WHY FLORIDA HIGH SPEED RAIL WILL FAIL! (PART 1) Reprint

BIG MISTAKE, BIG, HUGE!
PART ONE

Perhaps I'm not the most loved transportation guy in this State, but I refuse to label a clearly flawed project as a winner. Florida High Speed Rail (AS PLANNED JAN 2010) is a disaster waiting to happen. There are several reasons for this, that if corrected, would find me as the systems biggest advocate. But as promised a week ago, this article will detail why Florida High Speed Rail will fail.



REASON NUMBER ONE/ORLANDO/THE ORLANDO STATION LOCATION:
The current route completely ignores Orlando and it's sprawling metropolitan area. Stretching from Deland on the north to Kissimmee on the south, over 60 miles of lineal city.

So the high speed rail planners have the railroad from Tampa, down the center of Interstate 4, to Disney World, then curving South to the Orange County Convention Center and the planned system hub which focuses on the Orlando International Airport.

Anyone that has ever had the displeasure of driving or using transit to the Orlando Airport can tell you that shortly after inventing the "Iron Maiden," and "The Rack," both ancient torture devices were replaced by Orlando's Beach Line Turnpike, Orange Blossom Trail, Highway's 436, 17-92, I-4, and the East-West Expressway. In short, the airport using the facilities of the former McCoy Air Force Base, is in one of those proverbial impossible locations, with no clear access from any point in the city. This access problem alone should scrap the current plans. Calculate at least one full hour to drive from any point in the city to the Airport to catch a train.



REASON NUMBER TWO/TAMPA/IGNORING A STATION AND ITS CONNECTIONS:
Tampa. Some years ago, Florida bowed to pressure from the Tampa Bay area communities to buy the former Tampa Union Station (TUS), which sits just above the downtown on Nebraska Avenue. This classic station from the early 1900's is a compact head-house design with what were once 10 tracks and covered platforms. Amtrak still serves the station coming in from the east between I-4 and the Cross Town Expressway.

So in their infinite wisdom, the HSR Authority, has decided a new station in the middle of a Expressway Interchange, about a dozen blocks northwest is the place for a "new" train station. This choice makes no sense at all considering the infrastructure is already in place at TUS, already connected to Amtrak and HART, and already paid for.

REASON NUMBER THREE/IGNORING VITAL RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE:
As the entire current project plan avoids current rail infrastructure, one cannot help but wonder if our highway centric planners in Tampa's USF/CUTR (a highway think tank that influences all Florida transportation decisions and is decidedly anti-rail) or FDOT in Tallahassee, have planned to fail? Distance from infrastructure that works, regardless of age or opinion, just for the sake of new and shinny is irresponsible in the 33Rd degree.



REASON NUMBER FOUR/THE REAL SPRAWL RAIL:
Last but certainly not least is the routing of the entire system on I-4, then claiming it will help curb sprawl. This is a simple diversion of the truth and Tallahassee knows it. I-4 is as much as 10 miles NORTH of every community from Orlando to Tampa. While these are certainly not large cities, they have in effect filled in to make up a megalopolis. The High Speed Rail will miss Kissimmee, Davenport, Haines City, Winter Haven, Auburndale, Winston, Plant City, Dover and Mango, as well as the aforementioned Tampa Union Station/Transportation Center site.

The claim of convenient transportation just doesn't stand close scrutiny. Convenient for what? Tampa? The HSR plan misses the connections at TUS and the urbanized core making Tampa rather unlikely to break ridership records. Lakeland? Hardly, does Lakeland even have bus service that far north? Walking from the HSR to downtown in a tropical thunderstorm should be appealing. Disney? AH HA! PERFECT! How did that happen? Someone please tell me which rail dependent residents live in Disney World besides a very rich mouse? Orange County Convention Center at International Drive? Besides serving the occasional Conventioneers this station will also serve Wet and Wild, with Sea World, The Holy Land and Universal just a few miles down the road. Orlando Airport? As we've already seen, no locals are going to waste an hour driving out to OIA to catch a train that would take one hour to get to Tampa, making a two hour trip out of a ONE HOUR and 28 MINUTE CAR RIDE. Not to mention airport parking fee's and rental cars in Tampa, plus rail fare.



Consider that every single community along the route, will have developers quickly buy up and pave the several miles between the current town limits and I-4/HSR. They will consume thousands of acres of fragile, water short, Florida land, and their customers will demand their own stations, slowing the whole system down to a fast Amtrak-like pace. The ability of our state to set up more mindless sprawl in the name of the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation, borders on criminal.

