The Silver Rail Blog

According to the Indianapolis Star, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has done something his predecessor did not: tour Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops.

--Jackson McQuigg 

Good news on the commuter rail front. The sale of 61.5 miles of railroad to the Florida Department of Transportation for SunRail is proceeding, if regulatory filings are any guide:

http://www.examiner.com/x-10977-Jacksonville-Transportation-Examiner~y2010m4d2-FDOT-is-ready-to-take-piece-of-CSX

--Jackson McQuigg

From Sunday's edition. Auto Train made the list!

http://www.parade.com/news/2010/03/28-greatest-train-rides-in-america.html

--Jackson McQuigg

Construction of the Tampa-Orlando segment of Florida's planned high speed rail system could begin by February, officials say.

More can be found in this article from the Tampa Tribune.

--Jackson McQuigg

Leo King, writing in The Examiner, elaborates on Amtrak President & CEO Joseph Boardman's testimony on Capitol Hill this week.

Amtrak would like to purchase new equipment and has submitted a supplemental funding request to Congress to pay for it.

--Jackson McQuigg 

Amtrak's new high speed rail department needs a leader:

http://www.eturbonews.com/15089/amtrak-searching-head-new-inter-city-department

--Jackson McQuigg

Local authorities meet to keep things moving:

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2010/3/24/599138.html

Stephen Sayles
President FCRP

The New York Times this week chose to cast a critical eye on the state's plans for high speed rail between Tampa and Orlando.

The following two items focus on the Tampa-Orlando segment only and do not consider it as part of a planned Tampa-Orlando-Miami high speed rail network in Florida.

The Times also questions a lack of connectivity between HSR and other modes in the state's plan (other than municipal transit buses).

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/us/23train.html

If passenger trains eventually run over the Florida East Coast Railway in the Ft. Lauderdale area, FDOT believes that a large new bridge must be built over the New River to accomodate them.

Commuter services could eventually run 12-16 trains per hour, making a movable bridge impractical. 

The conceptual plans for a high fixed bridge, in turn, have some officials in Ft. Lauderdale worrying about the potential impact to that city's downtown, the Sun-Sentinel reports. 

--Jackson McQuigg

From the Orlando Sentinel:

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-03-17/news/os-goaa-high-speed-rail-20100317_1_high-speed-rail-commuter-rail-terminal

--Jackson McQuigg