Florida High Speed Rail
Encyclopedia
Florida High Speed Rail was a proposed high-speed rail
project in the U.S.
state of Florida
. Initial service would have run between the cities of Tampa
and Orlando
, with plans to then extend service to South Florida
, terminating in Miami
. Trains with a top speed of 168 mph (270.4 km/h) to 186 mph (299.3 km/h) would have run on dedicated rail lines alongside the state's existing highway network. Construction of the line was slated to begin in 2011, with the initial Tampa-Orlando phase completed by 2014.
On February 16, 2011, Florida Governor Rick Scott formally announced that he would be rejecting federal funds to construct the high-speed railway, thereby killing the Florida High Speed Rail project. Governor Scott's reasoning behind cancelling the project was that it would be "far too costly to taxpayers" and that "the risk far outweigh[ed] the benefits".
mandating the state establish a system of high speed trains exceeding 120 mph to link its five largest urban areas, with construction to commence by November 1, 2003. The Florida Legislature
enacted the Florida High Speed Rail Authority Act in March 2001, creating the Florida High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA). The HSRA established a Vision Plan for the system which proposed construction in several phases. Preliminary assessments and environmental studies were begun to develop an initial phase of the system between Orlando and Tampa.
The first phase, planned for completion in 2009 under the original referendum, would have connected Orlando
to Tampa
(Phase 1, Part 1), with a later extension to St. Petersburg
(Phase 1, Part 2). Later phases might have extended the network to Miami
, Fort Myers
, Jacksonville
, Tallahassee
and Pensacola
.
The Florida HSRA issued a Request for Proposal
to Design, Build, Operate, Maintain and Finance (DBOM&F) the Orlando to Tampa Phase In October 2002. Two of the four received in February 2003 were reviewed further, one from a consortium of Fluor Corp. and Bombardier Transportation
and one from Global Rail Consortium. The proposals showed cost of the Orlando-Tampa route to be approximately $2.4 billion. Both proposals offered private equity contributions to support operations of the system and show willingness of the private sector to share risk associated with projected ridership revenues. In June 2003 Florida Governor Jeb Bush
vetoed funding for the project that the Florida Legislature had approved. The HSRA continued moving forward with the project, using funds already authorized by the federal government, and in October 2003 ranked the Fluor Bombardier proposal first.
In early 2004, Governor Jeb Bush endorsed an effort to repeal the 2000 amendment that mandated the construction of the High Speed Rail System. On October 27, 2004, the authority voted to prefer the consortium of Fluor Corp. and Bombardier Transportation
to build and operate the system, using Bombardier's JetTrain
technology. However a month later in November, Florida voters repealed the 2000 amendment, removing the constitutional mandate for the system. Although the amendment was repealed, no action was taken by the state legislature in regard to the Florida High Speed Rail Authority Act. With the law still in effect, Florida's HSRA continued to meet, and completed the environmental impact statement
for the Tampa-Orlando segment in 2005. With the constitutional mandate gone, however, funding for the project came to a halt and very little action was taken over the next several years.
designated $8 billion for the development of a high-speed intercity passenger rail system. The Federal Railroad Administration
named Florida one of ten high speed rail corridors potentially eligible for the federal funding. The HSRA met on February 26, 2009 to begin planning their application for these funds. Due to the passage of time, potential legal issues, and new federal funding criteria rendering the earlier bids from 2003 inapplicable, the decision was made in May 2009 that a new bidding process would be necessary. A first round application was submitted in August 2009 for $30 million to conduct a two year environmental study on the Orlando-Miami route. In October 2009, the authority submitted an application during the second round for the entire Tampa - Orlando - Miami corridor, broken into two components: Orlando-Tampa and Orlando-Miami. Connect Us, a political action committee
, was launched on August 18, 2009 to rally public support for these applications.
