Railroad to JIA Ever Coming?

[jaxlongtimer]

Not surprised. I never saw that rail line as being viable even when the study was being done. It didn't seem like the rail carriers were really interested in it.

The issue isn't just viability today but in the future.  If the R-O-W isn't set aside now there is no possibility for the future.  That is my main point.  Assuming it's inevitable that future demand may justify this, whether for port/JIA freight connections and/or for commuters/airport passenger shuttling, funding at that time could possibly be spread between users, government and the railroads making it more feasible financially to get done.  Again, that rings hollow if we don't set aside the R-O-W today.

Reminds me of the building of the Dames Point Bridge.  Critics said it was too low.  But we built it at the present height to meet then current standards not caring to plan for a future everyone knew would come for much taller ships.  And, now, we are stuck.

[marcuscnelson]

Happened across a (somewhat) similar project occurring in Illinois, and thought I'd bring the comparison here.

Springfield, Illinois is undergoing a $315 million rail improvement project, relocating the entire Union Pacific line, which is also used by Amtrak, away from a street blocks away from the state capitol to instead run alongside an existing Norfolk Southern corridor, with a new connection to the remaining UP line:



This includes a brand new Amtrak station, local bus transfer hub, substantial grade separation, and the implementation of a quiet zone. Unlike the north corridor project here, which FDOT reported they expected railroads (CSX) to cover much of the cost for, this is largely paid by federal, state, and local funds:



Just interesting to see what other states have decided to do with these kinds of projects.

[thelakelander]

Not surprised. I never saw that rail line as being viable even when the study was being done. It didn't seem like the rail carriers were really interested in it.

The issue isn't just viability today but in the future.  If the R-O-W isn't set aside now there is no possibility for the future.  That is my main point.  Assuming it's inevitable that future demand may justify this, whether for port/JIA freight connections and/or for commuters/airport passenger shuttling, funding at that time could possibly be spread between users, government and the railroads making it more feasible financially to get done.  Again, that rings hollow if we don't set aside the R-O-W today.

Reminds me of the building of the Dames Point Bridge.  Critics said it was too low.  But we built it at the present height to meet then current standards not caring to plan for a future everyone knew would come for much taller ships.  And, now, we are stuck.

I don't think the ROW for freight rail up there is needed.  Now or in the future.

[BridgeTroll]

Looks like DeSantis is helping Cecil with rail connectivity... this should be a good thing... of course the DeSantis haters will ignore or find fault... good news for the Westside...

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2022/11/29/desantis-announces-55m-in-funding-to-build-3-mile-railway-at-cecil-commerce-center/

[thelakelander]

It's nice to see the rail line being put back in. I wonder what existing tenants need access to rail?

[Charles Hunter]

Should help bring industry to the airport area.

I wonder if this kills the proposed rail trail that was going to connect the Jax/Baldwin Trail to trails in Clay County. If I remember correctly, the bike trail was going to use the (then) former rail passage under I-10.

[acme54321]

Should help bring industry to the airport area.

I wonder if this kills the proposed rail trail that was going to connect the Jax/Baldwin Trail to trails in Clay County. If I remember correctly, the bike trail was going to use the (then) former rail passage under I-10.

Probably.  There might be enough room there to share but it's not a huge overpass.  It'll be interesting to see where this alignment ends up.

[thelakelander]

Should help bring industry to the airport area.

I wonder if this kills the proposed rail trail that was going to connect the Jax/Baldwin Trail to trails in Clay County. If I remember correctly, the bike trail was going to use the (then) former rail passage under I-10.

I hope they don't ruin industrial rail ROW to Cecil with a bike trail. It's much easier to figure out how to get bikes over an existing bridge or underpass than it is to figure out how to get rail access to Cecil. So I'm definitely glad this is going in sooner rather than later.

[jaxlongtimer]

Will the track run all the way to Cecil Airport?  Having intermodal capabilities there would seem to be golden for future development.  If that works out well, maybe leaders would see the value of bringing rail to JIA one day as originally suggested .

[BridgeTroll]

Should help bring industry to the airport area.

I wonder if this kills the proposed rail trail that was going to connect the Jax/Baldwin Trail to trails in Clay County. If I remember correctly, the bike trail was going to use the (then) former rail passage under I-10.

There are a network of trails that eventually run under I-10... I  used to ride them.  They are dirt and not improved... but fun and full of wildlife.

[acme54321]

Will the track run all the way to Cecil Airport?  Having intermodal capabilities there would seem to be golden for future development.  If that works out well, maybe leaders would see the value of bringing rail to JIA one day as originally suggested .

No.  This mileage only gets you halfway there.  I don't see rail ever being run back into the airport.

[Charles Hunter]

Using Google Maps distance tool, 3 miles from the existing CSX line parallel to Beaver Street, and using the existing underpass near Otis Road, only gets you to the Bridgestone distribution facility on POW-MIA Memorial Parkway.  As acme54321 said, only about halfway to the airport. Looking back at the article, it only talks about Cecil Commerce Center, not the airport. I confess to introducing the "airport" misdirection.

[jaxlongtimer]

Looking at the street view  from Otis Road under I-10 (link below), I am wondering if the clearance is high enough for a railroad to clear underneath.  Can anyone confirm this is good?  Certainly doesn't seem that a double stacked rail car could clear this.  Do they plan to rebuild that overpass to a higher elevation?

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.3050504,-81.898745,3a,41.3y,178.83h,84.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sU1ZfVF2rBI3rQrpnQB3kwg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

While it may never happen, it does appear to me there is a pathway to continue a rail line down to the airport and follow the perimeter road along 103rd to the large undeveloped land on the east side of the runway.  If Boeing or others brought the right kind of project to that area, it might justify such an extension.

[Jason]

There was definitely a rail line out there in the past.  Looks like a Seaboard Coastline Railway spur.
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.232423,-81.8851056,574m/data=!3m1!1e3

If you follow that line north you can see where a chunk was covered by the new POW-MIA Parkway.

I agree with you all, the rail would only support the Commerce Center and NOT the airport.

[Charles Hunter]

Looking at the street view  from Otis Road under I-10 (link below), I am wondering if the clearance is high enough for a railroad to clear underneath.  Can anyone confirm this is good?  Certainly doesn't seem that a double stacked rail car could clear this.  Do they plan to rebuild that overpass to a higher elevation?

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.3050504,-81.898745,3a,41.3y,178.83h,84.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sU1ZfVF2rBI3rQrpnQB3kwg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

While it may never happen, it does appear to me there is a pathway to continue a rail line down to the airport and follow the perimeter road along 103rd to the large undeveloped land on the east side of the runway.  If Boeing or others brought the right kind of project to that area, it might justify such an extension.

If you zoom in on the pine tree at the fork in the dirt road, there are still rails present, and it looks like there are rails crossing the dirt road that heads west. Now, I don't know if a double-stack will fit under I-10, but there was definitely a rail line there at one time. Looking at Google Earth from Jan. 1994, you can see a rail spur branching from the mainline parallel to Beaver Street, heading south into the Cecil Field NAS, going by at least one of the "weapons bunkers" north of Normandy.

Sorry, can't figure out how to add a photo here.