Jacksonville Transportation Center moves forward

[JaxNative68]

Ock: the day Jax gets a Zepplin transport system is the day I buy you all the beverages you can drink in an evening.

[JaxNative68]

Make that a public transport system, not the MetLife (or other) blimp flying over an event.

[JaxNative68]

And city or federal run . . . Could I flounder any more?

[mtraininjax]

After speaking with politicians and lobbyists, I am convinced that rail of ANY SORT is a long way off for Jax, no one here in town really cares about it. No one has gone on record, publicly, to state that they have the funds for it. Till that happens, I doubt anything will ever happen.

[Ocklawaha]

Sorry if I've been slow to answer, been working on all kinds of projects today. A classic Zeppelin with a much heavier airframe could carry 70 tons up to 800 miles, or 60 tons 8,600 miles, at a cost of 1 cent per Ton Mile. This in excess of the crew, fuel and other sundry weights. The new ones are virtual VTOL aircraft, meaning a spot like Imeson Industrial Park could be put into service as a Zeppelin Port, between JIA and JPA. The smallish size of these new ships will soon pass, look for the economical giants to return, with much bigger payloads. The new Zeppelin frame is based on a triangle with three ridged supports running horizontally, more then twice as light as all previous models.

Hope someone is listening.

OCKLAWAHA

I'm listening. I can definitely see this having its place in transport. If one could make a small version of this for personal use they can become as common as the car. One question though. Would it be able to stop at a bunch of small ports along a certain route like rapid transit or a bus? Aircraft are usually designed to travel long distances nonstop. This would be a new situation.

Certainly the zeppelin is the right bus for that trick, either STOL or VTOL flights are now possible. In practice this will translate to the ability to stop most anywhere there is a flat spot, and since they use zero fuel to maintain flight, they do this much cheaper then the Heavy's. The first intercontinental polar flight was by a zeppelin. The first East to West crossing of the Atlantic was by a zeppelin. The first circumnavigation of the earth was also achieved by a zeppelin, and all of this was done by the end of the 1920's.

My thinking is to tie this into bulky but highly valuable and urgent trans oceanantic shipments. Tech toys, Oil field fittings, tooling etc... At 80 mph the flight from zeppelin at Friedrichshafen to Jacksonville, is around 40 hours +/-, not a ship on the sea could come anywhere close. The return flight to Germany would be as much as 10 hours shorter due to prevailing winds. Imagine a FEDEX express, at ocean prices and air speeds of up to 100 mph. To perform this trip according to CBS news research, the Zeppelin would burn up as much fuel as a large jet burns on the taxiway between the gate and the end of the runway.

'luftschiff hoch!

OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

Ock: the day Jax gets a Zepplin transport system is the day I buy you all the beverages you can drink in an evening.

Considering that Airship Ventures, owners of the Zeppelin NT in California is seriously planning a ship for Florida, you might want to hedge that bet. We also have a active LTA field at both Craig Field, and Orlando. There is also a large new zeppelin being built here in the state for some high tech purpose, maybe national defense. With our port flirting with Hamburg Sud, we would be dumb as a sack of ballast not to push, pull and beg for this.

OCKLAWAHA

[Jaxson]

The city's leaders lack vision when it comes to asking Amtrak to move its station back to the Union Terminal building.  It is disgusting that rail passengers are relegated to an 'Amshack' on the Northside.  Passenger rail deserves better in our city. 
I know that we can do better than a hole in the wall that is hidden away from most people.  I know that we can do better than a rail station that has no decent dining or lodging.  We can do better than having city leaders who sit on their hands while other cities upgrade or improve their Amtrak stations.

[CS Foltz]

Jaxson...........till the current Administration is run out of town on a rail forget it! Those turkeys will have to be shown the door and even that is no guarantee they will leave town.......too used to feeding at the public trough so I look for them to continue to bleeding us dry! Ock.....you forgot about Kissimmee! Airship International did have a hanger at one time there for "Shamu" which was an Airship 500 series if I remember correctly! I did get to upgrade the interior on that one as well as "Snoopy" the Metlife blimp. The principal stockholder had a Lear24 that got upgraded, was involved in that one also, Mr Pearlman was a very large fellow and had to beef up and re-foam for a person 280 pounds. Very tastefull interior but I digress............Hanger was there at one time!

[Ocklawaha]

"No man ought to looke a geuen hors in the mouth."

The city's leaders lack vision when it comes to asking Amtrak to move its station back to the Union Terminal building.  It is disgusting that rail passengers are relegated to an 'Amshack' on the Northside.  Passenger rail deserves better in our city. 
I know that we can do better than a hole in the wall that is hidden away from most people.  I know that we can do better than a rail station that has no decent dining or lodging.  We can do better than having city leaders who sit on their hands while other cities upgrade or improve their Amtrak stations.

Jaxson...........till the current Administration is run out of town on a rail forget it! Those turkeys will have to be shown the door and even that is no guarantee they will leave town.......too used to feeding at the public trough so I look for them to continue to bleeding us dry!

Jaxson, First off, congrats on being one of the first people here to use our "official" nickname as citizens of Jacksonville. I get sick of the Jacksonvillian jokes... ITS JAXSON'S PEOPLE!

