High-Speed Rail is the Tim Tebow of Florida Transportation

[buckethead]

Is there anyone more qualified than you to ignite such an endeavor?

If so, how do we contact them?

[tufsu1]

That article said "Down the median of I-4"! What the hell are they ingesting? What the hell does I-4 do for the east coast or anywhere else in Florida? If the Mouse wants a rail system, let them build their own!

You have to start somewhere....and Orlando-Tampa is the middle of the state.

Its similar logic as saying that a regional transit system should start in downtown (i.e. middle)

[stjr]

This picture brought about a childhood memory I had almost forgotten about.  In kindergarten or first grade, they loaded us up on a train in downtown Jax and we rode it out to one of these little middle-of-nowhere "stations", either Baldwin or Callahan.  I think it was Baldwin. Our parents came there to pick us up.

While we waited for parents,  I remember watching a freight train going the opposite way and counting something like over 200 or 300 cars or more on it, thinking it was the longest train I had ever seen.

Imagine school kids today getting such rides from Amtrak, FEC or CSX.  Hardly.  I miss the good ol' days when you could still do tours of industry without your host worried over law suits.

[CS Foltz]

I agree to a certain extent there tufsu1.........but starting in the middle of the state seems to me to be the long way around the horn? Orlando to Tampa has the chance to serve how many people compared to say Tallahassee to Gainsville? Or maybe Miami to Daytona. I don't see the option to expand without causing problems. I could throw in , how about Pensacola to Tallahassee? At least all of those options have either north south or east west options with existing trackage in place. Just a matter of scheduling.......but Orlando to Tampa would not serve more people but cater to a select few.........Mouse excursions and the like! HSR needs to be set up in an area that would serve the most for the buck! So convince me that area would be a viable test of useage.

[JeffreyS]

Jacksonville looks to be connected to the entire east coast and Atlanta from the SEHSR corridor. So maybe Florida should start here as an expansion from a bigger system.

[CS Foltz]

I agree Jeff..........really good question! I have to question the survey takers and the manner and questions that come up with that area is the best place to start! Somehow starting in the middle seems self limiting to me unless your talking about a City but in a State? I do have to question that premise!

[JeffreyS]

If we end up connected to the Southeast HSR but disconnected from the rest of Florida it could be a Tourist boon. If you want to go on your vacation to Florida on HSR then we would be your spot. A train ride to a cruise ship, the beach, golf or NFL game from a southeast city would set up perfect. A day trip to Savanna a bonus.

[tufsu1]

I agree to a certain extent there tufsu1.........but starting in the middle of the state seems to me to be the long way around the horn? Orlando to Tampa has the chance to serve how many people compared to say Tallahassee to Gainsville? Or maybe Miami to Daytona. I don't see the option to expand without causing problems. I could throw in , how about Pensacola to Tallahassee? At least all of those options have either north south or east west options with existing trackage in place. Just a matter of scheduling.......but Orlando to Tampa would not serve more people but cater to a select few.........Mouse excursions and the like! HSR needs to be set up in an area that would serve the most for the buck! So convince me that area would be a viable test of useage.

really?....may I suggest checking the population #'s...or even just the intracity trips....trust me, there are far more people making the Tampa-Orlando trip then Pensacola-Tallahassee or Tallahassee-Gainesville.

remember that the original HSR legislation mandated connecting the 5 LARGEST urban areas in the state....those have been defined as Tampa Bay, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami. 

[FayeforCure]

I agree to a certain extent there tufsu1.........but starting in the middle of the state seems to me to be the long way around the horn? Orlando to Tampa has the chance to serve how many people compared to say Tallahassee to Gainsville? Or maybe Miami to Daytona. I don't see the option to expand without causing problems. I could throw in , how about Pensacola to Tallahassee? At least all of those options have either north south or east west options with existing trackage in place. Just a matter of scheduling.......but Orlando to Tampa would not serve more people but cater to a select few.........Mouse excursions and the like! HSR needs to be set up in an area that would serve the most for the buck! So convince me that area would be a viable test of useage.

really?....may I suggest checking the population #'s...or even just the intracity trips....trust me, there are far more people making the Tampa-Orlando trip then Pensacola-Tallahassee or Tallahassee-Gainesville.

remember that the original HSR legislation mandated connecting the 5 LARGEST urban areas in the state....those have been defined as Tampa Bay, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami. 

tufsu1, thank you for inserting a little reality check here. I'll add that from those who've been involved with HSR from the beginning, I even heard Disney initially did not want a HSR stop. For HSR opponents to keep bringing up Disney as a focal point is highly disingenuous.

[thelakelander]

I agree that the idea of a rail alternative between Tampa and Orlando makes sense as an initial rollout.  The cities aren't that far apart, I-4 is a mess and there are a chain of decent sized cities in between (Polk County alone has over 600,000 residents).  My grip comes with the current proposal not being set for everyday Central Florida commuters.  We could get more bang for our buck by planning for the end user.  So in this instance, I can see how the system will have more appeal to tourist than Central Florida residents.  Thus the Disney/fun train label.

[JeffreyS]

I like to poke fun with the mouse comments. I think it would be great to tie any rail system into the parks in Orlando.

[Ocklawaha]

the catch is, if you go to disney, your not allowed to go anywhere else. Disney wants an exclusive stop. no Universal, no convention center, no sea world, and .... THATS a reality check. whats the point in one train to mickey mouse town? there isnt one. it would be useless.

-Ock's Daughter.

(p.s. im a mickey mouse fan and an orlando lover...but one train to disney just makes no sense..if your going to do a high speed rail system it should serve the RESIDENTS. go from Deland/Deltona, thru sanford, lake mary, winter park, orlando, kissimee, maybe add in ocoee or altamonte. and beyond that go to haines city, lakeland, plant city, and then eventually tampa. so it makes use to all the residents who NEED high speed transportation and dont want to be stuck on i-4.... having a stop at disney, universal, sea world... great ideas.. considering thousands of residents work there, however if they cant come to a JOINT agreement, screw them. they are not as important as our residents getting from point A to point B.)

[buckethead]

I have no problem with Disney adding a connection to HSR that is exclusivly theirs.

They can do what they wish with their own money. Perhaps they could add a station at OIA that is connected to, but independant of the PUBLIC system.

[thelakelander]

I don't know if their attitude has changed but Disney wanted no parts of HSR if another station at Int'l Drive was to be a part of the plan.  They turned something that started out as a decent vision into a circus built around private sector competition for tourist dollars.

[buckethead]

I also feel they should be able to refuse public mass transit within the confines of their privately owned land.

It seems short sighted to me, but they seem to do okay at making profitable decisions.