SunRail

[orlandonative]

O.K. so I just got off the train in Altamonte, its 106 degrees with humidity. I look to my left and threres Bubbalous (dont get me wrong I love good BBQ) and across the street there is a Rooms To Go outlet. What the hell am I supposed to do then? Wait for a bus, catch a cab?

With the exception of Downtown and Winter Park the other stations are useless. The only people that this benefits are those who live further north and work downtown. Thats it. We're just so friggin' happy to get anything that we are quick to settle.

Whatever. I would like to see what the cars are going to look like so if anyone is down there after 1:30pm please take a picture.

[mrh3]

Finally...

Jeb Bush to announce light rail

So, what does that mean, exactly?

[Magicfan95]

I've voice it in the past and I believe it now, Orlando currently is not a city with a central base of infrastructure. You have the areas to the north of the city, the areas downtown, and the areas by the attractions.

Building a GOOD light rail will be very very tough and cost upwards to a billion dollars. This is a decent temporary solution and it gets the project rolling for now.

I'm sure there will be more added via the airport, etc. later.

[JRS1]

this is exciting.

I agree with Orlandonative. THis system will primarily benefit Volusia County and the outlying areas' commuters whose destination is in and around DT, as north as WP (or Maitland if they get in on it). The Altamonte exit would be pretty much useless as a destination- but will be good for Casselberry/Altamonte commuters who work DT.

As for CSX-- I saw an article 2 weeks ago in OBJ that said they plan to dump $1B in a multimodal freight center near Winter Haven-- I bet you its off the rail line that will also handle the newly moved ORL CSX routed trains.

Having a train is big time no matter how you slice it. Unfortunately you won't see it at Uptown Altamonte. But you will will see it most everywhere else.

2 things regarding stations:

1. How will Sanford build up the existing station where the Amtrak autotrain currently is to accomodate CRail?

2. How will WInter Park change that crap station they have for Amtrak? This will be huge for WP and Maitland (if Maitland gets a station)

[orlandonative]

Dont forget Florida Hospital. I am sure the cost of a train ride to the emergency room is far less than that of an ambulance ride.

[mrh3]

I've voice it in the past and I believe it now, Orlando currently is not a city with a central base of infrastructure. You have the areas to the north of the city, the areas downtown, and the areas by the attractions.

Building a GOOD light rail will be very very tough and cost upwards to a billion dollars. This is a decent temporary solution and it gets the project rolling for now.

I'm sure there will be more added via the airport, etc. later.

I think that the Orlando area is finally making the right choices. Better late than never is the way to handle this. Also, remember that DART evolved well after Dallas was a sprawling (and still sprawling) metropolis, but its riderships are doing very well.

[JRS1]

Dont forget Florida Hospital. I am sure the cost of a train ride to the emergency room is far less than that of an ambulance ride.

FH will become a great stop also. Shoot, how about ORHS! That station will completely build up that area. It will really change things.

[VistaLakes01]

You mean the Altamonte station won't be in Uptown Altamonte? What a disappointment! I thought that and Park Ave would be the two best stops of all. When did Winter Park agree to take the train away from I-4. They were so adamantly opposed to a downtown stop in the past, I guess since it's the CSX line they don't have a choice. But it is exciting to the fact that this route pretty much follows the one I've been dreaming of since a kid. I hated the whole Airport to Disney/I-Drive thing. And remember the south leg was always going to be built first, as if residents were not to be involved in the whole thing. I think projects like this finally are starting to prove the point "For 30 years Orlando lived in the shadow of Disney, but Disney now lives in the shadow of this bustling 2,000,000 metro area of Orlando!"

[facilities man]

You mean the Altamonte station won't be in Uptown Altamonte? What a disappointment! I thought that and Park Ave would be the two best stops of all. When did Winter Park agree to take the train away from I-4. They were so adamantly opposed to a downtown stop in the past, I guess since it's the CSX line they don't have a choice. But it is exciting to the fact that this route pretty much follows the one I've been dreaming of since a kid. I hated the whole Airport to Disney/I-Drive thing. And remember the south leg was always going to be built first, as if residents were not to be involved in the whole thing. I think projects like this finally are starting to prove the point "For 30 years Orlando lived in the shadow of Disney, but Disney now lives in the shadow of this bustling 2,000,000 metro area of Orlando!"

Winter Park really doesn't have a chioce about where the trains go since the tracks are there. Altamonte Springs has a plan for a bus circulator like Lymo and can implement it when the ridership is there. The original bus circulator was supposed to be more between the Maitland Center area and the Uptown and mall area. With a train on the Eastern edge of Altamonte I could see a circulator with that being the Eastern edge of the route.

[sunshine]

Hopefully it is a double decker rail like Tri-Rail.

So, is the light rail going to run on the same track too?

About the station, I am sure local leaders know that they have to increase density in the area around the station, the problem is finding someone to invest and buy them.

