SunRail

[Altimike]

Man, I really want the new Mag-Lev trains to make it to CFL. I'm sure someone must have already posted this, but if not here it is.

http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/fmaglev.htm

Edited December 9, 2007 by Altimike

[bic]

Man, I really want the new Mag-Lev trains to make it to CFL. I'm sure someone must have already posted this, but if not here it is.

http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/fmaglev.htm

Dude, that's like 7 years old.

[JRS1]

Dude, that's like 7 years old.

I think that's a thesis or something. why else would you build a $600M maglev line that's 20 miles long connecting Melbourne's airport to the Port?

BTW, good morning.

[Altimike]

I know it's old. I figured if I posted it here, someone would chime in on any REAL developments in the project. There is nothing on the web about it actually being underway, so my hope was that someone here would know about it. I hear the Maglev line in China can't even pay for itself though, so even if it were to come here, it wouldn't be very feasable, at least for a few decades.

[JRS1]

I know it's old. I figured if I posted it here, someone would chime in on any REAL developments in the project. There is nothing on the web about it actually being underway, so my hope was that someone here would know about it. I hear the Maglev line in China can't even pay for itself though, so even if it were to come here, it wouldn't be very feasable, at least for a few decades.

there was a line from OIA to the OCCC that they spoke of 15 years ago (I think a 12 mile long line); it was supposed to be an experiment line or something... but, experiments cost money.

the only type of rail line I foresee ever connecting Orlando to Port Canaveral is freight; but that probably won't happen now b/c the new fuel yard is going to connect to OIA via pipeline.

[orlandonative]

The 408 is really starting to look very nice. It seems that they are starting on both ends and meeting in the middle at the bridge. Should work out well, they seem be make making good progress on the work to prepare the bridge for more lanes. I caught a glimpse of the plan for the lake crossever. Seems they have stuck with the idea of using the suspenion bridge elements that we had previously sesen. It looked sharp.

[orlandonative]

^Oops, wrong thread.

[neon9]

I know it's old. I figured if I posted it here, someone would chime in on any REAL developments in the project. There is nothing on the web about it actually being underway, so my hope was that someone here would know about it. I hear the Maglev line in China can't even pay for itself though, so even if it were to come here, it wouldn't be very feasable, at least for a few decades.

Maglev in Germany (Munich)

All things considered, it makes more sense right now to just go with conventional fast (electric) trains, IMHO. If the maglev technology can be made much cheaper however, it will be German companies building the rail lines and cars in the future. If it can't be made cheaper I don't think we'll see the technology here or much of anywhere else. Lucky for the Germans, they make pretty good conventional trains also.

Meanwhile we lead the world in SUV cupholder technology

Edited December 10, 2007 by neon9

[i_cre8]

From the Sentinel:

MetroPlan calls for OCCC-OIA-Medical City rail route

MetroPlan Orlando is calling a rail route connecting the OCCC to OIA, then to Lake Nona's Medical City their next priority!

Woot!

[codypet]

From the Sentinel:

MetroPlan calls for OCCC-OIA-Medical City rail route

MetroPlan Orlando is calling a rail route connecting the OCCC to OIA, then to Lake Nona's Medical City their next priority!

Woot!

Where on Sand Lake would they put it? There's not even enough room to widen to 6 lanes.

[i_cre8]

Where on Sand Lake would they put it? There's not even enough room to widen to 6 lanes.

How exactly they'd make it happen, I'm not sure, but I'd guess they're looking at the proposed route (below) labeled "Alternative 6", which would connect into the Sand Lake/Orange Ave. intermodal center.

[bic]

Connecting MCO to I-Drive and downtown (via a commuter rail stop at the Sand Lake Intermodal station) with a single short rail line is a no-brainer.

I'm sure that when the station(s) open up at I-Drive, Universal and Disney will offer free shuttle services to whisk people away to their resort properties. Then, tourists will learn that they can visit Orlando without requiring a car to get from the airport to their hotel and from their hotel to the attractions and many rental cars (and bad drivers) will be taken off the streets of the city. This line will undoubtedly be a helluva lot more successful from a ridership standpoint than the commuter rail, seeing as that many of Orlando's visitors from abroad and up north are already accustomed to using mass transit (and might prefer hopping on a familiar train rather than driving on the wrong side of the road), whereas the Central Florida yocals will be more hesitant to abandon their cars for a train that only stops near where you want to go every 2 hours.

Then you add in how much more accessible downtown becomes with its new [nearly] direct links to MCO, Lake Nona, and I-Drive (and thereby Universal/Disney). With the new arena and PAC going up just a couple of blocks away from Church Street Station, that area is going to be jumping with activity day and night.

EDIT: Just wanted to note that the City of Orlando would also be pressured into beautifying the stretch of Sand Lake Road between the airport and John Young Parkway, seeing as it will be the first and last impressions of Orlando for many tourists in the future.

