with the remainder of the annual $20 million operating cost to come from statewide taxpayers. Richardson opposes creation of a transit district with taxing power in those counties where the train operates. So instead state officials are looking for new ways to raise money for highways, ranging from new taxes to toll roads.
Contrast this with what is happening in the area of Salt Lake City, which has a higher population and is concentrated in a linear fashion along the front range of the mountains. With the help of federal funding, the new "FrontRunner" commuter rail line next year will operate 44 miles from north of Ogden to Salt Lake City. Utah voters have approved a sales tax increase to help pay for the project and the federal government will foot 80 percent of the $611 million cost of the project over the next seven years.
Dave, that’s terrible! And this guy has the gall to run for President? It’s a true miracle of poor planning, it is.
Yup, bait and switch from a moronic lard ass sumbitch, Richardson.
bump
Life will be eeennntteerreessstttiiinnnggg here in Western Washington, now that the voters have put the kibosh on the funding for the "regional transit project". IMHO, the reason it did so was "not enough roads and too much rail".
But,But Bill Clinton,s mexican pimp is an expert on pimping.
PING!
New Mexico PING! list kept by greyfoxx39. Let her know if you want to be added or removed.
Just a little sample folks, of the governing style of "King" Bill, the Portly. And, I keep seeing posts that think he will be Hill's running mate...imagine him being within a heartbeat of the Presidency!
Federal funding just means everyone pays for these boondoggles.
True enough. But for most there is a trade off, especially in heavily urbanized areas. And fare recovery should be a minimum of 50-60 percent, not under 10%. The entire project is approaching 0.5 billion dollars for a ridership of 2,500 per day!!
Quick math...
Assume 2,500 is the number of INDIVIDUAL riders, not the total number of riders per trips made. Otherwise, the actual individual riders would be 1,250 (from home to office and back). Therefore the capital cost per rider is either $200,000 or $400,000 depending on how it is calculated.
Further, assume a 49 week work year (2-weeks vacation plus 5 paid holidays). The fare averages $3.00 per round trip. 2,500 x $3 x 5 days/week x 49 weeks/year means fare recovery is either $1,837,500 or $918,750. Operating costs are quoted as $20 million per year. That means fare recovery is either 9.2 percent or 4.6 percent of operating costs, depending on the way ridership is counted.
Talk about a taxpayer boondoggle and scam!!!
Agreed. There is no “free-lunch”. And the rest of you tax-payers outside of NM should be grateful that this scam wasn’t foisted onto you. But for us here in NM, we are saddled with black-hole operational costs for a RR with no passengers and monies being diverted from necessary road maintenance/construction. All due to King Bill.
We NM FReepers all knew that it would be like this when they first started talking about the railroad.
Thus it always is with politicians and railroads. If it made sense financially, a railroad business would be doing it.
Why, Oh, Why didn’t he stay in his beloved (Old) Mexico instead of packing his carpetbag and coming to NEW Mexico???
Richardson is nothing more than a James Taggart, but without a Dagny Taggart to make it work.
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