On December 16, the Florida Legislature passed a bill authorizing FDOT move forward with the purchase from CSX of the Central Florida Rail Corridor for the SunRail
commuter rail project, and providing much needed additional funding for South Florida's Tri-Rail
commuter rail system. Funding of these initiatives was vital to the state's hopes to win federal HSR funding, as it showed the state of Florida was committed to creating a comprehensive rail network allowing connectivity between high speed rail and local mass transit systems. The legislation also replaced the Florida High Speed Rail Authority with the Florida Rail Enterprise, a new agency created under the FDOT, responsible for construction, maintenance, and promotion of the state's high-speed rail system, as well as development and operation of publicly funded passenger rail systems in general.
On January 28, 2010, the White House announced that Florida would receive $1.25 billion of its request, about half of the cost of the Tampa-Orlando segment. The state's efforts towards high speed rail between 2000 and 2005 put Florida ahead of the field in terms of the level of planning already completed, and this proved to be a major factor in winning the funds. The preservation of the I-4 corridor by the FDOT, and completion of the environmental impact studies in 2005 meant that the project could have proceeded to construction in a very short time frame for a relatively affordable cost. In March 2010 the Florida Rail Enterprise was still seeking to refine cost estimates based on advanced engineering, finish development of possible Early Works (Install permanent barrier systems along most of I-4 and remove/relocate elements in median) and contract for bid in 2010 and finally initiate a new bid procurement process specific to the Tampa to Orlando phase. In June 2010, the Federal Railroad Administration issued its record of final decision, the final stage of approval for the design, purchase of land and construction of phase one. Tendering was thus able to begin. In October 2010, Florida received $800 million more towards construction from the FY 2010 High Speed Rail allocations.
In December 2010 the US Department of Transportation redistributed approximately $1.2 billion in HSR funds that had been rejected by governors elect in Wisconsin and Ohio. Florida was projected to receive as much as $342.3 million of the reallocated rail funds which would have closed the gap of the entire projected cost of project. Construction of the line was to begin in 2011, with the initial phase completed by 2014.
(which has been and is being widened by several road construction projects) were dropped from consideration; alternates used the CSX tracks to the south of I-4. Stations would have been provided at downtown Tampa
, northern Lakeland
, Walt Disney World, possibly at the Orange County Convention Center
(see below), and at Orlando International Airport
.
area. One would have split from I-4
at the interchange with SR 536, World Center Drive, and run east along SR 536 and SR 417, the Central Florida GreeneWay, to the south entrance to Orlando International Airport
, from which it would head north to end at the planned South Terminal. The other route would continue along I-4
to SR 528, the Beachline Expressway, with an extra stop at the Orange County Convention Center
and International Drive
, and then run east along SR 528 and a new right-of-way east and southeast to the south entrance of the airport.
The Walt Disney Company initially announced that if the SR 417 route was built, they would direct tourists to take the train from the airport to Walt Disney World. They would keep busing tourists if the SR 528 route was built. The SR 417 route was initially selected by a 7-1 vote on October 27, 2004. However in November 2004 the Florida High Speed Rail Authority dropped the SR 417 from consideration and selected the SR 528 route due to a lack satisfactory progress on the agreements with The Walt Disney Company and Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority.
was planned to be the Orlando terminus of the initial Orlando-Tampa route. The airport had already invested considerably to accommodate the station, such as the extra length of the taxiway bridge over the southern access road. This station would have provided access for airport passengers and for Orlando's LYNX
local bus service.
is the second largest in the United States, located on International Drive
, a major tourist strip connecting SeaWorld Orlando
and Universal Orlando Resort
. The planned intermodal station here would have also provided access to Orlando's LYNX
local bus service, and to International Drive
's I-Ride trolley.
bus system.