Our failure is even deeper then that, until this last director, JTA has had three transportation agendas, roads, roads and roads. This is fed by the knee jerk Conservative politics of the locals, most of whom walk in lock step with the Bush-Reagan treatment of Rail. Our city even refused to consider a resolution of support for Amtrak on the FEC. THE ONLY CITY NOT TO GET ONBOARD, thank Councilman Bishop for that. We couldn't wait to rebuild our Union Terminal into a worthless convention center, these same "leaders" blew off the consultants recommendation's on the Skyway and built the East-West line downtown in the wrong direction. Not one of the 14 probable routes was ever built to a state of completion. Then you have the trumped up "ridership numbers," which they based on parking lots on Jefferson, and on Bay, and the "huge crowds" going to the Convention Center.

Hell y'all it took us TEN YEARS + and Ed Muller at JTA to get one City bus route to stop at Amtrak. But then to be fair, it's almost the same story with the Airport. Public Transportation, "not worthy of Jacksonville?"

We are very involved in Rail and Transit in general here in town, we sat in a meeting where Amtrak said they wanted to give us 15 daily trains, 5 on each route South daily. They want to return the Palmetto (again) and a link to Atlanta and New Orleans. They said they want to come home to Union Terminal and the FEC, and thought the Skyway could play a big role in moving passengers downtown. Besides refusing to support them or asking for additional service, it should be noted the City did two things about it. ONE: They immediately cut the Skyway schedule making it even more useless. TWO: They nixed the idea of a new Convention Center, insuring the Transportation Center will be a worthless homeless camp. This war is far from over, but I think y'all are going to learn very soon we have just reversed the losses "suffered at Gettysburg..." and avenged Jacksonville and Florida.

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-jul-jacksonville-to-miami-passenger-rail-returning

Ock.....you forgot about Kissimmee! Airship International did have a hanger at one time there for "Shamu" which was an Airship 500 series if I remember correctly! I did get to upgrade the interior on that one as well as "Snoopy" the Metlife blimp. The principal stockholder had a Lear24 that got upgraded, was involved in that one also, Mr Pearlman was a very large fellow and had to beef up and re-foam for a person 280 pounds. Very tastefull interior but I digress............Hanger was there at one time!

Sorry for the foh pah on Kissimmee, having lived in Lake Mary, Orlando, and Winter Park, I just sort of lump the whole area into O-Town together. Since you broke it down, the other field is at Herndon Airport in the edge of downtown. Guess Pearlman and I could have been twins from different mothers, sometimes I feel like the Graf Zeppelin. It would be most cool to meet you at one of our functions, if you'd like to help set off the alarms about what Zeppelin, Airship Ventures, Lockhead Martin and Boeing are pioneering. LTA+RAIL could well be the future.

[Ocklawaha]

After speaking with politicians and lobbyists, I am convinced that rail of ANY SORT is a long way off for Jax, no one here in town really cares about it. No one has gone on record, publicly, to state that they have the funds for it. Till that happens, I doubt anything will ever happen.

You might be shocked at what has been going on around here Mtrain, however as far as I can tell, some of this seems to be a done deal. Stay tuned, it seems we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled it with great resolve. About to go 8 for 8... Whoa man, awesome!

OCKLAWAHA
"IT'S NOT REVENGE I SEEK, IT'S A RECKONING!"

[thelakelander]

After speaking with politicians and lobbyists, I am convinced that rail of ANY SORT is a long way off for Jax, no one here in town really cares about it. No one has gone on record, publicly, to state that they have the funds for it. Till that happens, I doubt anything will ever happen.

The Amtrak FEC corridor project looks pretty encouraging.  Let's hope it wins some HSR stimulus dollars.

[lindab]

You're so right about the restoration of a train terminal in downtown. To turn Union Station back into a focal feature with an visual avenue leading down Water Street to it's entrance would be a big boost for Amtrack and create a walkable avenue ripe for small business and shops.  Making Union Station the focus instead a hokey government office building featuring a clock tower would do more at less cost for that neighborhood.

[Ocklawaha]

You're so right about the restoration of a train terminal in downtown. To turn Union Station back into a focal feature with an visual avenue leading down Water Street to it's entrance would be a big boost for Amtrack and create a walkable avenue ripe for small business and shops.  Making Union Station the focus instead a hokey government office building featuring a clock tower would do more at less cost for that neighborhood.

Union Station as ground transporte central + streetcars would touch of a wild fire of development.

A Transportation Center broadcast all over LaVilla + a dead Convention Center will shift the focus of some homeless, who will be sleeping in the empty spaces created by horribly located "retail" shops.

OCKLAWAHA

[lindab]

"Ahh, wouldn't it be loverly!"

[Jaxson]

Sometimes, I wonder if our city leaders even care about downtown.  They seem to be ignorant of the possibilities that would come with moving the passenger rail terminal to the Union Terminal facility. 
Think of the hotels, restaurants and retail that would benefit from Amtrak passengers.  Instead of reyling on ancient snack machines at the current hole in the wall station, passengers could stop by the Jacksonville Landing for a meal.  And think about the passengers who could stay at nearby hotels. 
Right now, Amtrak dumps people off in the middle of a sketchy side of town.  This is the face that we present to people who may be coming into Jacksonville for the first time.  It's a shame!

BTW - Thanks, Ock on noticing my nickname!