YAY, Let The Bidding Begin!!! Here we come: High Speed Rail for Florida!!!!

[acme54321]

How much would a ticket on this HSR from Tampa to Orlando cost?

[tufsu1]

cost was expected to be $30 - $40 round trip

[thelakelander]

True, WAY TOO MANY for effective or successful HSR. And there was talk of a "wild card station" somewhere west of Disney, two Polk stations, or some future station, so I'd say M/L knowing there is a shot at yet another station, Leesburg will come charging down US-27, Kissimmee will burst north and swallow Disney. Celebration will fuse with Auburndale will fuse with Lakeland will fuse with Lakeland etc... and the entire mass will surge northward until I-4 and not the historic core rail line is the "new center."  Yeah, it would take a lifetime, but why even set that up when we have a perfectly good alternative?

Express and local options solves this issue on both the CSX and I-4 corridors.  Plus, like or not, the area has already been engulfed by growth and the population center isn't focused on the historic hearts of little communities like Lake Alfred and Auburndale.  Those places are also some of the last in Central Florida that would accept infill high density development in the heart of the communities.  Train or no train, that pattern isn't going to change anytime soon.

If the converstation could have changed from "what's wrong with I-4 as a HSR corridor" to "how do we take advantage of new rail infrastructure connecting Central Florida metropolitan areas, a modified service plan of express and local trains would have been attractive for local residents.  Such a plan would have allowed for the creation of additional stops at several destinations along the corridor.  These could have included the Seminole Hard Rock Casino, Florida State Fairgrounds/Amphitheater, Posner Park, Champion's Gate, Celebration, Prime Outlets at Lake Buena Vista, Sea World and Florida Mall.  I have no doubt in my mind that a line hitting these destinations directly with DT Tampa, Disney and OIA would have had a great chance at success by appealing to both tourist and everyday residents.  This tied in with Sunrail would have also provided direct connectivity to DT Orlando, Florida Hospital, Winter Park and a host of urban destinations along the CSX corridor in Orlando.

Here's the catch, you will not be successful in stringing a corridor of cities together and then anchoring them on the north to an amusement park, tourist trap and an airport, especially when that airport is off center and quite south of the main mass of the northern anchor urbanized area. A further item of consideration is ask any family the frequencies they go to work, go to church, go shopping, go to entertainment each day or week, and compare that with the frequencies that you must go to the airport... If I can sell you 50 tickets from CHURCH STREET STATION to DOWNTOWN LAKELAND, for every 1 ticket to the airport, the airport loses.

Here's the catch.

1. Your response continues to ignore the connectivity of local transit in Tampa, Orlando and Lakeland.

2. It ignores the actual plan of having the Miami extension open by 2018.

3. It ignores that development extends past central city boundaries in all of these communities.

4. It ignores the travel patterns of I-4 drivers being met in a express/local style of service set up.

That said, I still like connecting the airport with the HSR, just not the other way around. So we lay in a FAST LRT LINE from the airport to I-Drive, Celebration, Prime Outlets at Lake Buena Vista, Sea World and Florida Mall. The idea of a "Connection" to complete a relatively short - simple trip completely defeats the speed of HSR in that corridor. In other words the HSR MUST GO WHERE THE CENTER OF POPULATIONS CAN BE FOUND, while the LRT-MONORAIL-COMMUTER RAIL etc... have the luxury of serving all of the "accessories to life." HSR should focus on the necessities of serious travel.

Why not kill multiple birds with one stone?  Money doesn't grow on trees these days.  Imo, no matter what the route is, it needs to be utilized for more than just HSR rail.

Well the mobility plan was created here, and didn't I hear that cities around the country are taking a look? If we get a progressive mayor, we could be in high cotton in Jacksonville.

A mobility plan isn't going to get you a $2.7 billion intercity rail line constructed.  You need federal or state money to pull a project that large off in a timely manner.  However, it can help cities improve local transit.  Nevertheless, if Scott doesn't screw things up, Tampa should have BRT and Orlando, commuter rail by 2015.  If we're lucky, we'll have a few more studies and a BRT line or two done by then.