Trains On The Florida East Coast One Step Closer

[Metro Jacksonville]

Trains On The Florida East Coast One Step Closer



In accordance with Section 210 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA), Amtrak has developed and commenced plans to improve the performance of five of its Eastern long-distance routes: the Silver Star, Silver Meteor and Palmetto (collectively the Silver Service), the Crescent, and the Lake Shore Limited.  The study indicates that, not only should restoring rail service between Jacksonville and Miami be Amtrak's top prioity, but that the route would actually turn a profit.


Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2011-oct-trains-on-the-florida-east-coast-one-step-closer

[urbaknight]

Are they going to try to do something soon? Or are they just going to talk about for another decade?

I would totally ride this down to Miami for the day or the weekend.

So hurry up and make it happen already!

I want to be able to enjoy these changes while I'm still in my prime!

[JeffreyS]

I took the family to Miami last week not a bad drive but we would have loved a train.

[SuperTman5]

I would love to hop a train to Miami and spend the weekend or travel intrastate for business by rail. However, once I'm in Miami, Daytona, Orlando, ect then what. I need to rent a car, there is no effective inner-city mode of transportation.

[thelakelander]

You can get around in Miami without the use of a car now.  I've done it before.  Metrorail, Metromover, Tri-Rail and Amtrak are all connected and feed by the local bus system.  Orlando will also have Sunrail up and running soon.  The true question is what will Jacksonville do?

[dougskiles]

^BRT!  Just like LRT only cheaper!

[tayana42]

The time has come for passenger rail to expand.  Step one:  move the Amtrak station back downtown!

[tufsu1]

many of us hope that passenger rail can be expanded....but everything costs money (some options more than others)....what ideas do folks have for financing capital as well as Operations & Maintenance

[ChriswUfGator]

many of us hope that passenger rail can be expanded....but everything costs money (some options more than others)....what ideas do folks have for financing capital as well as Operations & Maintenance

We can start by scrapping your boondoggly outer beltway, that'll save more than it costs to run all of Amtrak let alone the FEC.

[Doctor_K]

many of us hope that passenger rail can be expanded....but everything costs money (some options more than others)....what ideas do folks have for financing capital as well as Operations & Maintenance

We can start by scrapping your boondoggly outer beltway, that'll save more than it costs to run all of Amtrak let alone the FEC.

+1

[tufsu1]

We can start by scrapping your boondoggly outer beltway, that'll save more than it costs to run all of Amtrak let alone the FEC.

since when is the Outer Beltway mine?  anyone who actually knows me is well aware of how I feel about that project

that said, the proposed costs for Amtrak/FEC from last year's grant application were around $550 million in capital costs.....the Outer Beltway leg to Blanding (as proposed) is supposed to be around $300 million in capital costs.

Of course Amtrak/FEC route is about 275 miles long (versus 15) and provides access to many more communities than the road.

[ChriswUfGator]

We can start by scrapping your boondoggly outer beltway, that'll save more than it costs to run all of Amtrak let alone the FEC.

since when is the Outer Beltway mine?  anyone who actually knows me is well aware of how I feel about that project

that said, the proposed costs for Amtrak/FEC from last year's grant application were around $550 million in capital costs.....the Outer Beltway leg to Blanding (as proposed) is supposed to be around $300 million in capital costs.

Of course Amtrak/FEC route is about 275 miles long (versus 15) and provides access to many more communities than the road.

Oh come on, you know as well as I do that this one little segment is only the camel's head in a $2Bn tent. A useless sprawl-inducing tent. And I said 'yours' because you seem to be the only one defending this awful boondoggle lately.

[JeffreyS]

Sounds like we could just forgo one interstate on ramp in Jax and one in Miami and pay for the FEC line easy.

[thelakelander]

According to Amtrak, the Jax-Mia route would turn a profit. That's something that shouldn't be overlooked.

[tufsu1]

agreed Lake....but the report raises two questions for me

1. It is based on operating only 1 train (Silver Star) per direction per day on that route....how much more/less of a profit would there be with 2 or 3 trains.

2. It notes that the annual revenue would exceed the operating costs...but someone still needs to identify $ for the capital costs.

I am very much in favor of expanding Amtrak and believe it is in the best interest of the cities along the route and Florida....but shouldn't the Feds put some $ into the pot too?