The Silver Rail Blog

An interesting article from Railway Age e-news sister publication Railway Track and Structures follows below.

Of note, the $56B is for 975 route miles (no doubt double tracked, plus facilities, rolling stock etc.); a cost of $57 million per mile.  Now, all the materials and vehicles would be imported, but one would think the land and construction costs (labor) would be minimal.

By comparison, the California HSR plan, the last I saw, was to cost $45B for about 800 route miles (double tracked), for a per mile cost of $56 million (wow, how about that).  By comparison, Florida's HSR project for 90 miles, is estimated at $2.5 billion, or $27 million per mile.  Even when one adds the supposed $1 billion value of the FL DOT right of way, you net a number of $38 million per mile.  Seems to me someone is wrong here.  If California is right, the FL Tampa-Orlando segment is more likely to cost from $3.5 to $5 billion.

Jim Langston

Florida's high speed rail plans show stations at the Orlando International Airport and Miami International Airport, but not Tampa International Airport.

Some members of the Tampa City Council want to change that:

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jun/17/city-council-members-push-high-speed-rail-tia/news-breaking/

--Jackson McQuigg

Tampa's high speed rail station is slated to be built in between Tampa's historic Oaklawn Cemetery and Interstate 4.

That has preservationists moving quickly to protect Oaklawn with an historic designation:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/masstransit/before-rail-architects-seek-to-protect-promote-tampas-oldest-cemetery/1102788

--Jackson McQuigg

While the study committee has recommended to the Cocoa City Council the option to use the former FEC station on U.S. 1 for the Amtrak station, the vote to accept the recommendation will not occur until the city council meeting on June 23.

On June 8, the Titusville City Council officially decided to take advantage of the opportunity to lease the former historic Florida East Coast Railway station in downtown Titusville to serve as the Amtrak station once service begins.  The facility currently houses the FEC signal maintainers and maintenance of way personnel who will be relocated.  The station, built in the mid-1920's, will be restored to again serve passengers but will not be staffed with an agent.

The City of Cocoa will also lease from the FEC the former passenger station located on U.S. 1.  This is a larger facility built in the mid-1950's and will likely have a full-time passenger agent once Amtrak service begins.  Because of the larger size, the city also is planning this as an intermodal facility that will likely include Greyhound and other transportation options.

Amtrak service on the FEC is expected to begin within three years once the application for a federal funding grant is approved and the additional passenger equipment is available.  

 

 

Daytona Beach is one of the many cities and towns along the route of the Florida East Coast Railway eagerly discussing the future of new Amtrak service on the line:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/east-volusia/2010/06/10/panel-put-amtrak-station-at-magnolia-avenue.html

--Jackson McQuigg

Thursday, June 17, is Dump the Pump Day!

Show your support for mass transit by leaving your automobile at home.

More information: http://www.publictransportation.org/contact/stories/

--Jackson McQuigg

For those of you interested in reading the full report done by the U.S. Conference of Mayors very positive report on high speed rail or watch a related video, go to the following link:

http://www.usmayors.org/highspeedrail/

Given that high speed rail will be in Florida's future, the full report is very much worth reading! 

--Jackson McQuigg

From the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/06/14/14greenwire-high-speed-rail-will-spur-growth-in-hub-cities-65815.html

--Jackson McQuigg

Orange County Mayoral Candidate Matt Falconer has made opposition to SunRail a campaign issue and wants a referendum on the commuter rail system.

Read more about it here at Mike Thomas' blog on the Orlando Sentinel website.

--Jackson McQuigg