AAF - Tampa wants it before Jacksonville

[Cheshire Cat]

Sad to hear of your family's loss Ennis. I hope that the healing comes quickly to all. 

[thelakelander]

Thanks everyone.

[SightseerLounge]

Basically, Florida is getting the Tampa-Orlando-Miami segment that was in the high speed proposal! I would love to see Jax and Tampa in the mix! This new AAF opens up new travel options for the entire state!

Does Amtrak continue with its plan to bring service to the FEC, or is that stalled [again]?

[tufsu1]

Editorial in Tampa Tribune

http://tbo.com/list/news-opinion-commentary/building-the-region-into-an-economic-juggernaut-20131006/

[thelakelander]

Basically, Florida is getting the Tampa-Orlando-Miami segment that was in the high speed proposal! I would love to see Jax and Tampa in the mix! This new AAF opens up new travel options for the entire state!

Does Amtrak continue with its plan to bring service to the FEC, or is that stalled [again]?

They are still continuing. From what I understand, Amtrak has agreed to cover the annual O&M if the State chips in with the capital costs.  At this point, the State is attempting to get a better understanding on what the actual capital costs may be.

[SightseerLounge]

They are still continuing. From what I understand, Amtrak has agreed to cover the annual O&M if the State chips in with the capital costs.  At this point, the State is attempting to get a better understanding on what the actual capital costs may be.

Would Amtrak FEC service be considered a "corridor" service? I'm thinking that the new leg of the Silver Service (if they do it like that) would be similar to the Lynchburg service in VA!

Will that interfere with AAF's 16 round trips and freight? A train that's late from NYC can't be good!

[thelakelander]

Editorial in Tampa Tribune

http://tbo.com/list/news-opinion-commentary/building-the-region-into-an-economic-juggernaut-20131006/

That sounds like a few decades of work.....all to get AAF to take an interest in expanding to Tampa.....

[thelakelander]

They are still continuing. From what I understand, Amtrak has agreed to cover the annual O&M if the State chips in with the capital costs.  At this point, the State is attempting to get a better understanding on what the actual capital costs may be.

Would Amtrak FEC service be considered a "corridor" service? I'm thinking that the new leg of the Silver Service (if they do it like that) would be similar to the Lynchburg service in VA!

Will that interfere with AAF's 16 round trips and freight? A train that's late from NYC can't be good!

The Amtrak service between Jax and Miami will only have two trains a day initially.

[Ocklawaha]

If Jacksonville ever wises up, and invests in both the private-public partnership those trains will split in Jacksonville. One section for Palatka-Orlando-Tampa, another for the Florida East Coast. This is one of the amazing simply beauties of passenger railroading, one might split up/or consolidate trains for one direction, while another part of the same train heads down the FEC. This is also why we need to get the original station back in business offering compact, seamless and consolidated. We meed to get transfer that adjacent moonscape into the hands of a huge developer and move this forward.

[JayBird]

A train that's late from NYC can't be good!

I take the star and meteor on avg 2x a month and they are never on time. There are always freight interruptions going both ways, but that can be said for just about every rail route outside of northeast corridor/California

[thelakelander]

Senators question All Aboard Florida expansion to Jacksonville

All Aboard Florida won't stop along the Treasure or Space coasts when passenger service starts to speed between Miami and Orlando in late 2015.

But before backers of the $1.5 billion private venture by the subsidiary of Coral Gables-based Florida East Coast Industries expand to other east coast communities, and at more distant points across the state, they want to know they'll have a chance to recoup their investment before adding stops.

That didn't prevent members of the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee this week from expressing a desire for the private venture to start making plans to expand the service west to Tampa and north to Daytona Beach and Jacksonville.

full article: http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2013/10/08/senators-question-all-aboard-florida.html

[chrsjrcj]

If the Senate wants rail service to Daytona and Tampa, why don't they cough up the dough themselves? Hopefully AAF makes the wise economic decision, not political decision.

Maybe if other cities along the line want a stop, they can subsidize the cost.

[JeffreyS]

Hopefully Jax will get in the game it is the cheapest expansion.

[spuwho]

Senators question All Aboard Florida expansion to Jacksonville

All Aboard Florida won't stop along the Treasure or Space coasts when passenger service starts to speed between Miami and Orlando in late 2015.

But before backers of the $1.5 billion private venture by the subsidiary of Coral Gables-based Florida East Coast Industries expand to other east coast communities, and at more distant points across the state, they want to know they'll have a chance to recoup their investment before adding stops.

That didn't prevent members of the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee this week from expressing a desire for the private venture to start making plans to expand the service west to Tampa and north to Daytona Beach and Jacksonville.

full article: http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2013/10/08/senators-question-all-aboard-florida.html

A couple items of note in this article.

- FECI telling the government to "get out of the way"
- Now that FECI has made the billion dollar commitments, the politicians are coming out of the woodwork with their hands out saying "we want it too".

Politicians trying to politic pricing and service levels, stops and stations. I don't blame FECI telling them to pound sand. They will work on a schedule that suits them and their profit margins.

Clearly AAF is saying "we aren't Amtrak".

The same politicians will crow about winning some new station in Stuart in 2020, but will hide under a log when the station proves unworthy by 2023.

[icarus]

Our City does have the existing ROW which makes running the trains to Jacksonville certainly cheaper in that regard but have you taken a real look at FEC's strategy with the Miami station development.

I would be real interested to know what talks are occuring between JTA, the City in general and FEC regarding the real estate around the Prime Osborn.  Yes, the Prime Osborn is easy to convert back to rail station but FEC is I am sure looking for a bigger play than just the rail.