Maglev Train Coming to the Sunshine State?
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/4089321614_V8cSjzG-L.jpg)
Central Florida may soon be on its way to becoming the transit capitol of Florida. Already home to Bus Rapid Transit (LYMMO) and commuter rail (Sunrail), plans for high speed intercity rail (All Aboard Florida) could be bolstered by a privately funded Maglev rail system.
Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2015-may-maglev-train-coming-to-the-sunshine-state
"Ridership and revenue projections are historically overly-optimistic." - Governor Rick Scott
Too many stops in the distance allotted.
I applaud the route they want service (I-Drive), but I feel its a misuse of the technology.
Maglev benefits are high speed with no friction. But with so many stops and such a short distance, I suspect this thing will never get over 30mph.
A Bombardier Innovia could do the same thing for less dough at thise speeds.
This is definitely, one of those "I'll believe it when I see it" type of projects. Operating a maglev as a circulator makes no sense at all. There are several technologies out there, that are more suitable, for a corridor like that. AMT's history also plays into the "I'll believe it when I see it" factor.
Lake, Spuwho, and others, what are your thoughts on Hyperloop? Seems like Maglev could be rendered obsolete if Musk and co can pull it off.
Quote from: finehoe on May 28, 2015, 09:01:32 AM
"Ridership and revenue projections are historically overly-optimistic." - Governor Rick Scott
I don't think you can debate that fact. We need transit alternatives and they do a lot to bring communities together to promote walkable environments, but most don't hit projections (see in just FL - Tampa Street Car, Sunrail, Metro Rail, Skyway, etc).
Quote from: For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A on May 28, 2015, 12:47:47 PM
Quote from: finehoe on May 28, 2015, 09:01:32 AM
"Ridership and revenue projections are historically overly-optimistic." - Governor Rick Scott
I don't think you can debate that fact. We need transit alternatives and they do a lot to bring communities together to promote walkable environments, but most don't hit projections (see in just FL - Tampa Street Car, Sunrail, Metro Rail, Skyway, etc).
Just wait until the massive I-4 construction project gets rolling and you'll see those Sunrail ridership numbers change quite a bit.
Quote from: CityLife on May 28, 2015, 12:36:15 PM
Lake, Spuwho, and others, what are your thoughts on Hyperloop? Seems like Maglev could be rendered obsolete if Musk and co can pull it off.
Hyperloop is a dream decades from happening. Would be awesome to see sometime in my lifetime but I'm not putting money on it. I consider it akin to the 2045 initiative.
Quote from: For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A on May 28, 2015, 12:47:47 PM
Quote from: finehoe on May 28, 2015, 09:01:32 AM
"Ridership and revenue projections are historically overly-optimistic." - Governor Rick Scott
I don't think you can debate that fact. We need transit alternatives and they do a lot to bring communities together to promote walkable environments, but most don't hit projections (see in just FL - Tampa Street Car, Sunrail, Metro Rail, Skyway, etc).
Orlando seems to be pretty aggressive with Transit news, setting themselves away from the rest. If they dont Invest in the stations it will be dissed heavily like Sunrail is. One maglev line is not really enough though, but Orlando is making good moves.
AMT wants to expand to Clearwater Beach someday.....
QuoteAmerican Maglev, the private company behind the proposed train system, has announced, via Twitter, future plans to stretch the magnet levitation train all the way to Clearwater Beach, out to UCF and through Lake Nona though none of those plans have even begun any form of official talks.
http://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2015/05/21/the-new-levitating-magnet-train-kicks-construction-into-next-gear
Quote from: thelakelander on May 29, 2015, 09:38:28 PM
AMT wants to expand to Clearwater Beach someday.....
QuoteAmerican Maglev, the private company behind the proposed train system, has announced, via Twitter, future plans to stretch the magnet levitation train all the way to Clearwater Beach, out to UCF and through Lake Nona though none of those plans have even begun any form of official talks.
http://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2015/05/21/the-new-levitating-magnet-train-kicks-construction-into-next-gear
Sales talk.
They will have their hands out for taxpayer dollars, no doubt. Exactly how are they expecting to make the route without government to force landowners to give up easement rights for it because not everyone will be thrilled about having a train zip over their property.
Quote from: stephendare on May 31, 2015, 08:44:35 PM
Quote from: Redbaron616 on May 31, 2015, 08:41:02 PM
They will have their hands out for taxpayer dollars, no doubt. Exactly how are they expecting to make the route without government to force landowners to give up easement rights for it because not everyone will be thrilled about having a train zip over their property.
dumb
Don't put "And now abide faith, hope and love; these three, but the greatest of these is love" when you belittle posts as "dumb". Lots of love there.