. The top choice was near USF Polytechnic followed by a location near Kathleen Road.
had been cleared for a multi-modal station at the terminus of the route. The station would have been located next to the Marion Transit Center, the main hub of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit system. A connection to Tampa International Airport
was also being considered
-Miami link. As of the Regional Rail Briefing in Lakeland, Florida
on March 24, 2010, two routes were under consideration. One route followed SR 528 past the Orlando International Airport
toward Cape Canaveral
, before joining and following Interstate 95
down to Miami. The other route traveled south along Florida's Turnpike
to Miami. The environmental impact study for the corridor began in 2010 and would have taken approximately two years to complete.
High-speed rail in the United States
High-speed rail in the United States currently consists of one high-speed rail service: Amtrak's Acela Express runs on the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C...
project in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Initial service would have run between the cities of Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
and Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, with plans to then extend service to South Florida
South Florida metropolitan area
The South Florida metropolitan area, also known as the Miami metropolitan area, and designated the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area by the U.S...
, terminating in Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. Trains with a top speed of 168 mph (270.4 km/h) to 186 mph (299.3 km/h) would have run on dedicated rail lines alongside the state's existing highway network. Construction of the line was slated to begin in 2011, with the initial Tampa-Orlando phase completed by 2014.
On February 16, 2011, Florida Governor Rick Scott formally announced that he would be rejecting federal funds to construct the high-speed railway, thereby killing the Florida High Speed Rail project. Governor Scott's reasoning behind cancelling the project was that it would be "far too costly to taxpayers" and that "the risk far outweigh[ed] the benefits".
Original referendum
In November 2000, Florida voters approved an amendment to Florida's constitutionFlorida Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Florida is the document that establishes and describes the duties, powers, structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of Florida, and establishes the basic law of the state....
mandating the state establish a system of high speed trains exceeding 120 mph to link its five largest urban areas, with construction to commence by November 1, 2003. The Florida Legislature
Florida Legislature
The Florida State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Florida Constitution states that "The legislative power of the state shall be vested in a legislature of the State of Florida," composed of a Senate...
enacted the Florida High Speed Rail Authority Act in March 2001, creating the Florida High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA). The HSRA established a Vision Plan for the system which proposed construction in several phases. Preliminary assessments and environmental studies were begun to develop an initial phase of the system between Orlando and Tampa.
The first phase, planned for completion in 2009 under the original referendum, would have connected Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
to Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
(Phase 1, Part 1), with a later extension to St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
(Phase 1, Part 2). Later phases might have extended the network to Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, Fort Myers
Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers is the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. Its population was 62,298 in the 2010 census, a 29.23 percent increase over the 2000 figure....
, Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Tallahassee
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
and Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
.
The Florida HSRA issued a Request for Proposal
Request for Proposal
A request for proposal is issued at an early stage in a procurement process, where an invitation is presented for suppliers, often through a bidding process, to submit a proposal on a specific commodity or service. The RFP process brings structure to the procurement decision and is meant to...
to Design, Build, Operate, Maintain and Finance (DBOM&F) the Orlando to Tampa Phase In October 2002. Two of the four received in February 2003 were reviewed further, one from a consortium of Fluor Corp. and Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
and one from Global Rail Consortium. The proposals showed cost of the Orlando-Tampa route to be approximately $2.4 billion. Both proposals offered private equity contributions to support operations of the system and show willingness of the private sector to share risk associated with projected ridership revenues. In June 2003 Florida Governor Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
vetoed funding for the project that the Florida Legislature had approved. The HSRA continued moving forward with the project, using funds already authorized by the federal government, and in October 2003 ranked the Fluor Bombardier proposal first.
In early 2004, Governor Jeb Bush endorsed an effort to repeal the 2000 amendment that mandated the construction of the High Speed Rail System. On October 27, 2004, the authority voted to prefer the consortium of Fluor Corp. and Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
to build and operate the system, using Bombardier's JetTrain
JetTrain
The JetTrain is a Canadian experimental high-speed passenger train created by Bombardier Transportation in an attempt to make European-style high-speed service more financially appealing to passenger railways in North America. It uses the same LRC-derived tilting carriages as the Acela Express...
technology. However a month later in November, Florida voters repealed the 2000 amendment, removing the constitutional mandate for the system. Although the amendment was repealed, no action was taken by the state legislature in regard to the Florida High Speed Rail Authority Act. With the law still in effect, Florida's HSRA continued to meet, and completed the environmental impact statement
Environmental impact statement
An environmental impact statement , under United States environmental law, is a document required by the National Environmental Policy Act for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An EIS is a tool for decision making...
for the Tampa-Orlando segment in 2005. With the constitutional mandate gone, however, funding for the project came to a halt and very little action was taken over the next several years.
