Brightline Trains

[jack]

On 2/8/2022 at 10:54 PM, dcluley98 said:

Stupid Mainstream Media Headline and Propaganda, but nonetheless: 

 

 

I don't see any faux news. Except the 1st intercity rail in 100 years. I guess Miami to Ft Lauderdale and West Palm don't count. 

[codypet]

2 hours ago, jack said:

I don't see any faux news. Except the 1st intercity rail in 100 years. I guess Miami to Ft Lauderdale and West Palm don't count. 

"High Speed Trains"

Like I said before, Brightline is a PR juggernaut.

[jack]

1 hour ago, codypet said:

"High Speed Trains"

Like I said before, Brightline is a PR juggernaut.

"High enough speed"trains 

[dcluley98]

Calling it "high-speed" and first intercity rail project since the 1800s are false, and saying it is a new mode of transportation is false. Amtrak has service from Orlando to South Florida and Tampa already, albiet not high speed.  Most of the Fox 35 video was PR exaggeration. 

[jrs2]

Cool video showing the maintenance facility.

The news people have no clue how the train arrived or which rail line was actually used by it to get here from Sac-Town.

The guy in the BL video said "all" the BL trains will be housed here when the line opens.  I thought it was 8 out of 12 trains that would be housed here based on what they originally reported.

[Poe Tempkin]

On 2/10/2022 at 12:08 PM, codypet said:

"High Speed Trains"

Like I said before, Brightline is a PR juggernaut.

I swear I've heard Brightline themselves refer to it as "higher speed".

[codypet]

On 2/11/2022 at 8:49 PM, Poe Tempkin said:

I swear I've heard Brightline themselves refer to it as "higher speed".

They have.  Legally they aren't technically high speed.   Similar to "Self Driving".  There's an actual classification for high speed.

[dcluley98]

Airport portion of Brightline and the rest of the future-proofing rail infrastructure is now complete: 

 

[HankStrong]

Bravo!

 

 

[popsiclebrandon]

So when will service begin?

[codypet]

25 minutes ago, popsiclebrandon said:

So when will service begin?

The C03 stretch is way behind schedule.  I feel like they're still at least a year or 2 away.

[Urban Mail Carrier]

Hopefully Sunrail and Brightline come to an agreement soon. It would be awesome if Sunrail had access to that line

[codypet]

2 hours ago, Urban Mail Carrier said:

Hopefully Sunrail and Brightline come to an agreement soon. It would be awesome if Sunrail had access to that line

Sunrail would be too tall for that particular line.

[dcluley98]

SunRail won't be running on the BL trackage. They are designed differently.  They did leave easements, tunnels, and station space on the airport property for future Light Rail connection, if ever developed. 

SunRail will stick to SunRail North/South line, and I believe there was discussion of a plan to do cross-platform connection with BL at Meadow Woods? The rolling stock are different and require different platform heights, and the trains would stay on their own respective lines, but they had mentioned perhaps BL plan to run more frequent "local only" service connecting Disney, Meadow Woods SunRail Cross Platform station and the Airport Multi-modal station.  

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2021/02/07/fdot-brightline-examine-linking-sunrail-orlando-airport/4402667001/

 

 

 

[codypet]

The platform issue is the same issue they have with Tri Rail right now.  Apparently even when they purpose built the platforms for Tri Rai, they didn't get it right.

[HankStrong]

7 minutes ago, codypet said:

The platform issue is the same issue they have with Tri Rail right now.  Apparently even when they purpose built the platforms for Tri Rai, they didn't get it right.

I'm just glad it seems like it was an easy fix.

[blt23]

7 hours ago, codypet said:

The C03 stretch is way behind schedule.  I feel like they're still at least a year or 2 away.

Brightline says they are a year away.

Do you have any details on progress in the C03 section? Have they run into problems with one of the bridges?

[IAmFloridaBorn]

Brightline is a damn scam. Ugh. Too bad for Orlando. But Orlando needs to get it's act together with a SunRail pairing for transit. Region is getting bigger 

[aent]

4 hours ago, dcluley98 said:

SunRail won't be running on the BL trackage. They are designed differently.  They did leave easements, tunnels, and station space on the airport property for future Light Rail connection, if ever developed. 

