Don’t engineer county railroad policy on a bare-bones idea

One of the boldest and most exciting ideas to arrive in years is legislation being heard this week to make it county policy to develop one or more multimodal Miami-Dade depots for both freight and passenger trains. As a rail fan and transit proponent, I love the idea.

In fact, it ranks right up there with a bold idea 15 years ago to build an indoor baseball stadium in Little Havana to uplift the area’s economy while boosting anemic attendance and retaining the Marlins. As a Marlins fan and development proponent, that idea was equally exciting.

Unfortunately, bold and exciting ideas don’t all work. The Marlins in the old stadium with a poor team averaged 19,007 fans per game in 2011. In their $3 billion county ballpark with a winning team this year they average 12,304. Little Havana’s economy is little changed.

Don’t get me wrong: while I fought the stadium on a cost-and-benefits basis, I’d guess that a rail hub properly planned, designed, located, financed and marketed by the right well-managed and well-capitalized public-private team could be a big winner.

But while the idea is appealing, so is a big gift-wrapped box that when you open it is absolutely empty. There are no facts in the county legislation, just pie in the sky. I wouldn’t bet money on a bare-bones idea. I certainly wouldn’t set in stone county policy without a lot more to go on.

The legislation would make it county policy to develop one or more intermodal facilities for freight and passenger rail, direct the mayor to find a way to make it happen, mandate that one rail terminal be near Homestead Air Reserve Base, include at the rail hubs an inland port, and have the county partner with the state to acquire or get access to CSX freight tracks, urge the state to fund much of the deal, and prioritize use of CSX tracks for passenger rail.

That’s packing a lot of moving parts into one piece of legislation based on hunches that all of this should be county policy from the outset, before we learn more.

So, much as we respect Commissioners Kionne McGhee and Raquel Regalado, who are driving this legislative train, I wouldn’t get aboard without a lot more homework.

Yes, I know, you can kill a good idea with studies, and I know that time may be of the essence to CSX and others with less-visible interests.

Still, exciting as this concept is, I wouldn’t bet my lunch money on it without knowing more. I sure wouldn’t bet county tax money or adopt a policy to do something that might be way off base.

If you took this idea to the chairman of a big corporation, she or he would demand more answers than just enthusiasm or hunches.

First, what’s the business need for rail hubs? Who would use them for what? What’s the business plan?

Build it and they will come was the premise of the film “Field of Dreams,” where a baseball stadium was built in an Iowa cornfield and fans flocked to it. But we built a field in Little Havana and who came? Crickets.

Second, everything hinges on CSX. There’ve been no formal talks with CSX and they’ve never had a spokesperson at meetings that discussed their tracks for passenger rail. The sponsors of this legislation have talked with CSX informally, but I wouldn’t base formal policy on unofficial meetings held with no written records. CSX is the pivotal player and is silent. Do they really want to play?

Third, what’s the future of freight rail in Miami-Dade? Until recently it was all but dormant and it flies – or rolls – under the radar. What added freight rail would come from whom? Shipping what? Is rail better for them than trucks? Would they use an inland port if we built one? Why is Homestead cemented into the policy without study? Miami has a big freight logistics community – what do they say? Have we asked?
We shouldn’t make policy without answers. And, with all respect, I wouldn’t want a study by government planners. Business planners, maybe, or business consultants, but not without business knowledge. Shipping freight by rail is not government policy but a business decision.

Government can create a structure to operate a railroad intermodal hub. But it’s another thing to know how businesses and passengers would use it. Think of highways built where nobody wants to go.

Also, before the county makes policy it needs a ballpark cost for turning policy into reality. The county voted to build a $3 billion stadium without ever seeing the word billion. Commissioners bought a glowing concept and price was no object, because they never knew the price.

Then we need a timetable. When would the first train arrive? Are we talking about next year, next decade or next century?

If Commissioners McGhee and Regalado have firm details it would help to quickly put them on the table for not only the public but also fellow commissioners.

Both commissioners want to move very fast, which is admirable. The idea is highly appealing. But exactly what’s inside the pretty gift box?