Brightline to run "Northeast" Commuter Rail for Tri-Rail??

I'll cross-thread this from FEC to Florida.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c ... 16992.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tri-Rail expansion along Miami coast is halted for now over who would run the train
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The long-sought “Northeast” commuter route would run on tracks being installed for the Brightline railway that’s slated to launch service between West Palm Beach and Miami by the end of 2017. Miami-Dade had planned to subsidize Tri-Rail operating on the same tracks but serving more local stops, including Aventura and North Miami Beach.

That strategy ran into trouble recently when Brightline, a for-profit company, told Miami-Dade it might want to operate the commuter line itself, said Alice Bravo, the county’s transportation director.

She has been negotiating with Brightline and its corporate parent, Florida East Coast Industries, about how much the company would charge for Tri-Rail to use the passenger tracks installed to launch a passenger railway that’s eventually supposed to link Miami with Orlando.

Those talks have halted now that Brightline said it wants time to consider whether it would rather collect government funds for operating the commuter line to Aventura, and leave Tri-Rail out of the equation, Bravo said.

“It’s going to happen,” Bravo said of the Northeast rail line. “It’s just a matter of how.”
...

I'm not overly surprised that AAF has taken this position, for if they have any chance of salvaging anything from their business plan, it will be some kind of "premium commuter service".

When that plan flops, then to justify what has been expended for rail access to Miami Central, Tri-Rail and maybe even Amtrak will be "welcomed with open arms" - even if I doubt the latter, absent some political "heat", has any interest.

AAF will make for very interesting B-School case studies.

I think local service will be a bigger hit in the off peak hours than the PBI-FLL-MIA service itself... IF AAF doesn't make it to Orlando I think they should run the service if they do then they can fork it off to tri-rail although personally I think the operations would run smoother with one company vs. two.

Potential Stops

Miami Central
Wynwood
Miami Shores
Aventura *** BIG ONE ***
Hallandale
Hollywood *** BIG ONE***
FLL AIRPORT *that stop could be right next to the RCC*
FLL
Pompano
Deerfield
Boca
Delray
Boynton
Lake Worth
West Palm

Possibly the fault is mine, but there appears to be some confusion regarding Tri-Rail routes over either the FEC and/or the existing SAL.

I was of thought that a physical SAL/FEC interchange was to be built through the NE quadrant of IRIS X-ing; reading this material is suggesting that there will be commuter train service over BOTH the FEC and SAL.

While I contend that when Tri Rail was planned, it would have had greater passenger potential had it been routed on the FEC; but the decision was made to route it on the SAL, which when I first laid eyes on that during 1956, it was "most definitely" through the swamps. That is a decision that would simply be unreasonable to "undo".

What also will be "hard to "undo" will be the service to the Airport. It is simply unreasonable to have, say, half hourly service with the trains running alternately to Miami Central and the Airport. Such would become the most overserved region in the country - the Micascopes would be out of their cases with beady eyes peering into them. What could be done is establish a "Hollywood Shuttle" between there and either the Airport or Miami Central. The through train would operate alternately, so nobody could say they were receiving a preferential treatment.

So far as service over BOTH FEC and Sal; forget it.

Ridership seemed light Saturday. Of course it was a weekend. They also dont take cash where Tri-Rail does

JPoland wrote:Ridership seemed light Saturday. Of course it was a weekend. They also dont take cash where Tri-Rail does

Who would pay cash for transportation? Credit cards are the way of the future which include redemptions for free travel which includes Brightline and Tri rail among others. Also cash transactions also have security risks as well.

As far as control of the tracks, I think we need more private rail investment. If brightline wants to run the commuter rail to the new routes then they should make a deal to take no funding from government for building the new routes.