Plans revived in 2009
Passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
designated $8 billion for the development of a high-speed intercity passenger rail system. The Federal Railroad Administration
Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation. The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966...
named Florida one of ten high speed rail corridors potentially eligible for the federal funding. The HSRA met on February 26, 2009 to begin planning their application for these funds. Due to the passage of time, potential legal issues, and new federal funding criteria rendering the earlier bids from 2003 inapplicable, the decision was made in May 2009 that a new bidding process would be necessary. A first round application was submitted in August 2009 for $30 million to conduct a two year environmental study on the Orlando-Miami route. In October 2009, the authority submitted an application during the second round for the entire Tampa - Orlando - Miami corridor, broken into two components: Orlando-Tampa and Orlando-Miami. Connect Us, a political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
, was launched on August 18, 2009 to rally public support for these applications.
On December 16, the Florida Legislature passed a bill authorizing FDOT move forward with the purchase from CSX of the Central Florida Rail Corridor for the SunRail
SunRail
SunRail is a planned commuter rail system in the greater Orlando, Florida area, linking Poinciana to DeLand through Downtown Orlando...
commuter rail project, and providing much needed additional funding for South Florida's Tri-Rail
Tri-Rail
Tri-Rail is a commuter rail line linking Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, Florida, United States. It is run by the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority. The system has 18 stations along the South Florida coast...
commuter rail system. Funding of these initiatives was vital to the state's hopes to win federal HSR funding, as it showed the state of Florida was committed to creating a comprehensive rail network allowing connectivity between high speed rail and local mass transit systems. The legislation also replaced the Florida High Speed Rail Authority with the Florida Rail Enterprise, a new agency created under the FDOT, responsible for construction, maintenance, and promotion of the state's high-speed rail system, as well as development and operation of publicly funded passenger rail systems in general.
On January 28, 2010, the White House announced that Florida would receive $1.25 billion of its request, about half of the cost of the Tampa-Orlando segment. The state's efforts towards high speed rail between 2000 and 2005 put Florida ahead of the field in terms of the level of planning already completed, and this proved to be a major factor in winning the funds. The preservation of the I-4 corridor by the FDOT, and completion of the environmental impact studies in 2005 meant that the project could have proceeded to construction in a very short time frame for a relatively affordable cost. In March 2010 the Florida Rail Enterprise was still seeking to refine cost estimates based on advanced engineering, finish development of possible Early Works (Install permanent barrier systems along most of I-4 and remove/relocate elements in median) and contract for bid in 2010 and finally initiate a new bid procurement process specific to the Tampa to Orlando phase. In June 2010, the Federal Railroad Administration issued its record of final decision, the final stage of approval for the design, purchase of land and construction of phase one. Tendering was thus able to begin. In October 2010, Florida received $800 million more towards construction from the FY 2010 High Speed Rail allocations.
In December 2010 the US Department of Transportation redistributed approximately $1.2 billion in HSR funds that had been rejected by governors elect in Wisconsin and Ohio. Florida was projected to receive as much as $342.3 million of the reallocated rail funds which would have closed the gap of the entire projected cost of project. Construction of the line was to begin in 2011, with the initial phase completed by 2014.
