Florida « The Transport Politic

In China’s High-Speed Successes, a Glimpse of American Difficulties

July 3rd, 2011 |

» With political figures failing to account for the long-term interests of their constituents, the U.S. continues down its confused path.

The opening of the new $32.5 billion Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail link this week marked a significant milestone in the world effort to improve intercity rail systems. Though the development of fast train networks in China has not been without its failings, the connection of the nation’s two largest metropolitan regions — the tenth and nineteenth-largest in the world — is a human achievement of almost unparalleled proportions, especially since it was completed a year earlier than originally planned and just

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Florida Governor Rick Scott Rejects Funding for Tampa-Orlando Intercity Rail Project

February 16th, 2011 |

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» Despite its capital costs being almost entirely covered by Washington and plenty of evidence that private investors want to move forward, project is off the tracks for now.

Just days after the White House revealed its ambitions for a $53 billion, six-year plan for an American high-speed rail network, the place where it was all supposed to begin now appears to be out of the running. Today, Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) announced that he would refuse $2.4 billion in federal funds to build a rail line between Orlando and Tampa. The project’s construction would have required $280 million in state

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A Fiscally Conservative Approach is the Right One for Florida High-Speed Rail

January 7th, 2011 |

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» If the government invests billions in this fast train project, it is not unreasonable to expect the line to cover its operating costs.

The first phase of Florida’s high-speed rail plan is by no means perfect: It is too short to produce major time savings over car trips and it fails to serve a number of downtowns along its route. Nevertheless, its construction is now fully funded and when completed in 2015 as planned it will be America’s first new fast train line. From the perspective of the Obama Administration, the project’s limited scale is a major benefit, as

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With More Federal Funding, Florida in Striking Distance of New High-Speed Line

October 25th, 2010 |

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» In sinking $800 million more into the Tampa-Orlando line, Obama Administration is making clear its interest in making this the nation’s model program for fast trains.

In terms of high-speed rail funding, the thinking of the current Department of Transportation is easy to understand: Of the dozens of projects proposed across the country, only one could offer true high-speed service and open before the end of President Obama’s second term, all within a relatively tight budget. That is Florida’s 84-mile Tampa-Orlando link, expected to be complete by 2015 at a cost of less than $3 billion. It is therefore

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