As traffic worsens, why is the state making commuting harder in South Florida?

Miami Herald

15 hours ago

If ever a place needed more mass transit, it's South Florida. We don't have to tell you: If you've ever driven Interstate 95 or the Palmetto Expressway near rush hour, you know. Traffic is one of the most painful parts of life in Miami.
So the idea that state funding for Tri-Rail, a commuter rail line that runs from West Palm Beach to Miami, is being slashed — potentially even forcing the rail line out of business — is as astonishing as it is short-sighted. We need more mass transit around here, not less.
To make this even more nonsensical: The cuts come just as Tri-Rail is breaking all-time ridership records — 4.5 million commuters rode the trains last year, up from 4.2 million a decade ago. Those are commuters who are not on the roads. The last thing we want is to force them back on the highway.
In what world, then, does it make sense to cut $27 million from the money Tri-Rail had expected to receive from the state? The bad news was tucked away in the state budget passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in June: Florida's contribution to Tri-Rail went from $42 million a year to $15 million.
This is happening because the state reevaluated the statutory minimum it was required to pay the commuter line — and came up with $27 million less than before. As David Dech, executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which manages the line, told WLRN: 'That was quite the blow to us.'
We understand the need to reduce state spending. We agree, in fact. And maybe this reduction is about fiscal restraint, a concept that had been sorely missing in Tallahassee for years until recently. But if the state wants to divest itself of financial responsibility for projects it no longer feels it should be burdened with, the end result can't be harming — or killing — one of the few methods of mass transit that we have in South Florida.
During a July 25 workshop held by the transportation authority, Dech said that if the funding cut stands, Tri-Rail would be able to run as it does today only until July 2027.
There are efforts to find ways to halt this disastrous scenario. Each of the three counties (that's the 'tri' in Tri-Rail) already puts $3.2 million a year into the Tri-Rail pot now. Could that number be pushed up to $10 million each, as Tri-Rail has suggested? That seems like a step in the right direction but the timing, when counties like Miami-Dade are facing budget shortfalls, is rough, as Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado told the Editorial Board.
Another factor: All of this is being exacerbated by the end of federal stimulus money — Tri-Rail used $71 million in stimulus money last year, the Sun Sentinel reported. There was other rail funding at risk in the state budget, too, including money for the Northeast Corridor Project, also known as the Coastal Link, that is supposed to run east of I-95.
After the disastrous news, Tri-Rail has been regrouping. It's not totally without resources. Some federal grant money still goes to the rail system, and there's also the possibility of construction on Tri-Rail land around stations to make money. There's one such project in Boca Raton, an apartment project where rent will go to Tri-Rail.
Tri-Rail's operating budget is $150 million a year, and fare increases wouldn't do much to help. That's not surprising. Most rail systems rely at least partly on government funding. Yes, South Florida now has Brightline, the private rail. But Tri-Rail is a true commuter line with much more affordable rates, often under $10. Brightline is not its replacement.
Regalado, who is on the transportation authority board, said she is hoping to work out a five-year plan with the state to more slowly phase out government money and allow the rail system the time to find ways to stay afloat. That idea makes sense.
Tri-Rail is a lifeline for its users. It offers an affordable way for workers to get from Palm Beach County to Miami-Dade, with Broward in between. The state, the counties and Tri-Rail must find a way to keep the trains running. Instead of making things harder for Tri-Rail, we should be making it easier to keep providing this critical service.