by goodnightjohnwayne
jstolberg wrote:I think Florida will tack on 5 trainsets to the Acela II order. Things are looking very favorable right now for Florida to get money for the Orlando-Tampa line. Florida's plans call for electric trainsets designed for 250 passengers and a top speed of 162 mph. Florida would be looking for delivery and testing in about 2015.It's too soon to anticipate what's going to happen to HSR in Florida. Look at what's happened to the political prospects of the Charlie Crist?
In any case, there would be very little demand for high priced, business oriented service between Orlando and Tampa, unlike the NE Corridor. Add in the costs of a purpose built right-of-way, and HSR is just too expensive to draw any patronage.
The real problem with Florida is that high-ticket-price HSR doesn't appeal to the vast majority of Floridians who've never even been aboard a passenger train.