By Michael Turnbell

Eleven members of Florida’s congressional delegation say the livelihoods of thousands of workers and the future of high speed and commuter rail in Florida all rests on Tri-Rail’s ability to get dedicated funding.

The delegation sent a letter Friday to Stephanie Kopelousos, secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, urging that she “ensure the long-term survival of Tri-Rail by ensuring a dedicated source of funding for operations.”

Tri-Rail faces service cuts in October, from 50 weekday trains to 30, rolling back to the same level as before a big federally-subsidized double-tracking project was completed in 2006.

The only way cuts might be avoided is if Tri-Rail’s board decides to use local gas-tax money for operations instead of long-term capital expenses. A decision will be made at Tri-Rail’s board meeting on June 26.

Without additional funding, Tri-Rail could completely shut down within two years.
At least 350 Tri-Rail jobs with a payroll of $3 million will be lost if Tri-Rail service is eliminated, the delegation wrote to Kopelousos.

Florida’s credibility to compete for federal transportation dollars also will be damaged as Congress considers a major transportation bill, the delegation added.

The letter was signed by Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Mario Diaz-Balart, Alcee Hastings, Ron Klein, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Kendrick Meek, Robert Wexler, Corrine Brown, Kathy Castor and Alan Grayson.

Here is the letter: Download file