[jnorlando]

Winter Park really doesn't have a chioce about where the trains go since the tracks are there. Altamonte Springs has a plan for a bus circulator like Lymo and can implement it when the ridership is there. The original bus circulator was supposed to be more between the Maitland Center area and the Uptown and mall area. With a train on the Eastern edge of Altamonte I could see a circulator with that being the Eastern edge of the route.

I've understood the circulation route to include maitland and eatonville as well. its a long shot, but my fingers are crossed that the city plans on developing a small leg to connect altamonte town center with the regan blvd stop

[bulldogger]

Winter Park really doesn't have a chioce about where the trains go since the tracks are there. Altamonte Springs has a plan for a bus circulator like Lymo and can implement it when the ridership is there. The original bus circulator was supposed to be more between the Maitland Center area and the Uptown and mall area. With a train on the Eastern edge of Altamonte I could see a circulator with that being the Eastern edge of the route.

Part of the plans for Winter Park are to specifically not have any buses attached to their rail station.

[mrh3]

Hopefully it is a double decker rail like Tri-Rail.

So, is the light rail going to run on the same track too?

About the station, I am sure local leaders know that they have to increase density in the area around the station, the problem is finding someone to invest and buy them.

I don't think that they'll find too much difficulty. Usually these projects are backed by some type of government financed incentive-at least initially. TOD's are the wave of the future and Orlando just got some good swells!

[bic]

O.K. so I just got off the train in Altamonte, its 106 degrees with humidity. I look to my left and threres Bubbalous (dont get me wrong I love good BBQ) and across the street there is a Rooms To Go outlet. What the hell am I supposed to do then? Wait for a bus, catch a cab?

With the exception of Downtown and Winter Park the other stations are useless. The only people that this benefits are those who live further north and work downtown. Thats it. We're just so friggin' happy to get anything that we are quick to settle.

Whatever. I would like to see what the cars are going to look like so if anyone is down there after 1:30pm please take a picture.

You will encounter this problem on most commuter rail lines once you get away from the main urban centers and begin to reach the latter stops on the line. Get off on the Long Island Railroad east of Queens and you'll likely find yourself around a low-density suburb or near a strip mall.

It is called commuter rail because carrying commuters is its primary purpose; commuters traveling into the city's core from the suburbs who would rather save time and be productive by using a train to bypass the city's clogged arteries. A huge component of commuter rail lines is having a park-and-ride lot at their stations, so many passengers actually have their own cars to use once they get back to their stop in the suburbs. For those without cars, buses will stop at the stations.

And let's not forget how much development will sprout up around the rail station, especially in places like Altamonte where there is already a sort of urban renewal taking place. Orlando is still an adolescent city (an infant compared to European cities), as is evident by the fact that it's 2006 and we're just now getting our first rail line. So many other cities have had commuter rail in place for decades and have had much more time to develop the density that Orlando lacks. The Long Island Railroad has been operating since 1834, Philly's SEPTA since 1965, Boston's MBTA since 1974, and even Miami's Tri-Rail has been operating for nearly 20 years.

By the way, there was a picture of the train car to be used on CFRail.com, even a shot of it on the existing CSX tracks from a test they conducted a little while back. I can't grab the picture anymore because the site is down for reconstruction, most likely because of this big new announcement.

[bic]

Hopefully it is a double decker rail like Tri-Rail.

So, is the light rail going to run on the same track too?

The test car that was placed on the CSX tracks a while back was indeed a double-decker.

Light rail would not run on the same tracks as commuter rail/freight trains.

[Dcfilmknight]

Looks like the deal for commuter rail in central florida was just made official!

Gov. Jeb Bush announced a nearly $491 million deal today that will bring commuter rail to Central Florida, capping a 20-year dream to relieve gridlock in one of the nation's most congested regions.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/...-home-headlines

[bic]

^ That's what the last two pages of discussion have been about.

[sunshine]

OK, now we have commuter rail, lets move on to Light Rails and monorails.

[mrh3]

OK, now we have commuter rail, lets move on to Light Rails and monorails.

Commuter rail/heavy rail could prove to be a better system for the region in the long run. Light Rail poses a different set of problems because there is no existing track system. I would, however, support a system that would remove Lymmo as a bus system, replace it with light rail, and expand it around the core of Orlando proper say from OBT in the West; Mills to the East; Florida Hospital in the North and ORHS in the South.

Edited August 2, 2006 by mrh3

[Dcfilmknight]

^ That's what the last two pages of discussion have been about.

You're absolutely right. Here are the details....

A light rail or monorail system does seem a lot sexier though....

[bic]

You're absolutely right. Here are the details....

I was just pointing out that you linked to the same article that was was linked to a page back.

[bulldogger]

I was just pointing out that you linked to the same article that was was linked to a page back.

Technically, the sentinel re-released the article after the governer spoke and changed the article to reflect that he just spoke as opposed to the earlier article stating that he would be speaking.

Not trying to take sides, just trying to clarify.

[bulldogger]

Here's some pics of the train in no particular order...

[gumpking1]

Here's some pics of the train in no particular order...

I like those cars they look nice on the inside too.

[bic]

Just change the color schemes and it works for me!