• Bringing back FEC passenger transport

  • Discussion relating to the FEC operations, past and present. Includes Brightline. Official web site can be found here: FECRWY.COM.
Discussion relating to the FEC operations, past and present. Includes Brightline. Official web site can be found here: FECRWY.COM.

Moderator: GOLDEN-ARM

  by Noel Weaver
 
Thanks for posting this one.
This is classic Florida, study, study and study some more all of which costs money.
It does not take a rocket scientist to know that at least one Amtrak train belongs on the Florida East Coast. Unfortunately
Florida has to spend lots of money on studies to find that out.
Noel Weaver
  by midrangeplanner
 
Agreed. The study part is tiring. Apparently, the Study Team has been asked about that and their answer is that there are numerous hoops to jump through in order for this project to remain eligible for Federal funding - and studying it thoroughly is supposedly accomplishing this. I am sure it will be asked again during the Public Workshops next month. Let's see if they offer a clue as to whether the Feds are sounding receptive towards this whole concept!
  by goodnightjohnwayne
 
Noel Weaver wrote: It does not take a rocket scientist to know that at least one Amtrak train belongs on the Florida East Coast. Unfortunately
Florida has to spend lots of money on studies to find that out.
I can agree that there should be an intrastate passenger service between Jacksonville and Miami over the FEC, something that was under serious consideration in the late 1990s. However, running Silver Service trains over the FEC would only cause delays to the FEC's own well run operations. I do think that one or two daily round trips between Jacksonville and Miami could be successfully integrated into the FEC's own traffic and would see substantial ridership.

However, expanding Tri-Rail is most definitely a mistake, since there are serious funding issues to begin with. It comes as no suprise that Tri-Rail's current route is less optimal than the FEC, but there again, CSX was willing to turn it over because it was less than optimal for freight service as well.

As far as I'm concerned, Florida residents should lobby against this particular proposal, as will almost certainly involve higher state and local taxes. More to the point, it is nothing more than an expansion, perhaps even a duplication, of current Tri-Rail service. Perhaps the only point of this effort is to gain a permanent funding base for Tri-Rail through tax increases, with the FEC commuter rail project being used as a justification.

This particular project would be a waste of local, state and federal funds.
  by Noel Weaver
 
I pretty much agree that commuter service on the Florida East Coast is not possible without a huge amount of funds and one
needs to ask where these funds would come from?
I also agree that a corridor type service on the FEC would be better than the Silver Meteor would be BUT this state is not
likely going to come up with any funds for any sort of intercity passenger service on any railroad anytime soon so moving
the Meteor to the FEC is probably the only alternative that is at all possible anytime soon.
What will actually happen here and when is anybody's guess. I would hope sooner rather than later but I wouldn't bet on
anything at this stage. Several cities along the FEC are already talking about building a passenger facility but no dirt has
been turned as yet and I doubt if any money has been found yet either. It is even possible that some rather large
communities will not be willing to come up with any funds and in that case the trains will probably just pass through without
stopping.
Only thing I can say is stay tuned.
Noel Weaver
  by KV1guy
 
Well glad to see the liability issue passed the FL Senate, taking this one step closer to reality. I just someone up top would wake up and realize that the Meteor is the train to split, not the Star.
  by freightguy
 
I saw that in Railway Age they want some service maybe eventually the Tri Rail and Amtrak shifting a train to that portion.
  by Noel Weaver
 
Nothing has happened in a while but apparently the subject of Amtrak on the FEC is not dead. Following is a link to an article in the Sun-Sentinel this morning, I hope something will happen soon but I have my doubts, probably just more talk.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-b ... 9698.story

Noel Weaver
  by D.Carleton
 
The question about Amtrak service was raised at the most recent Passenger Trains on Freight Railroads conference to the representative from FECI. Simply put the response was positively ambivalent. I don’t have the direct quote in front of me but the gist of their stance is “the ball is in their court.” They are neither encouraging nor discouraging Amtrak expansion but rather are focusing on their own passenger service.
  by KV1guy
 
Amtrak on FEC is dying. Last I heard is that the 118 million that was set aside waiting on a matching federal grant is fixing to be used elsewhere.