See why we need high speed rail connecting Orlando & Tampa...
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If the people of Florida want to recover tourism, real estate, and jobs, high speed rail is needed. The price of oil is skyrocketing due to the revolutions sweeping the Middle East - already topping $105 per barrel this week, and expected to continue upwards to $300 per barrel within this decade. High oil prices hurt Florida more than other states, and will force more cutbacks in driving and flying, further harming Florida's tourism, real estate, and jobs.
Since cars and airplanes are 100% powered by oil, both forms of transportation will quickly become too expensive to use. High speed rail doesn't have this problem because the trains are powered by electricity, which can be increasingly generated by renewable energy right here in America (wind, solar, ocean/tidal, etc), not subject to price spikes or foreign revolutions.
Building high speed rail in Florida will deliver inexpensive mobility - encouraging more travel and tourism, a major real estate recovery, and tens of thousands of new jobs. If Florida doesn't build high speed rail now, the state will continue to sink under the weight of rapidly rising oil prices.
After killing the infrastructure project (already paid for without state tax dollars) planned to create short and long-term jobs and turn Florida's economy around, the Governor's office issued the following statement:
Governor Scott "is now focused on moving forward with infrastructure projects that create long-term jobs and turn Florida's economy around"
-projects that will require spending Florida state tax dollars!
New Florida High Speed Rail Ridership Study Shows Profitable System with $10.2 Million Surplus Year 1 Read more
Florida HSR Legal Challenge
TheReason Foundation supports high speed rail in Florida if "the builder and operator will be financially responsible for all cost overruns and revenue shortages."
The bidding teams have already said they would do all of this.
US HSRABOUT USUS HSR MAPBENEFITSTRAINSINFRASTRUCTURENEWSVIDEOSJOBSSUSTAINABILITY --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US High Speed Rail Association Capitol Hill Office at Union Station 10 G Street NE, Suite 710 Washington, DC 20002 (202) 248-5001
