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European and Asian DMUs would not be able to be used. They would likely not be, anyways, because of the requirements of having to be built in America anyways. However, several companies, including Rotem and Talgo, have expressed that they are ready to offer a DMU that will meet FRA compatible standards IF they get a big enough order for them. While Florida will likely not be big enough, if they can partner with several other states, they could put together a big enough order to get things started. There is another issue as well - regulations in the US require such frequent overhauls of locomotives that they make DMUs somewhat ineffective.

Hopefully, though, we can get enough of these smaller projects going at once with this new stimulus, and hopefully it will have enough momentum to not only get a manufacturer to build a FRA compatible DMU, but also to get teh FRA to start focusing a little less on freight rail union protection and a little more on efficient passenger operations.

Funny we're discussing this in a state that doesn't deem it necessary to inspect cars....ever.

Anyway, we could use locomotive pulled trains of course, but it wouldn't make much sense I suppose.

Edited by neon9
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Instead of everyone complaining about it here amongst ourselves, why not send them an email & tell them how lame their website graphics are. I did that with WFTV about that lame, outdated old pic they use as a backdrop on the news, but apparently they didn't care about my opinion because the same old photo is still there.

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Instead of everyone complaining about it here amongst ourselves, why not send them an email & tell them how lame their website graphics are. I did that with WFTV about that lame, outdated old pic they use as a backdrop on the news, but apparently they didn't care about my opinion because the same old photo is still there.

I thought I was the only one that did stuff like that, I guess that makes two of us they don't care about!

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  • 3 weeks later...
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OK, not a CR question. This is about HSR and the $8 B Stimulus. How much would a line from Orlando to Tampa cost? Florida gets what? A few hundred Mil? My guess is that our share wouldn't cover much more than a study or two. How does that money get leveraged?

I think we could be eligible for up to 2 billion. A rough estimate for construction costs is 20 million per mile. The good thing is, all the studies here have already been done (or at least most of them).

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Since this is all going on existing track, is there a reason the State couldn't lease other existing track from Florida Central Railroad and add a couple Western spurs, one from Downtown serving College Park, the Silver Star area, Apopka, Plymoth, Zellowwd, Tavares & Eustis/Umatilla, and another from Downtown to College Park, Ocoee and Winter Garden?

As far as track layout goes, I think CSS would be the easy solution for downtown terminus, but LCS would be better to encourage intermodality.

Does anyone know if this has been considered, and what some pros/cons of it would be? The existing plan is solid, but the areas are already prettymuch served by I-4. With this other extension, getting to downtown from Lake and western Orange would be considerably more convienent. Are these lines still operable? Have they been abandoned/paved?

I would like to hear everyone's thoughts on this...

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Since this is all going on existing track, is there a reason the State couldn't lease other existing track from Florida Central Railroad and add a couple Western spurs, one from Downtown serving College Park, the Silver Star area, Apopka, Plymoth, Zellowwd, Tavares & Eustis/Umatilla, and another from Downtown to College Park, Ocoee and Winter Garden?

As far as track layout goes, I think CSS would be the easy solution for downtown terminus, but LCS would be better to encourage intermodality.

Does anyone know if this has been considered, and what some pros/cons of it would be? The existing plan is solid, but the areas are already prettymuch served by I-4. With this other extension, getting to downtown from Lake and western Orange would be considerably more convienent. Are these lines still operable? Have they been abandoned/paved?

I would like to hear everyone's thoughts on this...

The run up to Lake County has always been one of the long-term thoughts for commuter rail, but it's all about the $$$$. DOT badly wants commuter rail along I4 to take cars off the road when the major reconstruction of I4 begins in a few years.

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Since this is all going on existing track, is there a reason the State couldn't lease other existing track from Florida Central Railroad and add a couple Western spurs, one from Downtown serving College Park, the Silver Star area, Apopka, Plymoth, Zellowwd, Tavares & Eustis/Umatilla, and another from Downtown to College Park, Ocoee and Winter Garden?

As far as track layout goes, I think CSS would be the easy solution for downtown terminus, but LCS would be better to encourage intermodality.

Does anyone know if this has been considered, and what some pros/cons of it would be? The existing plan is solid, but the areas are already prettymuch served by I-4. With this other extension, getting to downtown from Lake and western Orange would be considerably more convienent. Are these lines still operable? Have they been abandoned/paved?

I would like to hear everyone's thoughts on this...

That spur that runs throough Parramore to Lake County still exists....the line that connects to that one and used to run into maitland and then into Altamonte has been shut down for some time. I think the final nail in the coffin for that line was the 414 extension.

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Since this is all going on existing track, is there a reason the State couldn't lease other existing track from Florida Central Railroad and add a couple Western spurs, one from Downtown serving College Park, the Silver Star area, Apopka, Plymoth, Zellowwd, Tavares & Eustis/Umatilla, and another from Downtown to College Park, Ocoee and Winter Garden?

As far as track layout goes, I think CSS would be the easy solution for downtown terminus, but LCS would be better to encourage intermodality.

Does anyone know if this has been considered, and what some pros/cons of it would be? The existing plan is solid, but the areas are already prettymuch served by I-4. With this other extension, getting to downtown from Lake and western Orange would be considerably more convienent. Are these lines still operable? Have they been abandoned/paved?

I would like to hear everyone's thoughts on this...

Since the commuter rail makes stops at both CSS and LCS both are served. LCS for intermodal CSS for events at the events center and DPAC. I know they have used the western spur up through Umatilla in the past.

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I just heard on the news a day or so ago that even though Siplin was going to vote against it, it would make no difference.

... it would make no difference in that it would still pass w/o his vote, or that it would still get shot down notwithstanding his vote?

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I don't think the 414 extension has closed the rail line that runs from 441 southwest to Ocoee & Winter Garden, because there are still active rail customers in that area. But the tracks seem to end around downtown Winter Garden, where the corridor becomes a road and eventually the West Orange Trail out toward the Turnpike. http://parks.orangecountyfl.net/images/maps/WOT_TrailMap.pdf

In my opinion, if this corridor were ever to be considered for commuter rail, I think it would need to connect all the way to the population center in Minneola and Clermont at least.

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