Cancellation
On February 16, 2011, Governor Rick Scott formally announced that he would be rejecting federal funds to construct the project, attempting to kill Florida High Speed Rail. However, on March 4, 2011, the Florida Supreme Court unanimously turned down the request of two state senators to force Scott to accept the federal funding for the project. Shortly thereafter, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that he would be redirecting the funds intended for Florida to other states and on May 9, awarded $2.02 billion to 22 projects in 15 states.Construction
In July 2010, the Florida Department of Transportation began geotechnical sampling along the Orlando-Tampa corridor. The soil would have been tested every 200 feet (61 m) along the route to check soil conditions and allow proper foundation planning, had the project not been cancelled.Phase 1: Tampa to Orlando route
In early planning stages, all routes but the one along the median of Interstate 4Interstate 4
Interstate 4 is a intrastate Highway located entirely within the state of Florida, United States. It goes from Interstate 275 in Tampa, Florida to Interstate 95 at Daytona Beach, Florida . It also has the Florida Department of Transportation designation of State Road 400, but only a small...
(which has been and is being widened by several road construction projects) were dropped from consideration; alternates used the CSX tracks to the south of I-4. Stations would have been provided at downtown Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, northern Lakeland
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
, Walt Disney World, possibly at the Orange County Convention Center
Orange County Convention Center
The Orange County Convention Center is the primary public convention center for the Central Florida region. The center currently ranks as the second largest convention center in the United States . The OCCC offers of total space, of which is exhibit space...
(see below), and at Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
.
Orlando area route selection
Two routes were considered in the OrlandoOrlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
area. One would have split from I-4
Interstate 4
Interstate 4 is a intrastate Highway located entirely within the state of Florida, United States. It goes from Interstate 275 in Tampa, Florida to Interstate 95 at Daytona Beach, Florida . It also has the Florida Department of Transportation designation of State Road 400, but only a small...
at the interchange with SR 536, World Center Drive, and run east along SR 536 and SR 417, the Central Florida GreeneWay, to the south entrance to Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
, from which it would head north to end at the planned South Terminal. The other route would continue along I-4
Interstate 4
Interstate 4 is a intrastate Highway located entirely within the state of Florida, United States. It goes from Interstate 275 in Tampa, Florida to Interstate 95 at Daytona Beach, Florida . It also has the Florida Department of Transportation designation of State Road 400, but only a small...
to SR 528, the Beachline Expressway, with an extra stop at the Orange County Convention Center
Orange County Convention Center
The Orange County Convention Center is the primary public convention center for the Central Florida region. The center currently ranks as the second largest convention center in the United States . The OCCC offers of total space, of which is exhibit space...
and International Drive
International Drive
International Drive is the main tourist strip of Orlando, Florida, located several miles southwest of proper Downtown Orlando in the southernmost limits of the city...
, and then run east along SR 528 and a new right-of-way east and southeast to the south entrance of the airport.
The Walt Disney Company initially announced that if the SR 417 route was built, they would direct tourists to take the train from the airport to Walt Disney World. They would keep busing tourists if the SR 528 route was built. The SR 417 route was initially selected by a 7-1 vote on October 27, 2004. However in November 2004 the Florida High Speed Rail Authority dropped the SR 417 from consideration and selected the SR 528 route due to a lack satisfactory progress on the agreements with The Walt Disney Company and Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority.
Journey times
The trains would have been capable of reaching speeds of "168 miles per hour (75.1 m/s)" but due to the number of proposed stations, a "bullet train would beat a car by only 30 minutes." Proposed journey times for some routes| Route | Distance (miles) | Distance (km) | Current Avg. Travel Time (2000 Uncongested) | Current Avg. Travel Time (2000 Congested) | Proposed Avg. Travel Time High Speed Rail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convention Center – Orlando Airport | 11 Miles | 18 km | 16 minutes | 21 minutes | 11 minutes |
| Disney – Orlando Airport | 19 Miles | 30 km | 25 minutes | 34 minutes | 21 minutes |
| Downtown Tampa – Orlando Airport | 84 Miles | 135 km | 1 hours 22 minutes | 1 hour 31 minutes | 1 hour 4 minutes |
| Lakeland – Downtown Tampa | 31 Miles | 50 km | 39 minutes | 40 minutes | 22 minutes |
Orlando International Airport
The Orlando International AirportOrlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
was planned to be the Orlando terminus of the initial Orlando-Tampa route. The airport had already invested considerably to accommodate the station, such as the extra length of the taxiway bridge over the southern access road. This station would have provided access for airport passengers and for Orlando's LYNX
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
local bus service.
