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  • 1 month later...

But, didn't you know, privately owned is always better than government. Sarah Palin said so! (Especially for all the people on Progress Energy dealing with the intrigue over shuffling CEOs, mismanagement of their nuclear plant, higher rates and worse reliability than OUC - but privately owned is always better! Keep saying it and it will have to be true!)

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AAA puts the cost per mile to drive at 59 cents a mile.

 

and that doesn't include taxes siphoned off in other areas that are redirected to roads. with roads being subsidized the way they are, its amazing they can compete at all. People don't understand the true cost of our roadway network... I imagine these private companies are going to be saying "travel with more comfort, free wi-fi, style, safer, etc" more so then because its cheaper, as the governments making it difficult for them to compete.

 

Government mandated monopolies (such as power) don't work well, they're ultimately a "private extension of government", but other then that, I do tend to prefer private over public service. And although I've never had OUC, I had Progress in Orlando, and they're miles above the municipal owned utility where I live now. I guess the upside of that is people here really want solar panels as it makes more economic sense at these rates.

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and that doesn't include taxes siphoned off in other areas that are redirected to roads. with roads being subsidized the way they are, its amazing they can compete at all. People don't understand the true cost of our roadway network... I imagine these private companies are going to be saying "travel with more comfort, free wi-fi, style, safer, etc" more so then because its cheaper, as the governments making it difficult for them to compete.

 

Government mandated monopolies (such as power) don't work well, they're ultimately a "private extension of government", but other then that, I do tend to prefer private over public service. And although I've never had OUC, I had Progress in Orlando, and they're miles above the municipal owned utility where I live now. I guess the upside of that is people here really want solar panels as it makes more economic sense at these rates.

 

What bugs me most about AAF is that its parent, FECRR, refused to let Amtrak use its tracks for years (that's why to get from Jacksonville to Miami you had to go through Orlando, even if you didn't want to; similarly, to get to Atlanta from Orlando, you had to go via New Orleans because Southern Railway refused to allow Amtrak on its line through south Georgia in a fit of pique by their railway executives. Keep in mind, the railroads came into existence in the first place because of huge grants by government. Railroads stopped carrying passengers (they were almost always a loss leader but it was good PR for the railroads and initially helped them develop and sell the huge tracts of land given to them by government) with the demise of Penn Central due to gross mismanagement - that's how Amtrak was born. Now that they've decided they can make money (again with government largesse via federal loans and donation of publicly-owned rights of way), we're just supposed to magically assume all is well and say, "Yes, sir, please, may I have some more?" It would be comical if it weren't so sad. 

Edited by spenser1058
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Out of curiosity  where did the $100 number come from? All I've heard in the past is it will be "less then $100" from Miami to Orlando. As mentioned, AAA estimates driving that trip at costing $136 via car, but obviously you can put multiple people in a car.

 

This is interesting: the link I posted above from the Sentinel article which originally noted the $~100 fare and its companion piece in the Sun-Sentinel (they share stories both being owned by Tribune) and a link to FDOT's estimate on how much the line would pull in from fares all seemed to be disconnected from their original info. I'm still trying to find a valid link again - I refuse to be a conspiracy theorist!

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Here we go:

 

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-12-14/news/os-miami-orlando-train-20121214_1_track-work-train-state-and-authority

 

"All Aboard Florida is meant to compete with airlines flying between Orlando and South Florida. The train trip — with a fare of about $100 each way — would take about three hours, as opposed to four hours bycaricon1.png. Top speed could be 125 mph."

 

BTW this didn't pop up in a Bing search but it did in Google - take that, Bill Gates!  :dontknow:

Edited by spenser1058
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To be clear, AAF has basically never given out the number $100 one-way.  It's appeared in some news articles and it's generated a lot of discussion, but it really is meaningless.

 

So, to summarize, several of the major newspapers in Florida have used a figure and DOT has published a revenue stream projection based on a figure AAF never gave. Well, that makes me want to believe in the project!

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  • 5 months later...