So in part one we have seen that High Speed Rail, planned by the boys and girls at one of the most rail hostile places on earth, is a washout. Tune in later when we bring you MORE reasons why $9 Billion dollars later, this train will fail to arrive.

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VIDEO, Passengers on the Florida East Coast

PARADISE REGAINED

http://www.fecrwy.com/home.aspx

In November 2009 a train consisting of the private rail cars of the American Association Private Cars Owners , rolled down the Florida East Coast Ry, on a tour! After the death of it's founder, Henry M. Flagler, the FEC skidded in and out of a bankruptcy that lasted until the 1960's. 25% of all revenue was from the huge fleet of passenger trains, and passenger trains represented 75% of the roads traffic.

Sadly, the anti-public, union busting, maverick railroad, was known over the next 20 years as the little railroad with a big stick. Constantly improving and raking in profits with renewed energy in freight traffic, the railroad had no time for pleasure. ANYONE caught on FEC property would be immediately escorted to the nearest exit, and any delay would result in arrest, on the spot. No pictures, no passengers, no railroad fans, no buildings, no nonsense, high returns, and more "NO TRESSPASSING," signs then . Good Business? Maybe, but so much ill will was garnered that when the company joined the Rail America family, the public was shocked at the friendly reception. It was time for a change.




Suddenly the FEC RY is flirting with the passenger business, and is working with the Florida Department of Transportation, Amtrak and the east coast communities, to create a new East Coast Corridor. Test trains and private cars, something unheard of only a few years ago are again becoming common. It appears that the axe has been buried and the railroad is back as the Speedway To America's Playground.

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FLORIDA HIGH SPEED RAIL

JACKSONVILLE AT HIGH SPEED... 1947 Style

Southern Railway in 1947, heading our way through Tennessee and Georgia. After breakfast we'll be rolling past the 15 platforms, and 32 tracks, of the great Jacksonville Terminal. In those days 7 railroad lines, and 4 major railroad carriers, met at the downtown station. Today, 6 lines and 4 major railroad carriers still do!

In 2009 Florida has finally made the leap to establish passenger trains throughout our state once again. Sadly these same people are putting a huge amount of energy and effort into a largely useless High Speed Rail plan. If Florida would just look back a few years, they would find that we have been there and done that already. Does Tallahassee even understand that Jacksonville is the railroad hub of Florida? Why are they focusing on Orlando and Mickey Mouse? Why would they promote a hub and spokes railroad system, when nothing like that has ever worked on the ground before? Sometimes your blogger wishes for those simpler times of 1947.

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SPRAWL RAIL, Blessing or Curse?

Downtown Maitland Florida, before Sunrail, we have to be reminded of where the downtown and railroad station were. One of the highest dollar residential area's North of Orlando, it's easy to see the center of the town no longer plays a major role in the midst of miles of planned communities. If Sunrail is to cause development to happen, it will be in downtown Maitland, Lake Mary, Longwood, Altamonte Springs, Etc.. If Sunrail can bring the development back to it's historic center, ending sprawl, I say, "Bring it on."

SPRAWLRAIL?

Does that term send nightmare visions of Los Angeles type sprawl extending for endless miles caused by a railroad? If not, your not getting the message that is being sold by the supporters of Florida High Speed Rail. They want us all to believe that the recent deal with CSX for Orlando's long awaited Commuter "SUNRAIL" Project will promote sprawl, with virtually no riders. The claim has been that somehow Sunrail is a secret deal with developers. Let's look at those claims based on some easy facts.

Sure the Sunrail line WILL spur more development, there are already plans as well as construction all along the route.

BINGO, Along it, not 5 miles away from it. Commuter Rail creates dense concentrations of urban life centered around stations. Commuter Rail development will include urban, in town type Publix, Walmart, and such, but rarely if ever does it cause auto dependent plaza style sprawl in outlaying area's. The reason for this is found in the very concept itself, by nature Commuter Rail allows one to PARK the family gas guzzler, and ride. Commuter Rail certainly doesn't encourage more automobile use.

The people who live in auto dependent suburban areas, will no longer have to crowd the lone Interstate. Their trips will have the option of being greatly shortened and in many cases eliminated. Autos will pour out of the suburban tracts and into park and ride lots where their owners will take the train.

