Rail Conversion Projects and inter city connectivity

[stephendare]

Ock

What was it that you were talking about that would connect Jacksonville with Gainesville and Tallahassee by commuter rail>?

[Beloki]

Rapid rail connection between JAx and Gainesville would really be a good idea!

[obie1]

Our city will live or die on it's mass transit system.

[Ocklawaha]

Follow the BLUE and GREEN lines along the westside red route... Jacksonville-Baldwin-Starke-Alachua-Gainesville. Though the line is cut back somewhat from downtown G'ville the depot still stands and is about one block from the Swamp. Though the line looks a bit circuitous it's really not nearly as bad as it may first appear.

1. Track is excellent Mainline, Jax to Starke
2. Track is good to Gainesville, rebuilt branchline, to Alachua, hence former mainline to G'ville.
3. Stations still standing in Jax, G'ville, Starke

Some track extension or work would need to be done in Gainesville, and we would need back into Union Station in Jax to make ANY commuter or regional rail work. Other then that and the actual train equipment and an operating contract with JAX-CSX-AMTRAK (or ________ fill in the blank) of your favorite train operator. 

Ocklawaha
Sorry this was a tad late but I was Chill'in at the Lemon Bar in Neptune Beach. God knows I hate this Jax lifestyle!

[Ocklawaha]

CSX. The shortline operators in Fernandina Beach just leased or bought the Crystal River-High Springs-Alachua branchline, and might be running everything all the way into Starke. I really haven't checked that angle out. The Westbound out of Jax, is former Sunset Limited Track, the Southbound out of Baldwin is former Silver Star routes, both Amtrak survivers. The segment from Alachua to Gainesville is also former streamliner territory, South Wind, Gulf Coast Special of the ACL/SCL (just before CSX-Amtrak era). The Alachua-Booker segment is all new, the Booker-Starke is all rebuilt. Easy conversion. There is also a possible link for a train section (one engine and XX cars go one way, while the other engine and X cars go the other) to Tampa here.
This would open up a nearly complete new/old route to the West Coast and avoid the nonsense of the mess the State has made of Lakelanders home turf. It would work out something like this:

Jacksonville
Baldwin
Starke
Booker
Alachua
--------- break train
section ONE

Alachua
Gainesville

---------
section TWO

Alachua
Dunnellon
Inverness
Brooksville
Tampa

(there is a current break in TWO former rail mainilnes between the area of Dunnellon and Brooksville that would have to be relaid)

Such a route would lighten the load on Orlando Commuter Rail
Such a route would give us a Direct Tampa Freight and Passenger bypass

Of more immediate need is the Gainesville line, our PORT along with PORT OF TAMPA, should be working on the other line even if Tallahassee is Deaf, STUPID and blind...


Ocklawaha

[Ocklawaha]

Not really. The Jax-Starke segment is CSX mainline with MILLIONS of $$ being poured into it. We might need to pay for some capacity improvements like another passing siding or such, but not major work. The Starke - Gainesville may go shortline, if not, even CSX would allow for a contract to introduce service. Something a lot of the general public forgets (public as far up as JTA offices) is:

Railroads are in business to move cars... (They really don't give a damn what's in them or who owns them).

that being said,

Yes, with passengers there are certain "at fault" issues that have to be resolved. Sometimes these turn into pissing contests with one side wanting complete no fault, and States wanting to buy only a limited amount of risk.

Ocklawaha

[Ocklawaha]

Right, just select an operating company, including Amtrak or several upstart lines and get-R-done. Under the SAFETEA-LU guidelines the New Starts and rail renaissance has been seeded. Many new projects are now in the works... Meanwhile JTA has stood firm with FDOT on "CSX won't play trains with us...neither will FEC..."

SAFETEA-LU ends with, "The justification for some federal subsidy of operating costs is national defense."
A new APTA study recommends a federal operating support level of 50%, with capital support equal to that of road construction of 80/20% rather then the current 50/50%. Amtrak ridership is at an all time high, 25.8 million in 07, certainly not for more trains either... The NE corridor is up 20% and St. Louis alone up 55%. I'm looking forward to the Association of American Railroads conference in DC this coming October, "Passenger Trains on Freight Railroads".

An example of what's being done? Washington State, British Columbia, Amtrak and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad have just signed a deal to add another set of trains between Seattle and Vancouver. A corridor not all that unlike JAX-Gainesville. Yes, NIMBYS and others will cry waste, and the "We are NOT Seattle and Vancouver" but to that I reply, folks, just scale the fleet to meet the need. Don't trash the train idea because you think it's going to have to be an 18 car Meteor. (Okay, maybe on game days yes, but other days? DMU or two will do).

Ocklawaha