"Pennsylvania state Sen. Joe Picozzi's recent Op-ed in the South Philly Review begins with an assertion and a question: "Everybody wants to fund SEPTA, so why hasn't it gotten done?" The answer lies in Picozzi's misleading assertion: in fact, not everyone in the state legislature wants to fund SEPTA, least of all his Republican colleagues in the Senate. As supposed proof of bipartisan support, Sen. Picozzi points to the only SEPTA funding bill that was passed by the Republican-controlled Senate, where he admits that the funding will be contingent on raiding the Public Transportation Trust Fund,"
"He claims that there is just $2.4 billion in funding sitting in this account. What he does not explain is that over half of this fund, $1.3 billion, is already earmarked for specific infrastructure projects. The remaining $1.1 billion in the trust is expected to be used for immediate and long-term repairs and operations essential to safety and service improvements that are crucially needed."
Sen. Joe Picozzi claims broad legislative support to fund SEPTA and cites a Senate-passed funding bill contingent on using the Public Transportation Trust Fund. The trust holds about $2.4 billion, but more than $1.3 billion is already earmarked for specific infrastructure projects and roughly $1.1 billion is expected for immediate and long-term repairs and operations. SEPTA faces a $10 billion backlog of repairs and operates the nation's oldest rail fleet, with most cars needing replacement within a decade. Diverting trust funds would force SEPTA to sacrifice essential maintenance and worsen service and safety outcomes.
Read at Streetsblog
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