Amtrak on the Florida East Coast Moving Forward

[Metro Jacksonville]

Amtrak on the Florida East Coast Moving Forward



Metro Jacksonville takes a look at proposed FEC/Amtrak corridor station renderings. Unfortunately the Jacksonville Terminal didn't make this list.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-oct-amtrak-on-the-florida-east-coast-moving-forward

[ricker]

how does Jax not make the list?

[thelakelander]

^If this project comes on line, the Jax station will be the existing location of New Kings Road.  If we want our station downtown, we'll most likely need to fund its relocation ourselves.

[ricker]

Thankks for bouncing right back.
forgive me for my misunderstanding - no track sharing aside.. . what is entailed in "relocating" ?

[thelakelander]

Constructing the actual station.

[wsansewjs]

Way to f***ing GO JACKSONVILLE! -claps sarcastically-

[tufsu1]

folks....it is really simple....in order for this to make the stimulus list, it needed to get Federal approvals.

There are significant environmental (social and natural) issues with moving the Jax. station back that would have held up the process.....which is the same reason St. Augustine will be using the former FEC station at the north end of downtown versus building a new station closer in.

Relocating the Jax. station is part of the Phase 2 plans for the project.

[Doctor_K]

Relocating the Jax. station is part of the Phase 2 plans for the project.

This is only a half-sarcastic question: 

Does the Amshack get much use now?  Or is this akin to the Skyway in that we can't move/upgrade until its ridership increases, which can't happen until it's moved/upgraded?

[thelakelander]

I personally prefer the option of getting Amtrak downtown without federal stimulus money.  The key to doing this is dropping the costs down by going with a "no-frills" solution initially and expanding as time goes on and more money becomes available.

Or is this akin to the Skyway in that we can't move/upgrade until its ridership increases

Speaking of the skyway, we now have reason to believe that the skyway is actually JTA's most busy transit route, in terms of ridership.  Look for a future article showing local ridership numbers by route coming soon to a MJ front page near you.

[tufsu1]

the current station does pretty well...still the highest passenger boardings in Florida....although they would likely increase if downtown.

but to be fair, most people don't choose to take Amtrak based on where the station itself is located....just like they usually don't choose to fly based on an airport's location within the metro area.

[Doctor_K]

Thanks!

Next question - in your opinion, is Phase 2 of this plan ever going to arrive?  In our lifetime?

(This one's not sarcastic, btw )

[urbaknight]

We've been pushing for this to happen for a long time now. Why does our city keep bowing out when it comes time to hash out the plan with other cities and the FEC? And why do we continue to ignore the fact that we can ask for federal money?

[Doctor_K]

Because we're asking the Feds for money for fake BRT instead of rail.

[finehoe]

....just like they usually don't choose to fly based on an airport's location within the metro area.

That's not always true.  For example, people often choose the train over flying when they are traveling to NYC based on the airport's location.  If you are traveling from, say, DC to Manhattan, even though the train takes longer, when you factor in getting to the station vs. the airport it is usually makes more sense to take Amtrak.

Similarly, in cities that have more than one airport, a particular airport's location will most definitely influence which flights you will choose to take.

So I could see the Jax station location influencing someone's choice of riding the train vs. driving to closer locations like St. Augustine.

[tufsu1]

I agree finehoe...it isn't always true....

but as you noted, in cities with multiple airports, the decision on which to use is often made based on location (and price, flight times, etc.)....but the location doesn't have much effect on the decision top fly itself.

As for the Jax. location - Clifton Lane is less than 5 miles from downtown and pretty convenient to I-95....I would only consider driving to St. Augustine if I was heading south.