Railroad Forums
Moderator: CRail
Jeff Smith wrote:Sour grapes:Again, let us note that the cited piece is the opinion of the Gannett Treasure Coast Newspapers editorial board. My comment made at the FEC Forum topic applies equally over here:
lpetrich wrote: I think that the Kennedy Space Center is the world's most accessible spaceport (List of rocket launch sites - Wikipedia). Most others are in much more out-of-the-way locations. It's like airports but much worse.Keep in mind there is a large cruise ship terminal in Port Canaveral. So a Brightline station near there would be a traffic generator for passengers going on cruises too.
The closest town to the KSC is Titusville, with population 44 thousand. It's also on the coast between Miami and Jacksonville, while Orlando is inland. Distances: Titusville: 13 mi, Orlando: 46 mi, Jacksonville: 150 mi, Miami: 220 mi (20 km, 74 km, 240 km, 350 km).
Orlando's SunRail commuter-rail system currently runs between Sand Lake Road and DeBary, a distance of about 32 mi. It is being extended southward to Poinciana (Southern Expansion), will make it extend 61 mi. Adding a planned station to the north, DeLong, gives about 71 mi. This means that the line will extend about 30 - 35 mi north and south from Orlando. Titusville is 40 mi east of Orlando, and I don't know what rail lines might be available for that.
So SunRail is also a possibility for the KSC.
...
Closer to home, the potential expansion map route includes an extension of the Florida system to Jacksonville utilizing the Florida East Coast Railway corridor. This could bring economic opportunities to Northeast Florida that could introduce transformation change for Downtown Jacksonville and LaVilla, which is the location of the former Jacksonville Terminal and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center. Already under construction, the intermodal center will possibly connect intercity rail systems like Virgin Trains USA and Amtrak with local public transit modes such as bus rapid transit, the Skyway, local bus routes and future bike share.
Assuming a resolution on the future of the Prime Osborn Convention Center involves its ultimate relocation and replacement, the former rail station property immediately becomes a prime location for transit oriented development.
...
Though it has largely flown under the radar, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority and its partners have quietly launched an ambitious bid that could ultimately bring passenger rail back to Downtown Jacksonville and spark millions in development in the process.
First steps are underway with a $35 million federal grant application to update the city's aging freight rail infrastructure. If successful, the improvements could lead the way to restoring a passenger station at the Prime Osborn for the first time in over 40 years, potentially bringing Amtrak, Brightline, and commuter rail downtown. Could it work?
...
JTA, along with the City of Jacksonville and the Florida Department of Transportation have applied for a $35 million federal grant through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement program. The project, supported by CSX and Florida East Coast Railway, would restore the city’s rail and signaling infrastructure, particularly on the FEC corridor. If successful, it would fix San Marco’s freight train chokepoint problem.
...
These improvements could also open the door for bringing passenger rail back downtown. Restoring rail service to the Prime F. Osborn Convention Center — built as the Jacksonville Union Terminal— has long been a dream of downtown and transit advocates. The grand building in LaVilla was the country’s largest passenger station south of Washington, D.C. when it opened in 1919, serving 20,000 passengers a day. In 1974, declining use led Amtrak to move its services five miles northwest to a much smaller building colorfully known as an “Amshack.”
...
...
Jacksonville
For the time being, Virgin doesn't plan to expand to Jacksonville. However, the city is on the rail company's radar. In 2014, the rail carrier secured passenger rail easement rights on the Florida East Coast Railway for an extension into Jacksonville and access to tourist destinations like Daytona Beach and St. Augustine.
In the meantime, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority continues to move forward with the construction of the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center. When complete by the end of March 2020, the $59 million transportation center will feature improved connectivity between intercity bus, local bus, JTA Flyer bus rapid transit and JTA Skyway services. A future phase will include Amtrak, commuter rail and additional intercity rail services such as Virgin. However, JTA is not actively engaged in talks with Virgin or Amtrak on the possibility of bringing intercity passenger rail back to downtown.
According to JTA spokesman David Cawton, "As ridership, connectivity, economic development and population increases, this will give us the justification to ask for the means to add passenger rail to Downtown Jacksonville in the future. But we cannot set a timeline, and begin discussions with Amtrak (or anyone else), without setting the platform for ridership."
...
