CNN Fact Check: Florida high-speed rail line
(CNN) - In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama told Americans that he will visit Tampa, Florida: "...where workers will soon break ground on a new high-speed railroad funded by the Recovery Act."
The CNN Fact Check Desk found that Florida is one of several states that will share $8 billion in federal stimulus funds for high-speed passenger train corridors. But according the Florida Department of Transportation, construction won't begin until October of 2011, more than a year and a half from now. Is that soon?
The first phase of the new railroad, a segment running from Tampa to Orlando, is scheduled to be completed in 2014.
The Miami Herald reports that Florida requested $2.5 billion for the project, but Florida will only receive a $1 billion of that money this year.
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How nice! Whose pocket is he taking the money out of? I guarantee it won't be his!
"Is that soon?"... when was the last time ground was broken in the U.S. on a high speed rail line? Yeah... it's soon!
Tampa, Florida does not need a high speed train ... it needs good paying jobs ...
He would do better to just stay in DC and do his job. This president apparently thinks it's his job to travel. That's what PR people are for. Oh, wait, he is a PR person.
Isn't there a lot of planning work to do before actually constructing a large project?
it's more than bush did for florida after he stole the election .
High speed trains are not worth it! I live in Japan right now, and the upkeep costs are severely supplemented by the government, and the prices are still extremely high. For a country as small as Japan, you would think transportation costs wouldn't need to be as high, but they are often 2 to 3 times as much as traveling equal distances in America would cost.
And because the trains all have to be coordinated on the high speed lines, it means that only one company can run trains along it, which means any competition for keeping prices down goes right out the window.
So if John McCain were president, would this have even happened?
It's these type of exaggerations and half truths that keep getting him into trouble.
I live in the Tampa area, believe me 2011 is better than never.
There are logistics involved before you just start laying down the tracks. Typical Right-wing home-brewed cynicism thanks to the ever biased CNN.
he said they will soon "break ground." pay attention.