SunRail could be headed for a financial wreck

SunRail riders should be alarmed by the recent TV news report about the $21 million deficit facing the Lynx public bus system that serves Orange, Seminole, and Osceola counties.

In 2 years SunRail will likely be facing the same deficit jam. In 2021 the Florida Department of Transportation turns over the financing and management of the rail system to Orlando, Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Volusia counties.

As you’re reading this article, there is no plan for how those local entities will run the railroad.

One of the main reasons Lynx is in a jam is because it has no dedicated funding source to subsidize its operating costs.

It costs roughly $40 million a year to operate SunRail.

Last year SunRail collected about $8 million from riders’ fares and other sources, such as grants, fees paid by Amtrak and other railroads that use the SunRail tracks. Right now, FDOT is picking up the difference.

In 2021 the difference between the income and expenses becomes a local responsibility. Most public transit systems around the country rely on a dedicated local funding source to pay that difference. Central Florida does not have such a fund for SunRail, or Lynx.

A dedicated funding source could be a penny sales tax; a surcharge on rental cars (Orlando is the nation’s largest rental-car market), or a slice of the expressway authority tolls.

No public transit system can support its operations solely from the fare box. Typically, a public transit system can get about 30 percent of its operating money from the fare box.

It is the responsibility of our elected officials to provide that funding source to subsidize our public transit. Politicians don’t want to touch it because they don’t want to be blamed for a tax.

Let’s not forget that all transportation -- from the airlines to the street outside your house -- is supported by taxpayer subsidies.

Public transit is a service just like the police and fire departments, which are also expensive to run. Unlike police and fire, public transit does generate some income through the fare box.

SunRail is an amazing community asset that has not come close to meeting its full potential with weekend, late-night and airport service.

We need a strong SunRail. Indeed, we need a strong Lynx bus system – as Lynx helps many SunRail riders connect with their train stations. Anyone who drives knows we need more transportation options because our local roads have exceeded their capacity.

Public transit in Central Florida will not survive unless we come up with a dedicated funding source.

Time is running out.