SunRail will stick to SunRail North/South line, and I believe there was discussion of a plan to do cross-platform connection with BL at Meadow Woods? The rolling stock are different and require different platform heights, and the trains would stay on their own respective lines, but they had mentioned perhaps BL plan to run more frequent "local only" service connecting Disney, Meadow Woods SunRail Cross Platform station and the Airport Multi-modal station.  

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2021/02/07/fdot-brightline-examine-linking-sunrail-orlando-airport/4402667001/

 

 

 

The article you linked to doesn't say that and I can't find anything saying that... can you provide a source?  They will no doubt need different platforms at the different stations because of the different heights.

[dcluley98]

 "The Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission has approved an agreement to work collaboratively with Brightline, a private passenger train company, to link Orlando's Meadow Woods station with the airport."
 

Reading is fundamental.

 

[jgardnerucf]

Buy Richard Crotty's properties across the street and immediately build a 4-story wood apartment complex.

[aent]

2 hours ago, dcluley98 said:

 "The Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission has approved an agreement to work collaboratively with Brightline, a private passenger train company, to link Orlando's Meadow Woods station with the airport."
 

Reading is fundamental.

 

That does not say what you said and multiple articles posted since this one contradict what you are saying and claim Sunrail's link will be at the airport. Infact bright line has removed a meadow woods station from it's plans entirely in the year since that article was written. There's no reason they can't share tracks, they just can't share station platforms.

Edited February 17, 2022 by aent

[Urban Mail Carrier]

55 minutes ago, aent said:

That does not say what you said and multiple articles posted since this one contradict what you are saying and claim Sunrail's link will be at the airport. Infact bright line has removed a meadow woods station from it's plans entirely in the year since that article was written. There's no reason they can't share tracks, they just can't share station platforms.

Exactly!!! That’s what I thought from the reading that I’ve encountered. Wasn’t sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me. Glad to see that you have read that as well  and have come to the same conclusion.

[codypet]

15 hours ago, blt23 said:

Brightline says they are a year away.

Do you have any details on progress in the C03 section? Have they run into problems with one of the bridges?

I drove it over the weekend and they still don't have a bridge over the St. John's River or SR 520 and much of the civil/drainage culverts still aren't in.  They still have to do that, put in the retaining walls, finish the final grading, install the signals, lay the track and test it.  

My understanding talking to some cohorts is that the contractor on that stretch is just dealing with supply and labor shortages.  That said, it doesn't seem to have kept the contractors of the other EW segments from getting close to done.

Edited February 17, 2022 by codypet

[dcluley98]

Last I heard the BrightLine tracks are separate from the SunRail tracks.  They are looking at building a 3rd track on section of the CSX easement for Brightline to go on in Meadow Woods and will have the ability for a platform for the North South SunRail to connect to the new track. 

I still have not seen any plan for a SunRail Phase 3 plan to connect to the airport that is concrete. I have ONLY ever seen feasibility studies and what-if stories. 

SunRail and BrightLine did do an agreement (Resolution of Support mutually) to study cooperation to operate BrightLine on the current CSX corridor and vice versa. This would mean that SunRail rolling stock would run on BL trackage but the track would be a separated line with a cross platform stop at Meadow Woods and SunRail would have to have a platform/station created at the InterModal Terminal C created for them to be able to utilize that route.  The gauge is the same, so they could theoretically use the track corridor, but need other things to happen for that to occur.  Mainly, new platforms to fit the SunRail stock, an agreement on timing/frequency of trains so that they can accomplish the service goals with increased traffic, and an integrated Automatic Train Control program to make it all work. 

Additionally, they are trying to figure out who would actually run the SunRail trains. SunRail was supposed to be handed over previously to a different operator, and we don't know who yet. There was an option that BrightLine could take over operation of a portion of SunRail that would be on their tracks, so it would be an entirely separate line, with a cross platform station at Meadow Woods, but utilize SunRail name, service frequency, and livery (and likely rolling stock).  If they went that route, however, they could just buy new rolling stock similar to that of the BL trains with the correct platform height but with SunRail Livery. (that seems to make sense to me as it would seem to me they would need more trains than they currently have for a service of that nature. )

The mayor said that they wanted to have a goal of SunRail serving the airport with a direct connection from downtown, but I have yet to see any concrete plan for that. (there is space for a separate station in the ITF, but no plan on what the track would be and how to connect it to the current North/South line).  The biggest obstacle to these connections is the ROW/land cost of securing corridors, so it makes sense for them to use the same corridor if possible. 

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by dcluley98