Quote from: Redbaron616 on May 31, 2015, 08:41:02 PM
They will have their hands out for taxpayer dollars, no doubt. Exactly how are they expecting to make the route without government to force landowners to give up easement rights for it because not everyone will be thrilled about having a train zip over their property.
by including much of the route in public right of way...i.e., the Beachline Expressway
The International American Pogo Stick Parkway or the Cross Palms Slip and Slide Splash-Pike, Will both carry more riders then the maglev. Gee I can hardly wait! CSX is going to start pulling up track to replace it with a electro-magnetic roadways as soon as they find a source for Continuous welded neodymium.
Then again, there is the monorail, which EVERYONE in Jacksonville knows 'IS TOMORROWS' railroad (gagging, suppressing a cough and a big laugh).
SERIOUSLY? I am working on a feature story on the breaks down the destruction of Amtrak and north American intercity passenger rail. In it you will; see that the automobile, the American cowboy, independence, or red ties had less to do with the demise then good old American stupidity and extreme thrift.
Coming soon. "Amtrak = The Wrong Train"
HYPERLOOP - Chance of being built? Hyperloop...maybe in a stadium, model expo, but in reality? I'd give Hyperloop a score of 600+ for yet another hair brained reinvention of the wheel where the economic benefits fall short of the system it is targeted to replace by about 1000%. Dumb.
MONORAIL - A limited use train, the monster that refuses to die.... Rail's answer to the 'Studebaker Avanti', Created in the late 50's early 60's by Studebaker as the car of tomorrow, it survived the automaker when the employees decided to buy out the factory and continue production. The Avanti II was a reengineered version of the classic Avainti built by Avanti Motors. Currently held up through a multidirectional law suits unrelated to the car itself. Expect both the Avanti and the Packard to reappear in force long before the Monorail revolution. Look for future Avanti's to have Packard V-8 / 10 or 12's.
AMTRAK - Rails version of a living Neanderthal.
URBAN RAIL FROM MOST COSTLY TO LOWEST COST OVER THE LIFE OF THE PROJECT
STREETCAR - The bargain basement entry level urban transit people mover with real redevelopment dollars Vintage or reproduction has the lowest entry cost and the highest ROI
STREETCAR - Modern streetcar is a state-of-the-art people moving system with top scores for ROI,
RAPID STREETCAR - A Hybrid of Modern/Vintage streetcar designed with many Light Rail like components raising speed limits and breaking away from traffic lanes some see this as getting the better for Less.
LIGHT-RAIL - Rail with a HUGE target painted on it by the 'think tanks'. Actually a star performer that acts in many ways like heavy rail or for a cost that is millions less.
COMMUTER RAIL - Mixed standard CSX, NS OR FEC freight service with short dedicated corridor passenger trains sharing the track.
HEAVY RAIL - Something we may never see built again on a large scale, a wonderful subway or elevated railroad costing billions..
POGO-STICKS/ SLIP-N-SLIDES - A major improvement over most JTA and FDOT plans.... don't hold your breath, we're not dense enough.
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Maryland Seeks Study Of Baltimore-To-D.C. Maglev
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan might have found a pricey train worth pursuing. You just won't be able to ride one in this country, at least not for many years.
During a 12-day trade mission to Asia that started May 26, Hogan is visiting Japan, where he will take a ride on the famous maglev (short for magnetic levitation) train that tops 300 miles per hour. There is more to the governor's trip than mere curiosity about the fastest train in the world.
The Maryland Department of Transportation has applied for a federal grant to study a maglev line between Baltimore and Washington. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is reviewing the application for $27.8 million and is expected to make a decision later this year. Maryland is the only state interested in the maglev grant dollars.
The request comes as Hogan is threatening to cancel the suburban Purple Line and Baltimore's Red Line transit projects because, in his view, they are too expensive, and the state's representatives on the Metro board of directors are pushing the transit authority to tighten its budgets, potentially jeopardizing a planned expansion of Metro's rail fleet in favor of bringing the existing fleet into a state of good repair.
Only a few states are even eligible to apply for the maglev grant. Under a 2008 federal law, three potential maglev projects were identified east of the Mississippi River: in Pittsburgh, Atlanta-Chattanooga, and Baltimore-Washington. Pennsylvania transportation officials returned the grant money to FRA, making it available to another state. Maryland went after it.
But the governor's interest in maglev is puzzling to regional transit advocates who say the train's prohibitive cost dwarfs that of the projects Hogan is threatening to cancel.
http://wamu.org/news/15/06/04/call_it_the_hogan_line_maryland_seeks_study_of_baltimore_to_dc_maglev