How much does SunRail's CEO get paid?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION:

How much does SunRail’s new CEO Nicola Liquori get paid?

We checked with the Florida Department of Transportation – the agency that runs SunRail.

An FDOT spokesman told us that Ms. Liquori, an FDOT employee who formerly served as the Chief Financial Officer for The Florida Turnpike, gets $137,586.28 a year.

That’s really not bad considering that at the time he left the top job at LYNX, John Lewis was paid   $192,00 annually.

As reminder, Ms. Liquori, who hold a masters in management from Troy University, “has 14 years of experience in user-financed transportation with FDOT at Florida’s Turnpike. This experience includes managing the financial aspects of a program with a $5 billion – 5-year capital plan, but also the daily operations of a 483-mile toll system with over 2.5 million transactions per day, management of eight service plazas along the Turnpike mainline and management of business development programs,” according to an FDOT spokesman.

SunRail is currently building 4 more stations to extend service south into Osceola County. Ms. Liquori also had pledged to find federal dollars to expand service north to DeLand in Volusia County.

SunRail service on "some" Saturdays doesn't thrill everyone

The response to the news that the local business community is working on a plan to provide SunRail service on “some” Saturdays may not have been what was expected.

Empty SunRail station on the weekend

Immediately after we posted a video of a SunRail consultant disclosing the tentative plan some riders demanded to know why the plan would only cover “some” Saturdays.

While we’re grateful for any progress on getting SunRail weekend service, we also understand the frustration.

Everybody calling for weekend SunRail service isn’t trying to get to the Winter Park Farmers’ Market. Many riders need SunRail on Saturday AND Sunday to get to work.

Let’s not forget SunRail connects Central Florida to our two largest hospitals – Florida Hospital and Orlando Health.

How many people have been in a hospital that is open “some” Saturdays?

Caregivers need to be able to take the train to the hospital 7-days a week, on holidays and late at night. Those hospitals are 2 of Central Florida’s largest employers – a ready source of riders for a train that runs all the time.

SunRail also connects Central Florida to Orlando International Airport – another huge employer. Get off at Sand Lake Road and the bus ride (free with a transfer) to the airport takes less than 10 minutes.

Some airport employees are currently using SunRail, despite its painfully limited schedule. A lot more airport employees would be jumping aboard if the train had a more sensible schedule. Lots more airline passengers would be using the train too, if they could count on it.

SunRail leisure riders – going to the farmers’ markets, museums and events at Amway Center – are icing on the ridership cake.

We’re delighted that the Central Florida’s business community has taken an active role in trying to get weekend SunRail service rolling. But please don’t let the people who need the train to get to work on the weekend become an afterthought. They are our community’s backbone.

SunRail doesn't care about making things convenient for riders

Making things convenient for riders is NOT a priority at SunRail.

Misplaced cash machine at Sand Lake

SunRail has four ticket-vending machines for every station, but only one of the machines accepts cash. There are two machines serving the southbound platform and two on the northbound platform. 

We were told they placed the cash machine where it would be most convenient to riders. But that’s not true. We've previously reported on a similar problem at the Church Street station.

At the Sand Lake Road SunRail station the cash machine was put on the northbound platform, which is closest to the parking lot. That’s convenient for the courier who removes cash from the machine. Not so much for riders.

The cash machine placement at Sand Lake doesn’t make sense because 90 percent of the SunRail trains use the southbound platform for arrivals and departures. That’s because Sand Lake is the end of the line. The only time SunRail uses the northbound platform is when they switch tracks to clear the way for an Amtrak train to pass through.

So here’s what happens. A lady is running late and the SunRail train is already in the station at the southbound platform. She quickly crosses to the southbound side, rushes to the vending machines. Her credit card doesn’t work -- or like some people she doesn’t have a credit or debit card. She whips out some good ole American greenbacks but the train conductor and station Ambassador tell her the cash machine is on the other platform.

Wave goodbye to the train. We’ve seen this happen.

Fixing this requires only a hand truck, two people with strong backs and a technician to swap the vending machines. Or better yet, how about two cash machines – one for each platform?

SunRail ignores this because they don’t care about making things convenient for riders. If they did, they wouldn’t have ridiculous schedules with 2 ½-hour gaps between some trains.

See you on The Rail, or trying to find a cash machine.

SunRail committee learns an inconvenient lesson

There was a wonderful teachable moment at Thursday’s meeting of SunRail’s Technical Advisory Committee.

TAC members

The committee members – officials representing cities along the SunRail corridor – had a big problem planning their next meeting. Thursday’s meeting was held in the LYNX offices in the downtown Orlando bus terminal that also serves as a SunRail station. Many committee members ride SunRail to the meeting.

