JTA Commuter Rail Study Update: March 2008

[thelakelander]

First Coast Commuter Rail Feasibility Study:
Rail Corridors Evaluation Criteria (Task 1)

The following evaluation criteria have been developed by the study team in concert with JTA staff for the initial screening of railroad corridors as to their potential for commuter rail service.

Urban Travel Demand Considerations

1. Current travel volumes in the corridor
    - Peak hour highway traffic volumes at peak load point on parallel roadways

2. Conditions and congestion on parallel highways
    - Peak hour level of service at peak load point on parallel roadway

3. Number of persons residing within 1 mile of railway and within 30 miles of Downtown Jacksonville

4. Number of persons working under Skyway within 1 mile of railway and within 30 miles of Downtown Jacksonville.

5. Number of jobs within one mile of the railway and within 10 miles of Downtown Jacksonville.

Railway Considerations

1. Existing freight traffic levels
    - Annual Gross Ton Miles per Track

2. Track and right of way conditions
    - Number of active freight tracks (1 or 2)
    - FRA Tracl Class (2,3 or 4)
    - Width of Right of way (feet)
    - Train control system (OCS, ABS, CTC)
    - Number of Grade crossings within 20 miles of Downtown Jacksonville

3. Intermodal connectivity including the Skyway
    - Feet from existing railway to intersection with nearest Skyway Line

4. Potential for cooperation from owning railway
    - High, Medium, Low

Environmental Considerations

1. Environmental justice neighborhood considerations.
    - Number of minority residents within one mile of railway and within 20 miles of downtown.
    - Number of auto-less households within one mile of railway and within 20 miles of downtown.

2. Natural resource considerations and constraints

    - Significant river crossings and other wetlands?
    - Sensitive receptors adjacent to railways? (Hospitals, Schools)
    - Other environmental constraints?

Feel free to post comments on issues you feel should be addressed within this study and Metro Jacksonville will make sure your comments reach JTA's rail consultant team.

[thelakelander]

Working in concert with JTA staff, the study team identified nine active or abandoned rail corridors with potential for development of an urban passenger railway service. The recommended limits for Task 3.2 review are marked in italics.

1. CSX Sanford Subdivision (Jacksonville - Orange Park - Green Cove Springs - Palatka)

2. CSX Wilwood Subdivision (Jacksonville - Baldwin - McClenny)

3. CSX Nahunta Subdivision (Jacksonville - Callahan - Folkston)

4. CSX Kingsland Subdivision (Jacksonville - Yulee - Seals)

5. CSX/FCRD Fernandina Subdivision (Yulee-Fernandina Beach)

6. FEC Main Line (Jacksonville - Greenland - St. Augustine)

7. NS Main Line (Jacksonville - Crawford)

8. NS Export Track (North Old Kings Road "Grand Junction" - Walnut Street)

9. Abandoned "S-Line" (North Pearl St, Jacksonville - West Church Street, Jacksonville)

All but one of these rail lines are owned and operated by private for-profit transportation companies.

CSX Transportation Inc. (CSXT) operates the largest railroad in the eastern United States with a 21,000-mile rail network linking commercial markets in 23 states, the District of Columbia, and two Canadian provinces.  CSXT headquarters are in Jacksonville, Florida.  The majority of rail infrastructure in the First Coast Region is owned by CSXT.  Its local assets assembled and constructed by the Seaboard Air Line (S-Line) and Atlantic Coast Line (A-Line) railroads.

Local commuter rail services are operated on CSXT rail lines in Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Illinois.  Amtrak offers extensive services on CSXT trackage including all Amtrak services in Florida, the Silver Meteor, the Silver Star and Auto Train.  South Florida's Tri-Rail operates on track formerly owned and still maintained by CSXT for its freight operations as well as the passenger services.

Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) operates a Class II freight railroad along a 351 mile corridor between Jacksonville and Miami.  Headquartered in Jacksonville, the railway serves the densely populated east coast of Florida and is the only rail-service provider to the Port of Palm Beach, Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale) and the Port of Miami.  The railway carries the lion's share of intermodal traffic to and from South Florida in addition to having significant merchandise, automobile and rock traffic.

No passenger services are operated on the FEC.

Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) operates approximately 21,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia.  The railway boasts that it operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is North America's largest rail carrier of metals and automotive products.  NS operations in Florida are limited to two lines originating in Valdosta, Georgia.  The main line linking Valdosta with Jacksonville is busy with traffic to and from the Port of Jacksonville, goods for regional consumption and interchange traffic for the FEC.

Local commuter rail services are operated on NS rail lines in Virginia, New York and Illinois.  NS host several Amtrack trains including New Orleans' Crescent and North Carolina's Piedmont and Carolinian services.

First Coast Railroad (FCRD) operates freight service on CSXT's Kingsland and Fernandina Subdivisions.  This short line operator, owned by Rail Link of Jacksonville, provides rail freight service Yulee to Fernandina Beach and from Yulee to Seals, Georgia.

