Quote:
Originally Posted by TowerDude
The Federal Government should prioritize CAHSR over Brightline every time.
|
Unless authorized by a specific law, the Federal government does not prioritize any specific project. The money is distributed nation wide by the various programs indiscriminately. It's transit agency eating transit agency to get their share of Federal funds from these programs.
Today, transit agencies across the country are still running Tier 0 EPA polluting diesel locomotives and buses, although there are at least three providers of Tier 4 diesel locomotives. Every transit agency in the country is struggling to find the cash to replace all their Tier 0 locomotives.
For example, the TRE (Trinity Railway Express) just bought 5 Tier 4 locomotives to replace 11 Tier 0 locomotives. They wanted to replace all 11. The Federal government will only subsidize 50% of the total cost. So the TRE is fully funding the first 5, and hope the Federal government will fully fund 5 more and partially fund the last. Not 50% for each individual locomotive, but 50% of the total cost of replacement. So until the Federal government funds their share per the approved program, TRE ordered 5 new locomotives instead of all 11.
This is a program with immediate reductions in air pollution levels with guaranteed costs, not some never ending boondoggle that may or may not ever be completed like CHSR. These immediate benefit programs are what the Federal government should be prioritizing.