Miami-Orlando train plans gain steam

 

Plans are to start construction between WPB and Miami by the end of this year, expected to launch by the end of 2015.

 

Does anyone know if this will be a high speed rail or just another redundant train? Because if someone wants to ride on a train, they can easily could book a reservation with Amtrack which has an estimated duration of 5.45 hrs - 7.5 hrs from Orlando to Miami. No bueno!

Edited by nite owℓ
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No and no.

It isn't technically high speed rail but the trip from Miami to Orlando, with stops in FTL and WPB is scheduled to be 3 hours.

The real difference between Amtrak and AAF, IMO, is that it's a route made for Floridians. Trains will run hourly. I'd love to take Amtrak more now but it's not worth taking a day off work or having to wait until Saturday to leave for the weekend.

Nothing redundant about it. Once they expand to Tampa/Jax maybe we can just end Amtrak service and give the check to AAF

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No and no.

It isn't technically high speed rail but the trip from Miami to Orlando, with stops in FTL and WPB is scheduled to be 3 hours.

The real difference between Amtrak and AAF, IMO, is that it's a route made for Floridians. Trains will run hourly. I'd love to take Amtrak more now but it's not worth taking a day off work or having to wait until Saturday to leave for the weekend.

Nothing redundant about it. Once they expand to Tampa/Jax maybe we can just end Amtrak service and give the check to AAF

 

I see, plus I hear Amtrack's service can be pretty unreliable due to break downs & poor rail maintenance. But I'm still curious, what's the incentive to choose AAF over driving? Currently one can drive to Miami in 3 hours (or less depending on the person) and have no need to seek out additional transportation upon arrival.

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With ticket prices supposedly around 100 bucks - it definitely won't be for everyone. Generally speaking, I'd take it if I was heading down alone, but once I add a 2nd person, carpooling wins every time.

The true cost of driving is over 50 cents a mile so for a 230 mile trip, it does save money to take the train. Though most people think only in terms of gas and tolls.

I think it will appeal to business travelers. If I was an employer, Id all but mandate my guys take the train to a meeting in Miami. The reimbursement would be just about the same, but I could expect an extra 6 hours of work from them versus paying them to drive.

It will also appeal to a certain segment of people here on vacation that want to get to another city without a car or flying. But again, if talking about a family of 4-5...I'm not sure how you could make that work financially unless they have kids rates, family packages or unless driving is simply not an option.

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The quickest you could get to Miami is 3.5 hours, but that doesn't include going through Miami.  Depending on where you're going, it can easily take 4 - 5 hours.

 

Personally, I would take the train just to avoid I-95, which usually tops lists of deadliest highways in the US (along with I-4). 

 

It's true, though, that they'll need to work on moving people around once they arrive.  Right now, MetroRail, MetroMover, buses, and the streetcar buses are doing an okay job, but there's always room for improvement.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Just saw a report on ch 9 that said this project is almost a go.

People who now drive from Central to South Florida could within two years hop on a train for a three-hour trip instead, thanks to deals being reached this week.

Owned by Florida East Coast Industries of Coral Gables, All Aboard Florida is planning depots at Orlando International Airport, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. The trains would run on a 230-mile route.

Its customers are expected to be business travelers and tourists. A one-way ticket could cost about $100.

Construction could start next year on the privately financed, $1.5 billion project because the agreements provide a place for the train at OIA, as well as right of way along the BeachLine Expressway for tracks to the airport.

A sister company of All Aboard Florida, Florida East Coast Railway, already owns about 200 miles of track from Miami to Cocoa.

The pact approved Wednesday calls for the Orlando airport to seek a $200 million grant from the state to pay for a station about a mile south of the main terminal.

The agreement with the Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority is scheduled to come up for a vote during a board meeting Thursday.

Authority Chairman Walter Ketcham said he anticipates his board will vote in favor of the agreement.

"I'm not aware of any issues. I think it's met with open arms," Ketcham said.

http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#story/os-train-airport-deal-20131003/

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