The Tampa to Orlando train, i.e., the I-4 train was to be a bullet train running along I-4 until then-Governor Jeb Bush got the citizens to undo their vote for the constitutional amendment to build the train. I thought the train was an excellent idea to relieve a heavily congested corridor but that it didn't belong in the Florida Constitution. There was talk about high speed rail in South Florida to be paid with federal funds, but Governor Rick Scott nixed that, if I remember. I wish Amtrak would reconnect that portion of the Sunset Limited between Orlando/Jax to New Orleans - the tracks have been repaired for several years now after Hurricane Katrina. I've never understood why a state with as dense a population in South Florida (I mean the entire portion - both coasts and center from Orlando south) and a MAJOR attraction in Central Florida doesn't have some additional method of transportation, other than surface roads, to access it.
Wouldn't it be nice if you lived in Miami to get on a train to Orlando, rather than 1-95/Turnpike? Even if it is only going at 125mph, that's still faster than driving on I-95 bumper to bumper.
I would like to see this succeed, but unless they have plans to build convenient auxiliary transportation options, it might not. How do you get to the train in Miami? How do you get from the train station to WDW and US/IOA, etc in Orlando?
If you have to rent a car in Orlando, and the train isn't faster than driving, people will still drive. Heck, if it isn't any faster than driving, and there is no fast, reliable connecting transportation at the other end people would still be better off driving. Some people might have to go out of their way to get to the station, which would add time to the trip. How much would it cost to park, or to get to the station by cab or bus?
Public transportation only works when the whole infrastructure is coordinated, which is why it works so much better in cities where public transportation predated individual automobiles. Unfortunately, Florida is , by and large, not one of those areas. Our population boom came after cars and A/C, so most people live in areas that never had public transportation outside of the urban core. Bus routes have been extended in many areas, but things are so spread out that it takes far longer to use them (it would have taken my children over an hour to get to their school via public transportation, vs 10-15 mins by car) so only those who have a short trip on the same line, or do not have a car, use it.
In major cities, it can take longer to drive due to traffic congestion, and parking is expensive, etc so taking a train or bus makes more sense.
It's a matter of everyone in the community agreeing on a plan to get it done. It would involve the local governments, the state, possibly the Federal government, the big "players" (i.e. Disney and Universal), local businesses, etc. There has to be a will to contribute in the form of taxes (by both tourists and the residents) and in the form of contributions (by the big players).The Orlando area theme parks (or even local transportation) could solve the problem - if they chose to do so (or had the money) The bigger problem is at the other end.
I could take a train to Orlando - but I would have to drive 30 minutes north to do so, and leave my car. Then take 3 hrs by train. Then need transportation at the other end. Or I could get in my car, and drive south for 3 hrs and park at my resort.
And I live downtown! It would be even harder for someone who lives in the suburbs. Pretty much impossible without a private way to get to the train station.
Before the downtown terminal was closed back in the late 70s, I could have taken a cab or bus. Even earlier, I could have taken the streetcar.
There also has to be the will of the Florida taxpayer!
Generally tourists don't have much of a choice when it comes to taxes because they are added to things like hotels, rental cars, etc. Tourists contribute by coming to the location. I think high speed rail, for the most part, benefits the few at the expense of the many.It's a matter of everyone in the community agreeing on a plan to get it done. It would involve the local governments, the state, possibly the Federal government, the big "players" (i.e. Disney and Universal), local businesses, etc. There has to be a will to contribute in the form of taxes (by both tourists and the residents) and in the form of contributions (by the big players).
It's a matter of everyone in the community agreeing on a plan to get it done. It would involve the local governments, the state, possibly the Federal government, the big "players" (i.e. Disney and Universal), local businesses, etc. There has to be a will to contribute in the form of taxes (by both tourists and the residents) and in the form of contributions (by the big players).
Actually, the big players are more than willing to contribute, if there was a plan even on the table.Which is why the mindset of the average citizen would have to change. Average resident : "Why would I want to pay for something that I'll never use that really wouldn't affect my life?" Unlike public education - you might not use it, but it's nice to have people who can read etc. living around you. Big Player : "Why would I invest in something that might lose money, looking at other projects of this type?"
This is actually higher speed rail. It is cheaper, more conventional rail travel. Its the sort of thing that should for Tampa to Orlando, since that was like buying a Ferrari to drive in clogged city traffic. This is also a privately funded project by a local freight line, the Florida East Coast Railway who built the original lines down the Atlantic coast including the route to Key West.Two things: I thought this was canceled (although at the time, it was from Tampa to Orlando), and it's sad that "The maximum speed will be 125 mph. It is not a bullet train or high-speed rail like the Train á Grande Vitesse (TGV) in France that resembles a rocket on rails."
It's sad that in the land of unlimited potential, we've settled for less than the best.
Also, is the technology that's being used on this railway different from that that would have been used on the Tampa to Orlando railway?
Actually, the big players are more than willing to contribute, if there was a plan even on the table.
As for why the residents would want to. One very big word. Jobs.
Cities that have systems like these have half cent or 1 cent surtax added to their sales tax. Since this would benefit the tourist industry, you can concentrate the tax only in the resort areas. You can have a hotel room tax. In West Palm Beach, that's how we pay for our convention center.Which big players? I haven't heard any come forward and say they are willing to pay for this.
I disagree about the jobs issue. Most residents do want more jobs - as long as someone else pays for them. If told that an expanded transportation system would increase their taxes they tend to have a different opinion.
Most local residents (around here) want better public services - but balked at what would have been an increase of less than $250/year for most taxpayers.
I'm afraid that we are in a Catch-22 situation as far as public transportation in suburban areas. People don't use even the limited amount because it isn't convenient. Taxpayers don't want to pay for expansion because not enough people are using what presently exists. Unfortunately, efforts to expand options are sometimes met with indifference by the population (The Skyway in JAX) because of a lack of connecting options.
The planned train will work for people who live in and near downtown Miami. But are there enough of them going back and forth to Orlando to make it pay for itself? The rest of the state will be watching very carefully.
There are two generations of FL residents who grew up with private transportation being the norm. It's going to take at least that long to change the mindset of "go where you want, when you want, door to door."
AAF is entirely privately financed.Generally tourists don't have much of a choice when it comes to taxes because they are added to things like hotels, rental cars, etc. Tourists contribute by coming to the location. I think high speed rail, for the most part, benefits the few at the expense of the many.
This is actually higher speed rail. It is cheaper, more conventional rail travel. Its the sort of thing that should for Tampa to Orlando, since that was like buying a Ferrari to drive in clogged city traffic. This is also a privately funded project by a local freight line, the Florida East Coast Railway who built the original lines down the Atlantic coast including the route to Key West.
What also makes this project different than most recent American projects is that real estate is again a component. Most transit projects today try to connect existing, sprawling development that was intentionally designed to make mass transit fail. This project, like ones in the past, included an active real estate development component where high densities will be built near stations. As part of a new wave of mass transit projects in this country, it is not about convincing this in the suburbs to ride but instead rebuilding our urban communities for those who appreciate urbanism.
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