The billion dollar question about the many train costs

A new draft report from the ZEPRT study finds that replacing/repairing the rail trestles and bridges alone will cost nearly $1 billion.

To put that in perspective, Metro’s annual operating budget is $65 million, or the equivalent of 17 years of fully funded Metro Service.

The caveat. These costs don’t account for offsetting and building adjoining pedestrian bridges.

Add cost over-runs, parking lots, stations, rail infrastructure, utilities, drainage, pedestrian crossings, quite zones, retaining walls, operational costs, lawsuits. ...

We can now deduce that costs could easily exceed $5 billion, or 85 year equivalent of Metro’s budget, to complete a train and narrow disjointed trail, perhaps in decades.

All with the hope of serving 3,000 daily trips, compared to Metro’s 15,000.

Or we can build a interim trail using existing infrastructure and funds before our kids grow up and leave to college.

— David Date, La Selva Beach

Insanity prevails from SC to Washington DC

Last week the Santa Cruz RTC consultants indicated that the cost to rebuild the train trellises and bridges is almost $1 billion; in 2015, the RTC’s Feasibility Study showed that the RTC rail concept was not feasible at a cost of approximately $50 million and annual losses of $10 million and very little ridership; undeterred by facts, train advocates insisted on more consultant studies for the once and future train! I assume the train advocates on the RTC will now propose more train studies, because of course the cost of a train won’t be paid for by local taxpayers. …

Meanwhile, our president resumes his efforts to punish our allies and reward brutal dictators like Putin and the United States voted with Iran, Russia, China and North Korea at the UN, while 23 year olds dictate which nuclear security professionals are fired. Amazingly, Fox “Business” news anchor says any upcoming recession is the “Biden Recession.”

Can someone let me know when sanity becomes fashionable again?

— Ashley Winn, La Selva Beach

Support federal rules for affordable textbooks

I already pay thousands for tuition, food and housing, so I’m not looking to pay more for textbooks. I’ve had to pay over $100 for a major-required beginner class just to turn in my assignments. When taking four years of around 10+ classes per year, these costs build up. Jobless (not by choice) and stacked with student loans, textbook costs are an unnecessary burden. Desperate to avoid these costs, others tell accounts of finding a savior on Reddit that links a textbook, and even using the one-week trial of a textbook to take pictures of every page.

Companies now use access codes, forcing students to pay to access necessary work and inclusive access, which automatically bills students, not letting them find more affordable options.

Fortunately, the Department of Education is considering rules to curb these deceptive programs, and students are advocating against automatic billing, and for open textbooks, which are high quality and provide more economical options.

We need to support the Department of Education’s proposed cash management rules that give more options for education.

— Angelina Cheng, Santa Cruz

What is gained from silencing protesters?

As an immigrant here in Santa Cruz, I’ve always been impressed by the support for peaceful (if spirited!) discussion for change. Food Not Bombs on the corner. UCSC student protests. The country literally started as a protest against unjust government rule.

Now President Trump is threatening immigrants who “bear hostile attitudes toward its culture, government, or institutions” with deportation.

What does he gain from silencing those voices?

Our strength is our willingness to hear different views and to find the best way forward. Let’s support that, not suppress it.

— Roger Pantos, Scotts Valley

Nothing great about Trump’s name calling

Can’t Trump do anything without calling someone a derogatory name? It is so grade school. He sure knows how to make America great again. We should be so proud.

— Tom Mason, Scotts Valley