Without those automobiles people must stay centered on the stations or the concept of centrally located mass transit. Any developers who ignore this unwritten rule of nearness, will fail. Trust me, developers will follow Sunrail, but they are smart enough to realize every mile from the station equals less and less sales.

Typical Commuter Rail downtown revival in Layton City, Utah, Note where the development is taking place. In addition to the new Station, Utah DOT is also doing a study for a proposed Interchange that would be built near the Station. Layton City has designated the area as a Redevelopment Project Area and is focusing on bringing new business to the area and revitalizing existing infrastructure. There is a lot of interest in Old Downtown and the area is poised to become a major attraction along the Commuter Rail Line.

Commuter rail will force Florida into one more revelation, in Orlando or in Jacksonville, wherever we add connections, the state is about to discover that hourly bus operations are not service, they are mere accommodations. Just one more urbanest change that is headed our way like an oncoming train.

The Sunrail Train will run from Downtown to Downtown, just like Amtrak

A good friend recently listed reasons NOT to live on the Central Florida Corridor today:

1. Highly inaccessible.
2. Cheap tract home development.
3. Limited commercial base.
4. Lack of diversity and culture.
5. No industrial base.
6. Cheap looking architecture.
7. Not walkable.

Will Sunrail make this worse? Not a chance. These homes aren't going to go away, and their communities long past the rural stage are suffering from the inside out. The more central one locates in these cities, the worse the transportation dilemma and maze becomes. So the older builds are all in the "downtown's," and the newer homes and shops just keep piling on the parameter. The downtown area's become less functional with each new band of outlaying development.

The premise that Sunrail will encourage more of such irresponsible development is completely false. Sunrail will run on the CSX tracks, and what is today's CSX Railroad, was there over 100 years ago. What this means to the communities on line is anywhere there is a downtown, there and only there, will one find the train. So since it will focus all eyes back on the city centers, all Sunrail development will be in the sectors that have long been ignored and even become blighted. Sunrail won't cause Sprawl, in fact when that 5:00 o:clock whistle blows, those trains will stand ready to take you home, to the DOWNTOWN of your choice.

The Orlando CSX deal, will make this dream a reality for not just Central Florida, but for Tampa, and best of all, Jacksonville. This scene in Dallas, shows their remanfactured RDC cars in action, roumor has it they have made contact with us for these very cars.

In the next article, we shall examine a true ill conceived "Sprawl Rail Plan," one so bad that it can only lead to disaster. Taking the negatives and blaming them on Sunrail is a smoke screen, so tune in as we tackle, "Why Florida's High Speed Rail Plan is an Oncoming Train Wreck."

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Welcome Ray LaHood

NEW READER WELCOMED

Jacksonville Transit wishes to welcome our newest reader, Mr. Ray LaHood, United States Secretary of Transportation. Hopefully the Secretary will see some of the hip shooting posts that deal with sensitive subjects like Florida's disastrous HSR plan, from the view point of a pro-rail, pro-mass transit, pseudo retired consultant. He'll also read of Amtrak's apocalyptic Florida rail system, and interstate connections,or lack of the same, as opposed to our historic travel patterns. Jacksonville, and it's heavy need for Port Rail, LRT, Streetcars, Commuter Rail, Skyway Extension, and even connecting BRT, Bus, and new concept Express Bus services, are all here too. "New Concept Bus?" Yes, he'll read it here because this is the only place it exists, so far.

The harsh critiques of Jacksonville's so called Transportation Center are spilled out across the screen throughout the blog, with much, much, more to come. So Mr. Secretary, check your diplomacy at the door, sit back, and enjoy some pointed sharp shooting blogging, who knows, perhaps you'll comment sometime?

The Florida Mystery

ARE NEANDERTHALS PLANNING FLORIDA'S FUTURE?

Traffic counts, road money down in Palm Beach Count
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer:
"In the next few years, the road program is not going to be able to build very many roads," said County Engineer George Webb. "But at the same time, if we don't have people moving in, we're not going to be that deficient."

As the number of drivers falls, service along the existing road network has improved. Only 2 percent of county roads are performing below their designed level of service, Webb said."

RAIL! Railroad track never has to be widened. Further if Palm Beach County is at a build out state so that only 2% of the roads are performing below expectations, then one would think we would be putting our focus on Rail and Tri-Rail. Our cities, Jacksonville, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando, TALLAHASSEE, and our State Leaders, have proved to be mental Neanderthals, in a sea of transportation brilliance.

