Jump to content

The Maglev Train [Proposed]

Ocityst

By Ocityst
in Orlando

Recommended Posts


  • Replies 153
  • Created
  • Last Reply
spenser1058 Gigalopolis

spenser1058

Posted
Posted

Seems to me that with SunRail, All Aboard Florida and the MagLev trainthere is a lot of redundancy. One only needs to look to the Bay Area to see multiple rail systems with poor connectivity to see what a missed opportunity this could be. I wonder why there isn't more centralized transporation planning coming from Tallahassee or 201 South Rosalind Avenue?

 

Easy answer - the GOP which controls FL government and the Orange County Commission loathe transit. It's actually rational for them to do it - with each passing year, Democrats become a more urban party while The Republicans are increasingly the party of rural and exurban America. SunRail exists because of Jeb's sweetheart deal with CSX; All Aboard Florida is a sweetheart deal for FECRR; Maglev has been a bad joke for 20 years. There are exceptions to this rule who have tried to make changes (John Mica, Lou Treadway, Paula Dockery, Glenda Hood) but all have diminishing influence as the Party lurches ever further to the right (note that all are out of government except Mica, who may be primaried in 2014).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
steve_o Whistle-Stop

steve_o

Posted
Posted

I can't understand why no one pressured AAF into extending service into downtown.  Extending Sunrail to the airport creates all kinds of complicated issues.

 

Because tourists do not come to Orlando to see downtown.  As much as this would be a massive win for a train to come downtown, the reality is that tourists come here to go to the parks.  The airport is a natural fit that takes advantage of already being a centralized hub.  Its too bad Orlando is built this way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
neoanderz Whistle-Stop

neoanderz

Posted
Posted

Seems to me that with SunRail, All Aboard Florida and the MagLev trainthere is a lot of redundancy. One only needs to look to the Bay Area to see multiple rail systems with poor connectivity to see what a missed opportunity this could be. I wonder why there isn't more centralized transporation planning coming from Tallahassee or 201 South Rosalind Avenue?

Tallahassee? You mean "that guy" who vetoed the ultimate high speed train is gonna make us a centralized train city?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...
jrs2 Metropolis

jrs2

Posted
Posted

Well, FDOT is supposed to award the contract for this project- the corridor, that is, in April or May of this year.  Remember the public posting where they opened it up for bidding a few months back? But there are two events during April and May, one of which is the award day.  So, that means, IMO, that AMT did fulfill what FDOT wanted from them a few months back, which was to prove that the vehicle could handle higher speed turns.  Otherwise, why allow the possibility they may be awarded the contract (unoless there is that contingency written into it)?

 

This is huge for Orlando if it happens.. Huge for the OCCC; huge for OIA; huge for Florida Mall; and huge for Sunrail so they don't have to dump $100M right now to direct connect to OIA (even though they may anyway in the future).  And, huge for FEC and the AAF train.

 

Hypothetically, think of how Orlando is progressing forward with this stuff at like Mach 2...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...
jrs2 Metropolis

jrs2

Posted
Posted

FDOT approved the American Maglev proposal:

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2014/05/fdot-oks-american-maglev-s-orlando-airport-to-i.html

If this gets built, this is HUGE for Orlando and for AAF, b/c it means that you can take the AAF train from the MIC and end up at I-Drive/OCCC (initially) and then perhaps WDW in later phases, as well as direct link to Sunrail via SLR if a direct link to OIA is never done.

This may also attract another (or the same) company to develop another feeder line to Sunrail in the future if public money isn't there.

I think first and foremost Sunrail will be the big winner here with direct rail connect to OIA- it will increase ridership.  I think if they do build a station at SLR, how it integrates with the Sunrail station will be very important.  This may be a major investment because I assume a Maglev station will be elevated at rail height with elevator and escalator and stair access in an enclosed or covered building which would have to be adjacent to the Sunrail platform.  Anyway...

I think the next big winner would be the OCCC, as it will be able to market direct rail connect to OIA to land more shows.  Exact location of this station would be very important.  I'm assuming it would be near I-Drive & 528- maybe they could place it directly on OCCC property and build a transit-oriented extension of the OCCC N/S Bldg or West Bldg.

Next, I-Drive will be a big winner as the Maglev line will further validate it as a destination in and of itself.

Orlando will be a big winner for so many reasons.  

Ultimately Florida as a whole will be the big winner because tourists will pencil the rail spine of Florida in as a potential hub of their tour route and plan their trips around it.

But first thing's first...they have to build it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tm68 Whistle-Stop

tm68

Posted
Posted

I am concerned how this project will connect with sunrail and am skeptical, only because we need an integrated rail/public transit network.

 

The airport -- i-drive leg might be the most profitable and highest passenger count segments in our rail network.  Don't we want these passengers riding Sunrail into downtown?  And wouldn't a direct International Drive -- Downtown Orlando connection serve downtown with the potential to bring hundreds of thousands of vi$itors downtown via a simple and direct line?

