...The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet), the regional transit agency that runs buses, commuter rail and light rail, faces a budget shortfall of up to $17 million next fiscal year. The Portland Bureau of Transportation, which manages the streetcar, faces a $16 million gap. Local officials are still crafting those budgets, but it’s virtually certain that leaders of a region long known for a commitment to multimodal transportation will have to increase fares and reduce service to balance budgets in 2013...
At the same time it works its way through seemingly intractable budget problems, TriMet is pursuing a massive expansion: A seven-mile, $1.5 billion light rail line to the suburb Milwaukie is scheduled to come online in 2015. That’s caused some observers to scratch their heads, wondering how the agency can have enough money for new projects but not enough to keep up existing operations. “They’re closing their eyes and jumping,” says Andersen. “They’re running on faith. And hopefully their faith is justified---it always has been in the past. I hope they’re right. I fear they’re wrong.”
1 comment:
It' kind of the same "faith "that a lot of people had prior to the housing bubble bursting. Just because the banksters were willing to loan them money, people were buying houses they really couldn't afford. Similarly, in these times can Trimet and local agencies really afford $750 million for Milwaukie L.R. just because the Feds will match it? Tell us what you think Michael. And please consider that bus-centric cities like Seattle apparently have double the percentage of transit users than Portland.
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