30 replies to this topic

[cloudship]

Maybe I am reinventing the wheel here, but isn't there a line that runs pretty mush straight from Palm Beach to Lakeland, and doesn't go through much developed area? Sure it's one track, but it's not like it is landlocked by much, and it seems a lot more efficient, logical route from Miami to Orlando, no?

[tampasteve]

Is that the route used by Amtrak and the freight companies? If so it could not be used, though perhapse the ROW could with some re-working. Regular rail and HSR cannot use the same system.

This does bring up an interseting point though. When the whole system is complete, including the Jacksonville-Orlando, MIA-ORL, and ORL-TPA routes, will Amtrak stop running on those routes? I could see a scenario where Amtrak runs to the border with GA, but stops there. It kind of makes sense, why take a old train when there is a much faster train on dedicated tracking available?

Steve

[tombarnes]

I think the persent Amtrak routes will stay- at least the long-distance trains.  Travelers who have booked sleeping accommodations from other cities may well want to keep them all the way to their destination.

[cloudship]

I am not sure exactly which route Amtrak takes - whether or not it is the same, I would not propose running high speed trains over those particular rails. But from what I have seen of them and see in maps and photos, there is plenty of room around them for additional lines.

As an interim step, however, I wonder if it would be possible to pick up a couple of those diesel talgo trains. They may not be true high-speed trains, but supposedly they can meet FRA requirements, and could possibly get service up and running until true high-speed tracks could be built.

[bulldogger]

cloudship, on Jan 16 2007, 09:54 PM, said:

Maybe I am reinventing the wheel here, but isn't there a line that runs pretty mush straight from Palm Beach to Lakeland, and doesn't go through much developed area? Sure it's one track, but it's not like it is landlocked by much, and it seems a lot more efficient, logical route from Miami to Orlando, no?

That is Amtrak and it is rediculous that you have to go to Lakeland to go to Palm Beach even if you are coming from Orlando.  That is what Amtrak currently does.

With regards to driving to Tampa, my minimum drive time on Friday evenings is 1.5 hours and it has taken over 2 hours sometimes.  A 56 minute train ride for 10 bucks each way (which I already pay in gas for the round trip) to Ybor (which has a trolley in place) would be welcome by me.  Add in these benefits:  no one cutting me off, no construction zones, no speeding tickets, no need to pay attention, wi-fi surfin the net the whole way there.  And if they could manage to have a Starbucks Car, that would be sweet.

[tombarnes]

Build the trains.  The passengers will come.  Even in Fort Lauderdale.  Believe it.

Edited by tombarnes, 17 January 2007 - 10:09 PM.

[orlandouprise]

quick question...is marta in atlanta commuter rail , if so why does it look like more of a traditional subway car and our rail car look more like a locomotive car?

[tampasteve]

MARTA is heavy rail transit - the same thing as subways (though, subways can be LRT as well). Actually, MARTA is a subway in some parts of the lines.

The system in Orlando and the current Tri-Rail is Commuter rail, that is , diesel locomotives that pull train sets. Gernerally there is a seperate locomotive, like in Tri-Rail, but they can be locomotive/passenger combined cars as well.

As for using the Talgo train sets...that is a cool idea, but part of the main problem with Amtrak right now is that it share the tracks with freight, and freight always has the ROW. If that were reversed even Amtrak would be OK. Also, most Amtrak trains can (but rarely, if ever, do) exceed speeds of 90 MPH, again, the main problem is not having ROW and not many scheduled stops being as they are only long distance trains and not local to Florida.

Steve

[HeartofFlorida]

bulldogger, on Jan 17 2007, 09:54 PM, said:

That is Amtrak and it is rediculous that you have to go to Lakeland to go to Palm Beach even if you are coming from Orlando. That is what Amtrak currently does.

Just the Silver Star (91).  The Silver Meteor (97) bypasses Lakeland and goes through Winter Haven and the trip time is almost cut in half (if the train isn't late ).

[bulldogger]

HeartofFlorida, on Feb 6 2007, 07:52 PM, said:

Just the Silver Star (91).  The Silver Meteor (97) bypasses Lakeland and goes through Winter Haven and the trip time is almost cut in half (if the train isn't late ).

That's still the wrong direction.  Maybe not as far, but you're backtracking from Orlando. I know it's to get Disney in there for tourists, but it doesn't help for Orlando residents.

[HeartofFlorida]

bulldogger, on Feb 8 2007, 12:08 AM, said:

That's still the wrong direction. Maybe not as far, but you're backtracking from Orlando. I know it's to get Disney in there for tourists, but it doesn't help for Orlando residents.

It has virtually nothing to do with Disney.  The only other way to get passenger service from South Florida anywhere near Central Florida is the Mainline that almost parallels US 1 and passenger service hasn't been on that line since FEC (Florida East Coast) many decades ago.  

A few years ago, Amtrak talked about possibly expanding passenger service down that line to no avail.  There are currently no mainlines between Orlando and Melbourne area.  Now with the news of the CSX ILC being constructed in Winter Haven, the proposed commuter rail in Orlando along with the propsed double mainlines in that area, I would like to think that travel times would improve between Kissimmee and Jacksonville since heavy traffic will be routed down the center of the state (bypass Orlando Area).