Comments on: The Fatal Flaw of Florida High-Speed Rail

By: Cecil Field

Cecil Field — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:22:32 +0000

Govenor Scott was right turning down federal funding for the new rail system. We have enough budget problems without adding another to the list. Straighten out our house first and then take another look at it later. Corrine Brown does not care how much of the tax payers money is used to help fund this project. Without thinking out how this rail system will succeed shes all for it. I know how she tried to save the base closure of Cecil Field. As far as I’m concerned her blaming gov. Scott for picking on are dear president Obama is the most childish thing I’ve ever heard. Governor you were right and you have my backing. Let her pay for it.

By: Florida Rejects HSR Money – Feds Should Focus on Northeast | Gateway Gab

Florida Rejects HSR Money – Feds Should Focus on Northeast | Gateway Gab — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 23:42:40 +0000

[...] ownership. Despite their analysis, the Florida project had its flaws. In 2009, Yonah Freemark criticized the line’s eastern terminus for stopping short of Downtown Orlando. On the western end, the line [...]

By: pete fraser

pete fraser — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:37:55 +0000

The public deserves more information. They do not realize that the track must serve only the High Speed Line and that every road, and rail crossing must be re-routed under or over the high speed line. If funded by the Feds it means Buy America; there are no current facilities making high sped locomotives and it takes 5 years to build prototypes and 2 years to test.
This is a pipe dream, if others have it so must we, and with the current deficits, why increase them to build a train that will not make money and will have to be financed, once running, by Fl State.

By: Neo

Neo — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 12:38:31 +0000

Obama Syndrome, take it or live in another socialist country.

By: c van dette

c van dette — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:12:46 +0000

if u go to the rest areas on I-4 and ask the people there if they would take t hsrail between Tampa and Orlando the answer was 95% no way .there is no way to go anywhere ineither city when you get there.how do you get from the industrial part of north tamp to orlando suburbs???????

By: Ocean Railroader

Ocean Railroader — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:05:34 +0000

The idea of the Privately funded highways never really works out that well such as with the 2 Billon dollar widening of the Washingtion Beltway from 8 to 12 lanes to intall hot toll lanes that do not have a set toll price but can go as high as they want with no limits. This 2 billon dollar project was only for 14 miles of highway. And they are planning on adding hotlanes to another 53 mile section which could be two to three times the cost to widen. At the same time the cost to add a thrid track to the Amtrack mainline from Fredricksburg to Washingtion DC is only going to cost 72 millon for 11.5 miles of thrid track mainline.

When I was on Amtrack going though the beltway at regular 40 miles on hour we were flying pasted the river of cars that were bumper to bumper for 30 miles. If say three billon were spent on the 110 mile long railroad mainline from Washingiton DC to Richmond VA we could have eletric trains and speeds of a 110 miles on hour for less then the cost of 20 miles of beltway widening.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:47:15 +0000

HSR is a big government pipedream but Interstates aren’t? WTF?

By: Kevin Wright

Kevin Wright — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:25:16 +0000

High Speed rail is a big-government pipe dream. All the county center critters that promote it will never use it. They think that if they build it, some how they will clear the roads of enough of the little people so that THEY can use the roads a little better.
Rail does not go where I want to go when I want to get there.
Let us all quit pretending here. The Federal government is MORE than bankrupt, and promoting transportation panaceas will not hide the fact.
Do you really want to get somewhere fast and rebuild our tattered economy?
Let us build Autobahn 2.0 (Privately funded) – The ultimate unlimited speed highway that incorporates new technolgies for greater utility and safety. Why should only Germans get the best roads? Can’t we do better?
If All you train trolls actually used AMtrak, then you might have a leg to stand on in this argument, otherwise, get a life.

By: Thad

Thad — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:05:07 +0000

The Florida HSR is going to all of the places it needs to go. I can’t speak for the people of Tampa and Orland and the communities in between, but I can say, that the people in Miami (I’m from there) will only take the train as an alternative to the 4 hour drive for their weekend getaways to Disney, Universal, Sea World and Busch Gardens or to conventions or business meetings in Orlando. From an outsider’s perspective, people who work in downtown Orlando would be the only ones who would benefit from a station there. Most people who go on pleasure trips to Orlando mainly only go to the resorts and theme parks which aren’t downtown. Most people with business purposes end up at the convention center

The Miami extension will run to the new intermodal center by our airport (which is a more central location) and not go to downtown, and Miami has a bigger downtown with more mass transit and attractions than Orlando and Tampa’s. The HSR will be connected downtown via a transfer to the Metrorail.

Since tourism is what our states economy runs on, the HSR is going to be geared towards tourist traffic more so than commuter traffic. A commuter rail connection between the HSR and Downtown is more appropriate.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:48:12 +0000

The old ROW is in disrepair, with some of the bridges demolished. It’d be expensive to bring back to use.