One committee member suggested changing the time for the next meeting. But one of his colleagues said if they changed the time they would end up waiting 1 ½ hours for the next train. The discussion went back and forth as they tried to agree on a meeting time that would work with SunRail’s inconvenient schedule.

The discussion amused us. Here was a key SunRail committee wrestling with the same problem many average riders endure -- huge gaps of up to 2 ½ hours between some trains. This is why SunRail should be running hourly during off-peak periods.

Uber might be cheaper than SunRail

SunRail’s operating costs are so high it might be cheaper to order Uber for every SunRail rider.

While that seems absurd, we admit that we were quite shocked by the academic analysis showing the SunRail commuter train spends $35.11 per rider – the second highest for any commuter-rail system in the U.S.

The cool thing about Uber is, you can get them when you need them, instead of waiting up to 2 ½ hours for a SunRail train. Unlike SunRail, Uber runs weekends, on holidays, late at night and you don’t have to worry about tapping on and tapping off.

For more on SunRail’s expensive operations, please click www.SunRailRiders.com

SunRail is a disaster

We’ve declared SunRail a disaster.

The only way to save SunRail is to admit how badly things are going. They say the first step to sobriety begins with an admission you’re an alcoholic.

We base our disaster declaration on academic analysis presented on www.thetransportpolitic.com. 

Yonah Freemark, a doctoral candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, publishes that website.

Freemark noted that SunRail has the second worst operating effectiveness costs among commuter rail systems in the U.S., according to 2015 figures.

Data shows SunRail’s operating expense per trip is $35.11 compared to $8.47 for the Salt Lake FrontRunner – similar to SunRail in many ways. Click here for more details.

Responding to an email from us, Freemark wrote: “The ‘operating effectiveness’ figure ($35.11 for SunRail) means that it costs SunRail $35.11 to transport each rider.

“Because SunRail collects $2.21 per passenger in fares per trip this means that other sources (public subsidies) must provide $32.90 per trip to support the operations of the train,” Freemark continued, “You'll note that SunRail is also the worst-performing commuter rail agency in terms of expense per passenger mile ($2.39), which requires the largest subsidy per passenger-mile ($2.24). These figures would be improved substantially with additional ridership.”

Feeble attempts by SunRail and its high-priced consultants haven’t been able to improve SunRail because it’s operating with a half-assed schedule.

Lots of people want to use SunRail. Just check our Facebook page to see the intense demand for SunRail service. But SunRail doesn’t run when many people need it.

• No weekend service.
• No holiday service.
• No late-night service.
• No DeLand service.
• Service gaps of up to 2 ½ hours during the day.

It’s no surprise SunRail’s ridership is in a death spiral.

Please end the disaster. SunRail’s management and operations need a major shakeup to provide the service riders demand.

We’re tired of excuses and SunRail’s ‘can’t do’ attitude.

Save SunRail because it’s critical to provide transportation options Central Florida needs to thrive.

SunRail screwed Volusia out of DeLand train station

SunRail is running off the tracks.

Volusia County Council (county commission) members are ready to pull the plug on SunRail unless the promised DeLand SunRail train station gets built.

Who can blame them?

Mythical DeLand SunRail station

Nine years ago Volusia signed on to SunRail because they were promised a train station in DeLand – Volusia’s county seat.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) currently operates SunRail. Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Osceola counties and the city of Orlando are supposed to take over the financial responsibility and operations of SunRail in 5 years when FDOT leaves the project.

Three new stations are currently being built in Osceola County – with the help of a special federal grant. A new spur is being planned to connect SunRail tracks to Orlando International Airport. But nothing is going on with the DeLand station.

Last year SunRail’s FDOT masters applied for a special federal grant to extend the SunRail tracks to DeLand. The grant was denied. This spring FDOT was preparing another application for the federal grant. In a surprise move, at the last moment, FDOT chose not submit the grant application to extend tracks to DeLand.

Volusia County deserves more than sweet words from FDOT. The county was promised a SunRail DeLand station. FDOT needs to deliver.

Currently SunRail tracks only go as far as the Volusia County city of DeBary – one of the busiest stations in SunRail.

We’re passionate supporters of SunRail. We’re also deeply disappointed in the defective SunRail product FDOT delivered. The train service is limited to weekdays. There are service gaps of up to 2 ½ hours. No late-night service. There’s no trains to DeLand, even though that service was promised.

No surprise SunRail is used by fewer than 2,000 daily because its schedule is so inconvenient. SunRail’s potential is tremendous. There are at least 10,000 people on the SunRail track corridor who could be use the train daily.

SunRail was pitched as a vital element in the I-4 transportation network. Unless our leaders wake up, SunRail will run off the tracks in 2021 when FDOT departs. We’re furious because FDOT’s poor leadership, poor planning, poor attitude and indifference to customer satisfaction are responsible for SunRail’s failures.

Please get this railroad back on the tracks.