[Mr Man]

100% privately built and operated rail service in Florida?

Is this an early April Fools joke?

I thought the Orland to Tampa HSR proposal was silly with unrealistic ridership growth projections. I was pleased to hear the money was reallocated to other areas where it made more sense for rail investment. (And don't bash me on this one -- I take a bus to and from work every day in one of the most auto dependent cities in the country. I support transit when it makes sense, but the Orlando to Tampa was just a political stunt IMHO because the demand was not there to justify the cost. It would make much more sense to connect two city centers that have very strong intercity transit networks. Orlando and Tampa don't even come close to say Chicago and St. Louis.)

But I kinda wish there was federal dollars invested in this one. Here you have a company willing to build and operate the entire thing itself. I wish there was a grant program to reward a rail company for taking such an investment. Maybe offering a 50% subsidy on operating costs or something... my two cents... I'm still in shock over this proposal.