Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think your math is way off Pancho. It doesn't repudiate your point but I think it is a lot less draconian.
2,000,000 population
$12,278 per person per 20 years equals approximately $250,000
Times 2,000,000 persons equals $491,120,000,000
Or, roughly 491 billion dollars
Cost to run and pay off
$748,000,000
Plus $26,000,000 per 20 years or $520,000,000
Total cost equals $1,268,000,000
Or, roughly 1.2 billion dollars
Actually,the debt repayment is locked in, all we need consider is the twenty eight million operating cost minus the two million generated income,or 26 million a year. With 2 million persons that boils down to $13 dollars per person per year.
There isn't a public transportation system in America that pays for itself. I don't get why people think the Railrunner has to.
The Belen-Albuquerque-Santa Fe corridor is the most heavily travelled corridor in New Mexico. The train was intended to help relieve the traffic along I-25 as the area grows. The train takes thousands of cars off the highways, reducing congestion. There have to be transportation alternatives to driving cars. Gov. Richardson was very forward-thinking at a time when the state's economy was humming along and population was increasing. I miss having a governor with his kind of leadership and vision.
Voters in the four counties served by the Railrunner did approve a tax increase to help pay for it.
There isn't a public transportation system in America that pays for itself. I don't get why people think the Railrunner has to.
The Belen-Albuquerque-Santa Fe corridor is the most heavily travelled corridor in New Mexico. The train was intended to help relieve the traffic along I-25 as the area grows. The train takes thousands of cars off the highways, reducing congestion. There have to be transportation alternatives to driving cars. Gov. Richardson was very forward-thinking at a time when the state's economy was humming along and population was increasing. I miss having a governor with his kind of leadership and vision.
Voters in the four counties served by the Railrunner did approve a tax increase to help pay for it.
...As to the argument that most New Mexicans outside this area will never use it... this is the same argument I've seen in other states where I've lived. People in upstate New York resent having their taxes go to infrastructure in New York City. People in Mass. outside of Boston resent similar improvements in Boston. But the fact is that the large urban centers are what drive the economy of those states. Providing services in rural areas with declining populations is more of a drain on the state economy.
...As to the argument that most New Mexicans outside this area will never use it... this is the same argument I've seen in other states where I've lived. People in upstate New York resent having their taxes go to infrastructure in New York City. People in Mass. outside of Boston resent similar improvements in Boston. But the fact is that the large urban centers are what drive the economy of those states. Providing services in rural areas with declining populations is more of a drain on the state economy.
I agree. Right when the Railrunner debate first heated up I was doing a lot of work in conjunction with highway projects in remote parts of the state, like the highway between Chama and Dulce right below the Colorado state line. I spent a lot of time thinking about the "no one uses it" argument for the Railrunner and wondering just how many people in a year drive the (paved, actively maintained, taxpayer-funded) state highways through the remote parts of our state. How does the cost of projects on those roads compare to the number of users? How many people from Bernalillo or Santa Fe Counties ever find themselves on a road like this? This is an argument that cuts both ways...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
