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Tuesday, March 02, 2004
The Metro North railway is getting some new rail cars, if a $60 million proposal passes the Connecticut legislature. It will be funded from $25 million in bond sales, and another $35 million set aside by the state Transportation Strategy Board.
The refurbishing is long needed, to which anyone who rides the MN Rail can attest. However, I'm still not sold on the idea of using tax revenue and public debt to finance this venture.
Here's what really irks me:
(Governor Rowland's) proposal to increase rail fares by 5.5 percent has angered many rail passengers, especially coming at the same time that service worsened, said Jim Cameron, vice chairman of the Metro-North/Shore Line East Rail Commuter Council.
"Commuters are angry. They're being overcharged, getting lousy service and starting to abandon the trains and take back to the roads, worsening an already horrible situation on our highways," he said.
I will agree that the greater good is served by using the railway as an alternative to navigating the I-95 corridor. However, I have no sympathy for commuters who whine about the cost of using a transit system, while assuming that taxpayers should foot the bill. Is the service lousy? Sometimes. It has good days, and bad ones. Are people being overcharged? That's a matter of opinion. But the fact remains that someone has to pay for the costs, and expecting commuters in other parts of the state who don't use the commuter rail to pay for the refinements is wrong.Labels: Archives_2004
.: posted by
Dave
11:06 AM
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