East Coast Passenger Rail Mentions Jax

[Ocklawaha]

Airlines don't price by the market size or wow factors, the prices are set simply by how many tickets of each class are sold. When a flight to Orlando is running with empty seats the ticket prices will be higher, likewise a flight from Jacksonville that typically runs full will be lower. Simple as that.

[Jason]

Instead of linking the FECI line to Orlando via Cocoa and the Bee Line, why not tie in to Sunrail further north at Deland via Port Orange or Daytona?  Much less track involved and the Cocoa line could be set aside as a future leg as ridership estimates and demand increases.  Seems a whole lot LESS risky and would likely lure in more regular daily commuters from the Daytona area.

[thelakelander]

^FECI is shooting for the long distance Orlando/South Florida connection.  With that said, FDOT District 5 is looking into possibly extending Sunrail (or some form of mass transit) to Daytona Beach from Deland, via I-4's median.

[Ocklawaha]

Funny thing about that is there are already TWO complete right-of-ways which had rails on them, one from Orange City to New Smyrna and one from Benson Junction (Enterprise/DeBarry) to New Smyrna. The Orange City route has been built over in places, but the other would be pretty easy to reconfigure back to rail. The Median of I-4 to SR-400 to the FEC in Daytona/South Daytona would be a tough job because it's all pretty urbanized from I-95 to the tracks. So you could get from the DeBarry/Deland area to I-95, but after that all bets are off without some really big $$.

What they are doing is using 'free' right-of-way which was purchased and set aside for the HSR train between Cocoa and Orlando. That route will cost them nothing and in fact the state might be building the tracks.

[tufsu1]

^FECI is shooting for the long distance Orlando/South Florida connection.  With that said, FDOT District 5 is looking into possibly extending Sunrail (or some form of mass transit) to Daytona Beach from Deland, via I-4's median.

actually FDOT isn't...at least not yet.....its the folks in Volusia County that want it studied

http://www.myhometownnews.net/index.php?id=93647

[thelakelander]

FDOT is considering it.  I was asked and did to present to their higher ups in Deland on this exact topic two months ago.

[Ocklawaha]

Daytona has been talking about this since at least 1972, when I lived there.

The best way to obtain I-4 might be the old  Atlantic and Western branch of the FEC RY. This line came off what is now the CSX at Orange City Jct. Last time I was there, there was still part of the wye track that led from Orlando/Sanford into the median of Graves Avenue. The old track followed the median of Graves to the area of 'Foothill Farms' where it jogged north and caught Lake Helen.

I took this shot at OC JCT. the track I'm standing on was the A&W wye, the train is roaring down the mainline northbound.

[spuwho]

Daytona has been talking about this since at least 1972, when I lived there.

The best way to obtain I-4 might be the old  Atlantic and Western branch of the FEC RY. This line came off what is now the CSX at Orange City Jct. Last time I was there, there was still part of the wye track that led from Orlando/Sanford into the median of Graves Avenue. The old track followed the median of Graves to the area of 'Foothill Farms' where it jogged north and caught Lake Helen.

I took this shot at OC JCT. the track I'm standing on was the A&W wye, the train is roaring down the mainline northbound.

Not possible since all of the ROW between Williams Street and Cedar has been sold off for development. The ROW is still undeveloped off of West Graves, but I seriously doubt the houses (large ones) between Springbark and Buford Ave. would allow any kind of rail nearby. In this case NIMBY is quite literal.

[Ocklawaha]

Yes, the Atlantic and Western Railway has been gone since the early depression years when the huge mill at Lake Helen closed down. The route through Enterprise would be easier but the new homes along the spring run around DeBary would probably shoot that down too, even though the bike path has preserved the route.

Whatever route they'd choose, they'll have to find a way to access both I-4 and a way past I-95 to the railroad. With the Cocoa connection a certainty, I wouldn't hold my breath on the Daytona Link.

[spuwho]

Yes, the Atlantic and Western Railway has been gone since the early depression years when the huge mill at Lake Helen closed down. The route through Enterprise would be easier but the new homes along the spring run around DeBary would probably shoot that down too, even though the bike path has preserved the route.

Whatever route they'd choose, they'll have to find a way to access both I-4 and a way past I-95 to the railroad. With the Cocoa connection a certainty, I wouldn't hold my breath on the Daytona Link.

Do you know how they were getting out of Cocoa? I can only see a couple of options, out of the Cocoa yard near Pluckebaum Road, or north to the Cidco Roundabout and using Grissom Parkway.

After that getting to MCO is easy, there is still rail service to the plant on the east side of Orlando, they could catch the spur at Wewahootee Road.

[thelakelander]

Whatever route they'd choose, they'll have to find a way to access both I-4 and a way past I-95 to the railroad. With the Cocoa connection a certainty, I wouldn't hold my breath on the Daytona Link.

With the Sunrail extension talk, they aren't trying to get to FEC's track.  Heck, at this point it may not be commuter rail they end up with between West and East Volusia.

[Ocklawaha]

Bakersfield, Amtrak Terminal

Some sort of express bus services operating out of a Sunrail terminal such as Sanford, would be freeway close and a fleet of dedicated buses could make the trip into Daytona Beach at various points. In the evening when the train from Orlando pulled into Sanford, the buses would be lined up under the canopy with 'Ormond', 'Flagler Beach', 'St. Augustine,' 'Port Orange', etc on their destination curtains. Just a couple of easy steps across the platform and the passengers are on their way home in the express lanes of I-4.


OCKLAWAHA

[thelakelander]

^As of now, I personally believe that an express bus makes more sense then attempting to construct a commuter rail line down I-4.

[Ocklawaha]

Do you know how they were getting out of Cocoa? I can only see a couple of options, out of the Cocoa yard near Pluckebaum Road, or north to the Cidco Roundabout and using Grissom Parkway.

After that getting to MCO is easy, there is still rail service to the plant on the east side of Orlando, they could catch the spur at Wewahootee Road.

They'll be using the OUC RR to get from Sand Lake Road to the east side of the OIA airport and hence on the former HIGH SPEED RAIL right-of-way which runs along the south side of SR-528.

I detailed the two options at the Cocoa end in my article. Check out both Lakelander and my own article on the FECI 'All Aboard Florida,' project. Yeah, I know, if they wanted to run a contest for a STUPID name they couldn't have done any better LOL!


THE LAKELANDER:   
FECI Bringing Private Passenger Rail To Florida By 2014 | Metro ...
Mar 27, 2012 ... Called "All Aboard Florida," the intercity passenger rail project will include business- and coach- class service with advance purchase reserved ...
www.metrojacksonville.com/.../2012-mar-feci-bringing-private-passenger- rail-to-florida-by-2014

OCKLAWAHA:   
Stunning Things Are Happening As Florida Goes Rail | Metro ...
Apr 10, 2012 ... This is bigger than Jacksonville, bigger than 'All Aboard Florida' - this is just the start of an epic change in thinking as Florida goes rail.
www.metrojacksonville.com/.../2012-apr-stunning-things-are-happening-as- florida-goes-rail

[Ocklawaha]

^As of now, I personally believe that an express bus makes more sense then attempting to construct a commuter rail line down I-4.

Fort Worth is another GREAT example of how to pull this off. I probably wouldn't send but one bus route via US 92 and Deland, and maybe another via Lake Helen and Deltona, but I would most certainly tie it in in around Sanford/Lake Monroe, near where the tracks run under that FREEway.