A $1.3 million ridership study produced by transportation consultants for the State of Florida made the case that high-speed rail would have made money from day one -- too late, because Gov. Scott has already killed the project.
According to the report (via the Orlando Sentinel):
"More than 3.3 million people would have used the 84-mile line, generating almost $63 million in ticket sales during its first year of operation in 2015-16, the report said, leading to a $10 million operating surplus.
By year 10, the report said, the train would have brought in $28.5 million more than it cost to operate and maintain the system, which would have linked Orlando International Airport with Lakeland and downtown Tampa."
The Sentinel spoke to other Florida politicians who said that the study's awkward timing wouldn't have made a difference, because Scott's decision was based in politics, not dollars and cents.
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