Map and Proposal for Commuter Rail WITH BRT

[Ocklawaha]

According to JTA this isn't happening, "River Rail Can't Operate on Streets.." Uhhh Huh?

We have already said, "Commuter Rail, Let's be Bold!" Well, I agree, but lets also be smart. The New Jersey Transit "RIVER LINE" has a new hybrid vehicle, it's a LRV/DMU that is diesel powered. It looks like a modern LRV and can run down the street as a streetcar, yet it can also track share with CSX/NS/Conrail in it's own unique time window. This same vehicle could be ordered as electric traction.


Dallas Texas, Transit station/Park and Ride along the Bus and Light Rail lines

A word about the stations: Park and Ride in Jacksonville past, has been a gravel lot in the middle of a freeway interchange... This ISN'T how it's done guys. Park and Ride, should be a small TOD in it's own right. A well defined large paved lot. Fenced and well signed, "section A", "section B," etc. Brilliant Lighting dusk to dawn. Full time security patrols. A Station facility that includes kiosk shops, ticket and pass vending machines. Kiss and Drive lanes. Bus and Taxi lanes... and enough green space that someone might mistake it for The Garden of Eden.  


Image of a new Auckland, New Zeland, Park and Ride Station

RAIL: (in black on the map)
Rebuild the "S" line, and upgrade the trackage North along Main Street past Dunn Avenue, Busch etc...
Add the Airport connector, and build a "Frickin HUGE!" gated, lit, park and ride facility at I-95, US-17 and the Airport.
Add a upgrade of the trackage from just North of the Trout River East to the new Cruise Terminal. To keep this from being a seldom used investment, build another huge park and ride facility at 9-A/I-295E.
Add the gateway mall spur, from Springfield mainline, to another large, park and ride facility.
Add the Downtown Heritage Trolley line with the possibility of building the "Core" to LRT weight standards, while the remainder could be the much cheaper "Modern Streetcar Construction"  


This is the "Incredible Expensive Memphis Light Rail-Hertiage Trolley (mix) line, it has cost a huge $2.5 million dollars a mile! How does that stack up to JTA's $1.2 BILLION dollar bus system?


Los Angeles Metro-Rapid BRT uses a mix of HOV, Exclusive, or curbside services

BUS: (in green on the map)
Add BRT from Gateway Mall, Northwest up LemTurner on HOV or exclusive lanes.
Add BRT from Shands, Northwest up MLK/New Kings Road on HOV or exclusive lanes.
Add BRT from TC West along I-95/10 using HOV-BUS lanes
Add BRT from Skyway North Transfer Station, along State and Union to Arlington Expressway-Beaches on HOV or exclusive lanes.


Jacksonville North and Northwest? Could be! These lines are light density frieght tracks and the only missing segments are the short "S" line segment, Airport and part of the Gateway line. Maybe 5 miles of so at the most. Did you know railroads are cheaper to build then highway lanes and last as much as 10 times the typical life of a highway? TRUE!


According to JTA, "LRT can't operate on regular railroads." Gee sort of looks like that territory out by the Cruise Terminal doesn't it?   

Now go take a good look at those Memphis, "Heritage Trolleys." I just got word yesterday of THREE, American made "Brill" one-man, 4-wheel, 1920's vintage cars for sale in Australia. Completely rebuilt from the frame up before the sale, they are offered as "new" delivered with Tech support to the Port of Jacksonville, (or Savannah, which ever is smarter) for $450,000 each! Oh Lawdy, "If we only had a brain..." For information see: http://www.newsteadtramcars.com./

Ocklawaha