Edited December 12, 2007 by bic

[JRS1]

^^

that stretch between JYP and MCO has a few bridges and sucks; it's too industrial; don't know how much they can do to improve it.

CFRAIL-- is it really going to be 2 hrs between trains?

OCCC-MCO-Medical City: I think there's going to be a lot of Waterford Lakes area residents ticked off that they still have to make that commute with no alt. in sight while Burnham and the tourists get a train. I think more people will use the CFRAIL than we think will use it. driving from Deltona to downtown sucks, and FH South, Downtown, and ORHS make for a huge employment center.

[spenser1058]

EDIT: Just wanted to note that the City of Orlando would also be pressured into beautifying the stretch of Sand Lake Road between the airport and John Young Parkway, seeing as it will be the first and last impressions of Orlando for many tourists in the future.

I think most of the area along 482 to the west of the airport is in Orange County, not Orlando as noted in the map where the county is sort of tan and the city is more grayish.

[i_cre8]

I think most of the area along 482 to the west of the airport is in Orange County, not Orlando as noted in the map where the county is sort of tan and the city is more grayish.

You are correct that the majority of Sand Lake from John Young to the airport is in Orange County (rather than the city), but I think the tan in the map is only notating the rail study area, while the darker grayish area is simply notating airport property.

I just looked up on a GIS map, and the city limits seem to pick up in spots along the south side of the Beach Line where Sand Lake/McCoy passes under and becomes Boggy Creek. It doesn't fully become Orlando until Daetwayler and Tradeport.

The one caveat I can see is that the city of Belle Isle's limits span the north and south side of the Beach Line there where Sand Lake/McCoy passes under the BL. So, the rail would either have to go around those limits or pass through with their permission. Wasn't it them, along with Edgewater, who effectively killed the early '90s expressway connecting downtown with the airport?

[Migman]

Where on Sand Lake would they put it? There's not even enough room to widen to 6 lanes.

Can you say elevated light rail? I'm totally psyched about this new proposal. Hopefully they'll have the sense to extend it past Lake Nona through Waterford and right into UCF. They could add stops @ Lockmart and CF Research Park for added ridership. Would be a pretty sweet deal when complete.

[neon9]

^^

that stretch between JYP and MCO has a few bridges and sucks; it's too industrial; don't know how much they can do to improve it.

CFRAIL-- is it really going to be 2 hrs between trains?

I believe that is pretty much the plan. That's one reason why I do not like it. It's not the urban, hang out and shop for a while, have a few drinks at happy hour rail, it's pretty much just for commuters at this time...at this point I think serving downtown on Magic game nights would be a special schedule...

[JRS1]

I believe that is pretty much the plan. That's one reason why I do not like it. It's not the urban, hang out and shop for a while, have a few drinks at happy hour rail, it's pretty much just for commuters at this time...at this point I think serving downtown on Magic game nights would be a special schedule...

2 hrs? I was thinking something like 40 min. intervals initially (actually, that's 40 min. (X) 3). They'll probably get it going initially and feel the route out and then plan for more trains as ridership demand increases.

[sunshine]

The problem with the transportation project in this country is that they take too damn long time from propose to build it. 6 or 7 years of study is too long.

[FLheat]

The problem with the transportation project in this country is that they take too damn long time from propose to build it. 6 or 7 years of study is too long.

On WESH news last night, they had the commuter rail project going from OCCC to MCO up around the 417 to SFB Airport. Althought the MCO to SFB link would be nice to have and certainly a boost to SFB, are the economics there to support that link? Although they did not show stations I would at least hope this includes stops at UCF.

[JRS1]

what's SFB?

[neon9]

what's SFB?

Sanford Orlando Int'l.

[JRS1]

Sanford Orlando Int'l.

I thought that was OSI... so OSI is to SFB like OIA is to MCO...

[neon9]

I thought that was OSI... so OSI is to SFB like OIA is to MCO...

I understand that MCO is actually a relic of the days when it was a military base. Google Earth has some interesting trivia on it if you look around. McCoy airfield? There was a plane crash there at one time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_International_Airport

Wiki is great....

Edited December 14, 2007 by neon9

[slapdash09]

here's a question for y'all: what will determine when these commuter trains honk their horns? will they have to?

i live right along the orange ave-area rails (literally, about . . . 30 yards away), and i've noticed that the freight and amtrak trains usually honk their horns at about the same place--if they honk. (it seems to be hit or miss.) i've always been curious as to what signals the engineers to honk their horns. are there signs along the rails (perhaps before certain, high-trafficked intersections) that require it? and why don't some trains honk?

although my cat comes in off the balcony long before i even notice the slight rumble, i barely notice the trains or horns anymore (thank goodness for double-paned glass). yet i'm curious what kind of increased honking this will bring to the areas along the rails, or if commuter rails have a different protocol.

p.s. i bought this place watching the trains go by, and i am not complaining. i've loved trains since i took my first train ride as a kid from sanford to deland to visit the grandparents!