No passenger service is offered on the FCRD.

[JeffreyS]

Would it be wishful Thinking to say not only what is in the areas near the railway should be evaluated but also what the railway could bring to the areas.  Not just the current make up of the city but what the cities make up will become with the commuter rail in place.  The commuter rails success or failure will be more than ridership.

[thelakelander]

I agree.  The quality of life enhancement it can bring and stimulate (if properly planned and implemented) is more important that the number of cars it will pull off of Blanding, I-95, JTB, etc.

[Joe]

- I agree. This isn't about the number of cars it will pull off of any road. In fact, let's be honest here - Commuter rail actually requires congestion (either on the road, or in the form of parking scarcity at the destination) in order to work. Rail won't reduce congested roads; it will provide people with an alternative to congested roads.

- Hasn't part of track #2 already been converted into the "rails to trails" bike path?

[tufsu1]

I agree.  The quality of life enhancement it can bring and stimulate (if properly planned and implemented) is more important that the number of cars it will pull off of Blanding, I-95, JTB, etc.

unfortunately, FTA frown upon "qualitative" measures in the analysis....for example, they often refuse to consider potential economic development and revitalization in reviewing New Starts applications.

[thelakelander]

Very true.  Cities like San Deigo and Houston made the decision to move forward without the FTA and are benefitting from those decisions today.  Now financially strapped communities like Detroit are following those examples in an attempt to spur economic development in throughout their neighborhoods.

This is where I believe we, as a community, need to decide what we want to be, not the FTA.  If that means trying to figure out creative or public/private financing solutions on our own, so be it.  At least we have $100 million sitting in the pot, which is more than most municipalities have at this point.  Also, if we can find a way to not have to rely on the FTA, we could also easily trim 20 years or so from being able to start to work on a long term plan.

[Ocklawaha]

Hasn't part of track #2 already been converted into the "rails to trails" bike path?

NO!

Prior to the merger of the Atlantic Coast Line and the Seaboard Air Line Railroads in the late 1960's both routes maintained routes west of Jax then down through the center of the State. The Seaboards was a purpose built mainline railroad between Jax, Baldwin and Chattahoochee (and hence the western USA) as well as a second mainline from Baldwin - Waldo - Cedar Key. Shortly after the Civil War the line was extended from Waldo to Plant City and Tampa... The Waldo Cedar Key segment slowly passed with the end of the logging boom.

The Atlantic Coast Line, bought a logging railroad with some big railroad dreams. The Jacksonville Southwestern ran west of town, through the north end of Baldwin to Lake Butler, and High Springs. From High Springs the Coast Line's forerunner purchased a narrow gauge route called the Florida Southern, with lines to Gainesville - Ocala - Leesburg - Trilby, and several branchlines. This and several other purchases gave them 3 routes into west and central Florida.

After the merger, the curving former ACL route just wasn't needed and traffic was moved to the Seaboard. So the old ACL/JSW line is what you see on the bike trail... Not that it shouldn't be listed as possible transit use. The old Seaboard Mainline, which is the current CSX Mainline into Central Florida and the West via Beaver Street or US-90. BTW today it carrys more traffic then ever before.

Ocklawaha

[Charles Hunter]

- I agree. This isn't about the number of cars it will pull off of any road. In fact, let's be honest here - Commuter rail actually requires congestion (either on the road, or in the form of parking scarcity at the destination) in order to work. Rail won't reduce congested roads; it will provide people with an alternative to congested roads.

- Hasn't part of track #2 already been converted into the "rails to trails" bike path?

The rail line that was converted to the Jax-Baldwin Rail Trail was abandoned.  There is an active CSX line adjacent to Beaver Street that goes to Baldwin, Macclenny, and points west.  This line will become more active as a result of the same deal that will make the line next to Roosevelt Blvd. less active.

[Ocklawaha]

As for line 2.5 the old ACL / Bike Trail, consider it might be used as an alternate for passenger trains only, as freight floods the nearby former Seaboard along highway 90. Part of the purpose of the rails to trails program is to preserve the right-of-way for future rail uses.

If our City fathers were just creative enough and had enough clout in Tallahassee, it would be wonderful to see the old JSW/ACL/Bike Trail turned into an electric Interurban type operation, with rush hour trains to and from as far away as Baldwin... but better yet, regional service several times daily from Downtown Ocala - Gainesville - Lake Butler - North Baldwin - West Jax - Moncrief - Beaver Street - Union Station... and we coujld do every bit of it with high speed track, little to no freight trains and clean electric interurban.

Imagine the World's transportation buff's coming to Jacksonville, Ocala and Gainesville to ride the high speed American trains of authentic, vintage Interurbans.

But then people would visit. Spend money. We'd get too many tourists. Need more hotel rooms. Bigger stations. I can see where certain folks in town would poo poo the whole idea. BTW just such a REAL interurban was once incorportated... THE JACKSONVILLE AND OCALA INTERURBAN RAILWAY. But it died in the financial halls of New York before getting any rails laid.

Ocklawaha