Orange County Convention Center
The Orange County Convention CenterOrange County Convention Center
The Orange County Convention Center is the primary public convention center for the Central Florida region. The center currently ranks as the second largest convention center in the United States . The OCCC offers of total space, of which is exhibit space...
is the second largest in the United States, located on International Drive
International Drive
International Drive is the main tourist strip of Orlando, Florida, located several miles southwest of proper Downtown Orlando in the southernmost limits of the city...
, a major tourist strip connecting SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld Orlando is a theme park, and marine-life based zoological park, near Orlando, Florida. It is owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a subsidiary of The Blackstone Group...
and Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort is a theme park resort in Orlando, Florida. It is wholly owned by NBCUniversal and its affiliates. The resort consists of two theme parks , Universal CityWalk , and three Loews Hotels...
. The planned intermodal station here would have also provided access to Orlando's LYNX
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
local bus service, and to International Drive
International Drive
International Drive is the main tourist strip of Orlando, Florida, located several miles southwest of proper Downtown Orlando in the southernmost limits of the city...
's I-Ride trolley.
Disney World
Walt Disney World was planning to donate a site for the station, although the exact location was never determined. The station would have linked into the extensive Disney TransportDisney Transport
Disney Transport is the privately operated transportation system at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Most movements are made using buses that run along the resort's public roads maintained by the Reedy Creek Improvement District and private roads...
bus system.
Lakeland
Two locations were under consideration for a station near Lakeland, FloridaLakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
. The top choice was near USF Polytechnic followed by a location near Kathleen Road.
Tampa
A site in downtown TampaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
had been cleared for a multi-modal station at the terminus of the route. The station would have been located next to the Marion Transit Center, the main hub of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit system. A connection to Tampa International Airport
Tampa International Airport
Tampa International Airport is a major public airport located six nautical miles west of the central business district of Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. This airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority...
was also being considered
Phase 2: Orlando to Miami route
The second phase of the project would have been an OrlandoOrlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
-Miami link. As of the Regional Rail Briefing in Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
on March 24, 2010, two routes were under consideration. One route followed SR 528 past the Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
toward Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River.It is part of a region known as the...
, before joining and following Interstate 95
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
down to Miami. The other route traveled south along Florida's Turnpike
Florida's Turnpike
Florida's Turnpike , designated as the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, and originally known as the Sunshine State Parkway is a north–south toll road that runs through 11 counties in the Florida peninsula, from U.S...
to Miami. The environmental impact study for the corridor began in 2010 and would have taken approximately two years to complete.
See also
- High-speed rail in the United StatesHigh-speed rail in the United StatesHigh-speed rail in the United States currently consists of one high-speed rail service: Amtrak's Acela Express runs on the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C...
- Transportation in FloridaTransportation in FloridaThe State of Florida is served by a variety of transportation options, including Interstate Highways, United States and Florida State Roads, Amtrak and commuter rail services, scheduled passenger airline service and other airports, public transportation, and ports, in a number of the state's...
- Transportation in South FloridaTransportation in South FloridaThe Greater Miami area, comprising the three counties of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach, known collectively as South Florida, is home to a wide variety of public and private transportation systems, including heavy rail mass transit , commuter rail , light rail , highways, two major airports...
- SunRailSunRailSunRail is a planned commuter rail system in the greater Orlando, Florida area, linking Poinciana to DeLand through Downtown Orlando...
- Access to the Region's Core
External links
- Florida High Speed Rail
- Florida Corridor section of the Federal Railroad Administration website