 

The private company needs to be watched closely by public interest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
neoanderz Whistle-Stop

neoanderz

Posted
Posted

Here are the project details since I didn't see all of them posted:

 

Phase 1:

- OIA to OCCC

- 30 minute trip

- $10 one-way

- train every 10 minutes

- operates 20 hours per day

- 365 days per year

- top speed 50 mph

 

Phase 2:

- OIA to Lake Nona

- 10 minute trip

- operating times same

- price??

 

Phase 3:

- Lake Nona to WDW

- 22 minute trip

- same operating times

- top speed 65 mph

- price??

 

For Phase 1, the Sand Lake station will be located directly above the SLR sunrail station.  All of the details of all phases including the exact locations of the tracks and stations are described here http://www.dot.state.fl.us/transit/pages/FinalAMTDocument.pdf

 

The $10 fare is mentioned here: http://www.businessinsider.com/r-orlando-to-get-nations-first-floating-magnetic-train-line-2014-20

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Pete C Whistle-Stop

Pete C

Posted
Posted

I wouldn't be surprised to see Harris Rosen and Disney try to kill this like hey did the old High Speed Rail to Tampa.

 

You sure about that? There was a stop right at Disney World planned for the high speed rail line to Tampa.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jrs2 Metropolis

jrs2

Posted
Posted

^^

WDW and HSR- The answer would lie with whether WDW owns their motor coaches or whether Mears does or in either case how much $$$ goes to WDW from motor coach ridership fares.

 

Also, I recall Mica slamming the HSR line to Tampa-only the portion from WDW to Tampa, not the portion from OIA to WDW, as being a "dog."  He tried to get them to build it in phases...smart.

 

^^

Maglev at SLR station-- directly above?  Hmmm.  That would work perfectly.  They would have to cut down a bunch of pine trees though for the easement.

 

^^

Rosen & Maglev and former HSR proposal:  Well, they can use county easement all the way to the OCCC and put a station next to the Hilton, or, on land between the Peabody (Hyatt) and N/S Bldg.  They just need to make sure they never have to cross over Rosen's property.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bungalower-MattBroffman Whistle-Stop

Bungalower-MattBroffman

Posted
Posted

Trying to get info around the SunRail station at Sand Lake Road (this story isn't that meaningful to people downtown unless SunRail is included). The private company said they would include a temporary station at Sand Lake SunRail if requested by FDOT. FDOT has not requested. We are trying to figure out why not....

 

"A temporary station will be provided if requested by the participating agencies near the intersection of SR-528 and Orange Ave., for integration with SunRail. Florida EMMI understands there are plans to extend SunRail to OIA in the future, perhaps by the end of 2017. EMMI agrees that a SunRail connection to OIA will provide the highest level of connectivity and transportation efficiency; however, if the extension of SunRail to OIA is not in the near-term FDOT plan, Florida EMMI has budgeted and will provide a temporary station as stated above."

 

Also FWIW Mears will be operating the Mag Lev train.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jrs2 Metropolis

jrs2

Posted
Posted

Trying to get info around the SunRail station at Sand Lake Road (this story isn't that meaningful to people downtown unless SunRail is included). The private company said they would include a temporary station at Sand Lake SunRail if requested by FDOT. FDOT has not requested. We are trying to figure out why not....

 

"A temporary station will be provided if requested by the participating agencies near the intersection of SR-528 and Orange Ave., for integration with SunRail. Florida EMMI understands there are plans to extend SunRail to OIA in the future, perhaps by the end of 2017. EMMI agrees that a SunRail connection to OIA will provide the highest level of connectivity and transportation efficiency; however, if the extension of SunRail to OIA is not in the near-term FDOT plan, Florida EMMI has budgeted and will provide a temporary station as stated above."

 

Also FWIW Mears will be operating the Mag Lev train.

OMG.  Mears will operate Maglev?  Figures.  Well, with that in mind, this thing will DEFINITELY get built.  Wow.  How did that marriage come about.  I think we all know the answer to that one.  Wow.  Mears.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
aent Burg

aent

Posted
Posted

why create a giant "C" shape when they can go from OCCC to Sea world to Premium and Disney?

I heard (no source, hearsay from a while ago) Disney didn't want it to be too easy to get off their property to the competition, but wouldn't mind some sort of rail system from the airport to their property. Keeping I-Drive and Disney on opposite ends of the track was important. Obviously from an actual ridership standpoint few are likely going to want to go from Disney/Gaylord Palms to Lake Nona as compared to every other stop on the system, so connecting the other side of the system and leaving off that connection would have made more sense, but not if DIsney wasn't on board with it then.

 

This train is designed for tourists. Thats why tickets are $10, thats why its feasible for it  to be privately funded. Parking at the convention center is $15/day. Disney is $17. I think Gaylord Palms is $15. Airport parking is even more. This is without gas/tolls/rentals.  And just because the rate is $10/trip (which I believe is supposed to cover the entire system, including the future phases), doesn't mean everyone will have to pay that rate. Disney may be able to offer their Magical Express service free over the system instead of with buses. And if Mears is operating Disney's buses and the maglev system, they may push Disney in that direction as I imagine there costs will be lower to put people on the train.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.