California, New York, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, even Oklahoma, are so far ahead of us we can't find them on radar. But we beg for Billions to build HSR from the Orlando Airport to an amusement park to a freeway interchange in Tampa. This poorly planned "Rat Rail" project coupled with a failure to properly fund Tri-Rail is going to cost all of us dearly.



Florida already has Amtrak Service, though we have allowed even that to decline from 12 trains daily to 4. We stood by to build a trail on the key West Palm Beach cut-off, between Auburndale, and Wildwood, and didn't say a word when Amtrak itself was fighting budget cutters in eliminating all service to Ocala, and Gainesville. We HAVE Amtrak, logic would dictate that the national rail passenger corporation be the tool with which to reach more for less.

Somewhere there must be a reward for this reckless behavior. Perhaps another 10 lanes? All of us have heard the expression "Tax and Spend," well maybe we are getting what we've asked for, my friends, welcome to the world of "Cut and Chop."

Jacksonville International and the Worlds Ugliest Airport Entrance

"FLYING COYOTE UGLY"

Welcome to Jacksonville, third most populous city on America's east coast. As you leave our medium size airport, note it's beauty, the mosaic on the floor, or the incredible ceiling over the ticketing area. The airport itself is an art gallery, and there is special arts exhibit halls off of the main terminal, as you enjoy soft piano jazz from one of our local artists. Okay, so it's not Disney World, but it's REAL, cosmopolitan, and a beautiful way to start a business or pleasure trip to our city.

Exiting the terminal area, on board AIR JTA, or an automobile, is likewise a pleasant experience for the eyes. To the right a large freight terminal, and a bit farther down to your left, a welcoming hotel. Finally the one-way expressway, meets up with the opposing lanes, making the roadway seem more complete. Here and there yellow, and blackjack pine trees, dot the landscape around some of the large structures of our International Trade Zone.

So far so good, where the lanes merge looking east toward I-95

It's not until one passes that trade zone that you start to notice a change. Maybe the changing view is due to clutter, or perhaps it's age, but as it becomes a boulevard, and approaches Interstate 95, toward downtown, it has all of the charm of a western Oklahoma prairie highway, after a dust storm.

Heading up the ramp, this thing is obviously ancient, one can almost envision Spanish Conquistadores, marching up the road. Sparse vegetation could hardly pass for landscaping, and the black pasture mud puddles, could be crayfish farms.One might start to wonder, "Is this a welcome mat, or a 1960's K-Mart parking lot." All that is missing from this scene is the smell of stale popcorn. Isn't this a part of Florida? America's playground? Isn't this a major modern city? "Oh, I get it, it's all a joke and the GEICO Cavemen are about to show up as hitchers with backpacks and cardboard signs in hand."
A more typical Jacksonville night on the Northbank, Downtown

The Wright Flyer, a sculpture, but not in our forest

Leaving town after a business trip, football game, or vacation, is worse, even if one misses the confusion of Duval Road, and the actual Airport Exit. Finding the airport exit is a thrill in and of itself. A hairpin turn that would do justice to the roads in Yosemite, and you BETTER be going 25 mph, or you might meet John Muir, out in the trees. Trees? Yes, but not just trees, the center of that loop hasn't seen attention since 1963. The old expression, "don't let the door hit you in the nether regions as you go out," takes on a whole new meaning when trash, unmowed grass, weeds, and vines, seem to slap at your vehicle as you pass. Don't worry, at least the terminal is breathtaking, we designed it that way hoping you'd forget the coyote ugly interchange.

Reaching for altitude? The Park of Light, Medellin, Colombia

We could play with our colored lights again
as in this scene in China

Come on Jacksonville, time to pull your heads out, this thing needs attention and it needs it now. Even if there are not funds to reconstruct the whole junction, perhaps coins could be found for pavement overlays, paint, a lawn service, and a few of those beautiful K-Mart garden center plants. That Yosemite like loop? I would imagine survival could be enhanced by brush cutting the whole area, even if you were to fly off into the forest, at least we could find your car. Where's our state-of-the-art signal lights, our signature NEON highlighting, and over I-95 and Duval - Airport Road, both locations could use our flood lighted J A C K S O N V I L L E, sign? Go for broke, bronze sculptures of famous local pilots, the first airmail plane, or scheduled airline service are cheap enough, why not? Anyone thinking our city doesn't have an aviation history, at least as cool as our railroad, and port heritage, I have a question for you. "Ever heard of the Blue Angels? Yeah, I thought so.

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