Airport backs train proposal (One more endorsement where is COJ?)

[JeffreyS]

Airport backs train proposal
http://www.tallahassee.com/article/A9/20090917/BUSINESS/909170309/1003

BY WAYNE T. PRICE
FLORIDA TODAY
• September 17, 2009

Melbourne International Airport officials on Wednesday endorsed efforts to establish direct Amtrak train service between Jacksonville and Miami that would feature a passenger-boarding platform near the airport terminal.

The Jacksonville-to-Miami Amtrak line would use existing Florid East Coast Railway tracks and would parallel Interstate 95, hitting key communities such as Melbourne along the way.

If provided funding, the service would need various state and federal regulatory approvals and could take anywhere from two to three years to get under way.

The Florida Department of Transportation, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, would construct the passenger-boarding platform at airport-owned property near the intersection of Air Cargo Road and Apollo Boulevard. The airport would be responsible for providing passenger parking, a relatively low-cost venture for Melbourne International.

"This is a great opportunity for us," Richard Ennis, executive director of Melbourne International, said at the airport authority's monthly meeting Wednesday.

Passenger service on Florida East Coast Railway lines ceased in 1968 during a labor dispute.

Amtrak now offers passenger service from Jacksonville to Miami on its Silver Star and Silver Meteor trains, but the Silver Meteor takes nine hours and the closest it comes to Brevard is Orlando, while the Silver Star takes almost 11 hours and goes to Tampa on tracks owned by CSX.

Using Florida East Coast tracks, which cut through Brevard, would create a quicker route down the east coast of Florida while also allowing stops in cities like St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. Titusville also might be slated for a stop.

The trip from Melbourne to Miami by Amtrak likely would take about four hours.

Florida is requesting $70 million for the Amtrak project, but funding is far from a given.

There is a trainload of competition for the available $8 billion high-speed and intercity rail funding. The Federal Railroad Administration said it received 278 applications in July for funding totaling $102 billion.

Airport officials like the idea of an Amtrak boarding platform near Melbourne International because the 1.7-mile stretch of rail line is long enough to not disrupt traffic at Sarno Road or Babcock Street when the train is stationary and loading passengers.

Larry Wuensch, Melbourne International's director of land development, said Amtrak and the Florida Department of Transportation are applying for federal stimulus money for the project next month.

"Assuming approval, a timetable would be developed subsequent to that," Wuensch said. "Knowing the governmental processes, start of service is likely to take some time, since they will need to conduct environmental and technical analysis, finalize locations, design and build the stations, bid the construction, actually build the stations, etc."

Contact Price at 242-3658 or wprice@floridatoday.com.

[buckethead]

Waiting inactively makes the decision for us.

I think a calling and email campaign would be in order. I just don't know who we should call.

[tufsu1]

for the last time, the North Florida TPO Board (which includes several City Council members) endorsed it last year....and the JTA Board has as well.

[JeffreyS]

We know and they did just what they should and deserve kudos. COJ as in the council and Mayor say things like it is not in our "purview". It is just like the Mayor's call to support the Jags not his official duty but the right thing to publicly support.

[Lunican]

It would be nice if the City of Jacksonville would support it as well, considering they control the Prime Osborn.

[thelakelander]

If the city really cared, they'd make a decision on the convention center issue.  Not proactively planning and fighting for funding these facilities is really going to screw Jacksonville at the end of the day.

Nevertheless, I find it exciting for all of these cities up and down the Atlantic Coast to have this opportunity to locate their stations in areas that will best benefit their communities.

[ac]

Last minute city puts things off until last minute.  We need someone @ City Hall to step up and take ownership.  Lakelander in '11!

[Ocklawaha]

Hey y'all there is a plan right out of the railroad textbooks of the 1970's. We just do what SCL did to the 1890's era station, we'll invite a paint and chemical company to store fluids in the Prime Osbourne, then leave the door open on the first really cold day of winter. That little tower and stucco arched wall is all that is left of that station, and it would probably be the only thing left of the Prime Osbourne. Don't worry the insurance claim should pay for the rest.

All history aside (and that is TRUE history) we know TPO and JTA jumped on the resolutions of support as soon as we published the need. The  completely irresponsible part is that the one Florida City with the most to gain, money, jobs, connections, hub, etc... Has turned their collective backs on Amtrak (perhaps John McCain told them to do so?) I'm sure we all know, highways and airports make tons of cash and require no support from us. The very existence of Amtrak threatens to bring down the entire American budget... What the hell would we expect? Amtrak is a Pinko Communist Movement ya know!

OCKLAWAHA

[JeffreyS]

I also think MetroJacksonville should draft it's own resolution of support. The MJ board should sign it and send it to the FDOT and Amtrak to make the list of supporters longer when funding is applied for next month.

[buckethead]

I also think MetroJacksonville should draft it's own resolution of support. The MJ board should sign it and send it to the FDOT and Amtrak to make the list of supporters longer when funding is applied for next month.

I like it!

Bypass the uninterested.

[thelakelander]

Well, we already have one, so the most difficult part of the equation is complete.

[Lunican]

COJ needs to back the plan and their vision for Jacksonville Terminal needs to coincide with it. It's pretty shameful that they do not have a long term plan for the convention center. Peyton created a Convention Center task force and it was inconclusive.

http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/102607/bus_212128985.shtml

[BridgeTroll]

A few interesting quotes gleaned from the article...

Ted Pappas said a "critical mass" exists from the growth along and around Riverside Avenue, near the Prime Osborn.

Critical mass??  Really?  How about right across the street from Prime?  Oops... nothing.

Discussions stemmed from the Return on Investment subcommittee's report, which recommended a 100,000-square-foot expansion of the Prime Osborn at the cost of $60 to $70 million.

Its second-ranked recommendation was to spend $90 to $100 million on a new, 120,000-square-foot convention center and 80,000-square-foot exhibit hall on city land near the Hyatt.

So for 20-30 mil more we get it done right...

And Jacksonville Landing owner Toney Sleiman told the group downtown businesses would "boom" if the Hyatt site was chosen.

His in particular... but he has the right site...

[thelakelander]

A few things to add to the quotes above.

1. Pappas owns a few blocks near the Prime Osborn.  The awfully looking LaVilla Medical Building (the one with the ground level jail looking parking) is his.

2. You may save $20-$30 million keeping it at the train terminal, but you'll spend more than that to give away incentives to attract a convention center hotel and complementing development.  If you don't do this, then a larger Prime Osborn will still fail.  If you do, its financially irresponsible because the market can't support it and we already have provided incentives for complementing development along Bay Street (ex. the Hyatt and Bay Street Town Center).

3. Sleiman will personally benefit, but he is right.  It would really be a big positive for existing Northbank businesses if convention traffic were walking past their front doors on a regular basis.  However, no matter how some may feel about Sleiman, people walking on the sidewalks and spending money in the heart of downtown is great for Jacksonville.

[BridgeTroll]

To bad this was "punted" to the Mayor and city council...  they clearly called a fair catch and decided not to try and run with it...