FDOT Proposing $118 Million For Amtrak/FEC Project

[tufsu1]

can rick scott  tranfer the high speed rail funds to just upgrade amtrak florida instead of disney train.

No....just ask the Governors of Wisconsin, Ohio, and New jersey what happens when you try to transfer the $ to something else.

[yapp1850]

the law in the high speed rail is for passenger rail only, if its still passenger rail just on a different route still  tampa to orlando and what would the time be at  79-90-110-125

[yapp1850]

how much will it cost to upgrade  fec line and csx line between orlando and tampa including trains

[tufsu1]

I believe the required minimal speed in the law is 90mph.

That said, the new Governor in Wisconin was willing to spend their money on upgarding an existing line that went from Milwaukee to Minneapolis while bypassing Madison...the Feds said the grant  was specifically for the new line and took the money back.

the FEC line would cost something like $700 million to get full upgrades from Jax. to Miami....as for Orlando-Tampa, CSX has not shown an interest in having passenger rail on those tracks.

[Ocklawaha]

I'm with you, lakelander.  It all has to happen together.  It's like what we talked about in the recent school thread.  Did the schools drive sprawl or did sprawl weaken the schools?  Doesn't matter so much now because both need to be fixed.  And in the same way that one weakened the other into a downward spiral, they can build each other up as well.  We need the ecomonic engine and the infrastructure to make it happen.

I think one has to define what each thing brings to the city, is it just more people, or is it buildings, trailer parks etc...

The new carrier will add about 10,000 people to the city, and about 1/3 of those will have an income that if it were not for military benefits, would be below poverty level. The development on base will benefit the military, with little benefit to any civilian industry except for private military contractors. The military will bring in highly trained technicians that operate various jobs and processes, they will make for an excellent and above average workforce as they leave the service. Housing will boom for a short while near the base, some new building will take place, but the real winner here will be WAL-MART. I say bring it on, but keep your eyes open to what we get and plan accordingly. Growth will be largely suburban sprawl in nature.

A deeper river will add thousands of square feet of new warehousing, manufacturing, and transportation jobs. These technical or administrative skills will equate to a higher income and higher educated populace.  Airport, Amtrak, and JTA expand to meet the needs of a well rounded professional demand. New housing will boom, but it will be a lasting boom as a ship x truck x warehouse x manufacturer x rail x ... multiplier takes effect. This is definitely a horse that can be ridden into the sunset. Growth will be in the industrial sector and select neighborhood locations.

Fixed rail mass transit, be it railroad or monorail or light rail, will spur a dense urbanized development pattern that will accommodate the new citizens from both of the above groups. It will become an attractor to the insurance and financial sector, as well as corporate relocation's. Vertical growth will be the result of packing as much along these routes as the developers can afford. This type of development will also tend to mix a boutique and small business development alongside mega projects.

I misspoke (or mistyped!)  - I guess that, in the rush to spank me, nobody has an answer to what I was getting at.  Why are we bending over backwards to cater to rail needs along the I-4 corridor when it would benefit more people to shift those federal funds to the I-95 corridor???

read my post (#61) again....I explained it

I still think the real driver behind Central Florida's HSR project is M I C K E Y, this train will do NOTHING to relieve the traffic on I-4 or serve the local residents. It is a tourist train ride, pure and simple.

OCKLAWAHA

[CS Foltz]

I am with you on this one Ock! Rat Rail does not help anything but Ratville! Pubilc Funds should not be used for a private enterprise!

[tufsu1]

I am with you on this one Ock! Rat Rail does not help anything but Ratville! Pubilc Funds should not be used for a private enterprise!

got any proof/data?

[Jaxson]

I misspoke (or mistyped!)  - I guess that, in the rush to spank me, nobody has an answer to what I was getting at.  Why are we bending over backwards to cater to rail needs along the I-4 corridor when it would benefit more people to shift those federal funds to the I-95 corridor???

read my post (#61) again....I explained it

I read post #61, but I still believe that the difference between the I-4 and I-95 corridors is that the east coast rail line helps with both intrastate and interstate travel.  Folks in the Northeast corridor would benefit from a more direct route to South Florida and so would Floridians who want to avoid driving along the deadliest stretch of Interstate (http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-06-07/news/fl-i-95-deadly-highway-20100607_1_i-95-lanes-broward-stretch)...

[thelakelander]

Most Florida residents don't care about travel in the Northeast corridor.  One of the things driving the I-4 HSR section is the cost/distance and the ability to get it implemented quickly.  I also believe there are major forces driving this project that have nothing to do with what is the best way or route to move people.

There is a reason you have the Obama administration pouring in money and private entities willing to pay for its O&M for 30 years and it has nothing to do with Disney.  It politically helps him in a major swing state, come reelection time, and it helps rail companies get their foot in the american market.

[Jaxson]

Although most Florida residents do not care about the Northeast corridor, the Northeast corridor is very profitable for Amtrak.  Although most Floridians do not care about the Northeast corridor, I am sure that they would care about the money that those darned Yankees would spend in cities along the FEC route.  Take for example, St. Augustine is going to be at the center of various events that are related to the upcoming 500th anniversary of Florida's founding.  We can play like a bunch of insular, parochial rednecks all we want, but I still believe that we benefit the most from building a stronger network of passenger rail network that actually connects us to the rest of the country.  You also make my point about how politics and vote buying is also a factor in favoring such a high speed rail route along I-4...

[yapp1850]

who would be better operating florida passenger rail amtrak,virgin rail,Veolia

[thelakelander]

Jaxon, I don't disagree with you but doing something along the I-4 corridor does have merit.  Widening it would cost billions more. Nevertheless, it's not either/or as far as Florida is concerned. The State wants HSR and Amtrak on the FEC.  My guess is they'll get both.  Yapp, the better one is the entity that will invest a butt load of their own cash on this thing, imho.

[Ocklawaha]

Well checking FDOT count sites, I-4 is running at about 125,000 cars a day west of Orlando, and I-95 290,000 north of Miami. Looks like I-95 WITH Tri-Rail would still win the need test. TUFSU1 Got any other numbers?

OCKLAWAHA

[middleman]

There is a reason you have the Obama administration pouring in money and private entities willing to pay for its O&M for 30 years and it has nothing to do with Disney.  It politically helps him in a major swing state, come reelection time, and it helps rail companies get their foot in the american market.

A conspiracy theory huh? If you don't mind terribly, can you back up this with some facts? Thinking off the top of my head, California is getting the biggest portion of the HSR money, and they are hardly a Swing state. Why would the Obama administration give California all that HSR money if the secret reason for HSR spending was political? Inquiring minds want to know. 

[spuwho]

There is a reason you have the Obama administration pouring in money and private entities willing to pay for its O&M for 30 years and it has nothing to do with Disney.  It politically helps him in a major swing state, come reelection time, and it helps rail companies get their foot in the american market.

A conspiracy theory huh? If you don't mind terribly, can you back up this with some facts? Thinking off the top of my head, California is getting the biggest portion of the HSR money, and they are hardly a Swing state. Why would the Obama administration give California all that HSR money if the secret reason for HSR spending was political? Inquiring minds want to know. 

He said Florida was getting the rail cash due to some political motivations, not California. It is getting it because that particular state has already managed their publicly funded rail quite well, have solid plans and is primarily led in the House and Senate by those with allegiances to the party. (Pelosi, Boxer, Feinstein)

One mustn't assume that all the states are getting their rail cash for the same reasons.