We're trying to figure out how it's any different than the Trinity River Vision. The story and the players are all the same.
One of our members sat through a conference last week where many elected leaders (the same ones those asking you to contact elected) praised the rail expansion. Those that did the electing don't want to pay for the boondoogle and realize it's a scam. So will those sending us the emails explain how this boondoggle is any different from the rest? Can they also explain to us why they keep electing the ringleaders?
Are some of the other cities catching on to the FW Way?
--FT Worth bureaucrats seem to think that they can 'run the show' and everyone else will fall in line.
Train to Nowhere.
Given that there are not enough commuters that travel between Grapevine and downtown Ft Worth for this project to make business sense, we believe this is one of the largest wastes of taxpayer dollars ever seen in Tarrant County.
Rail lobbyists are pushing once again for federal funding, tax increases and private investments to pay for an unneeded rail line that is the equivalent of a "train to nowhere."
Rail supporters would like to submit their report with no negative comments.
Your comments will be submitted with the report at the federal level and will help determine if funding will be granted. A large number of negative comments will actually cause the request for funding to drop in priority, as it indicates low public support for the project. We need to let Washington know that we don't want our money wasted on a very expensive project with so little benefit.
What you can do to help prevent this phenomenal waste of taxpayer money:
1.Submit comments about the high cost, low benefit, and negative impact to info@texrail.com. Ask them to stop rail expansion in Tarrant County. Note: Deadline is Feb 20, 2013 (may be extended to Mar 1).
2. Please help spread the word throughout Tarrant County.
Citizen comments (please feel to include any of these in your email):
--Many commuter rail systems around the country use electric trains (cleaner and faster), but this rail line will be diesel powered.
--Many suspect that taxpayers are being duped into paying for something that will primarily be for freight companies.
--Diesel means more pollution and traffic congestion as a freight train can take 10 minutes or more to cross an intersection, including the southern entrance to Baylor Grapevine Hospital for more that 10 minutes at a time.
--FT Worth bureaucrats seem to think that they can 'run the show' and everyone else will fall in line. The suburbs will pay too much with little benefit and very little ridership and increased crime in the areas of the new station stops.
--The only benefactor to this whole $1 Billion dollar waste is the freight companies who will get a line built at taxpayers' expense.
--The number of riders projected is extremely low. The actual number of riders is almost always significantly lower than projected.
--While they have cut the proposed frequency of trains, the pollution, noise, traffic problems and the costs are all significant.
--The original proposed cost of redoing the rails and infrastructure has gone from $300 million to nearly $1 billion.
--The Ft. Worth T expects the federal government to provide $500 million of the $1 billion infrastructure costs.
--The T wants every city along the line to either add sales taxes or give them the taxes from land along the line.
--Grapevine has already given the T over $40 million over the past 6 or 7 years and they have nothing other than fancy brochures and a changed name to TexRail to show for the $$ they have spent.
--The changes now don't even put a station in the Stockyards, where Grapevine wanted it.
--Colleyville has a grant from the US government of $1.3 million to put in "silent" crossings. This means that double gates will be placed at crossings, but that doesn't mean the trains won't blow their whistles, it just means they don't have to.
--The proposed TEXRail project is not going to reduce pollution or traffic problems for North Texas--the T’s own study shows this. It will add pollution from autos / trucks due to the traffic issues for the many road crossings in NE Tarrant County, including 3 crossings in Colleyville alone.
--The nearly $1 billion that the infrastructure will cost will never be returned to the local and federal budgets and the cost of operation of the line will recoup less than 10% of the actual costs in the fees collected from riders.
--The TexRail makes no sense financially. There is no good way to get from Ft. Worth to North Dallas, Plano or other business areas. Once you get to a station, you have to find other methods of transportation to get to your destinations.
--The Preliminary Environmental Study doesn't give an estimate of ridership that comes close to justifying a rail line. A set of bus lines would be far cheaper and more efficient and flexible.
--This is a boondoggle like this administration's Solyndra and other rail lines--like the line from Las Vegas to the far outskirts of Los Angeles. It is not justifiable.
More info about rail expansion:
thegreattrainrobbery.org/index.php?id=59
Stoptrain.net
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