Interesting website with numbers, FY 2002 numbers
http://www.floridahighspeedrail.org
After doing the math, Flordia intends to build high speed rail between Tampa and Orlando at $12 million per mile, with electricfied double track at $15 million per mile. They have broken down the infrastructure to types of real estate, bridges, type of crossovers, type of trainsets, signals, grades, flyovers and viaducts, maintenance failities, even the chain link fence, etc., etc.
I suggest anyone interested in high speed rail read the entire website.
It looks good, but why stop there? Why not go all the way up the East Coast with high speed rail! A high speed rail line from New York to Florida, I believe would, make money given time.
TIM A
Yes, stretch that Acela all the way down to Miami, west to Chicago, down to Texas, and east to Florida… We could get rid of the slow trains after building these 4,000 miles, and why stop there, keep building on to Minneapolis, Denver, Toronto, Montreal, crisscross the first large box and eventfully run a line to California!
Somebody better tell Disney, because they have told the FL high speed rail commission that the train HAS to run from the Orlando airport to Disney non-stop, skipping the Orlando convention center, a destination itself, or Disney will not grant rights across their land, and will fight all attempts to change it. They dont want any possible “leakege” of passengers between the airport and Disney to other entertainment in Orlando. Real corporate greed and arrogance if you ask me. They own 50% of Orange county already.
This is not going to be a slow commuter line, it is supposed to be a high speed rail line. Having read the web site there are going to be one stop eventfully in downtown Saint Petersburg, one stop in downtown Tampa, one stop at Tampa’s airport, one stop in Lakeland (midway), one stop at Walt Disney World, one stop at Orlando’s airport, and one stop in downtown Orlando. Frankly, that is almost too many already.
…If a route has to pass through Disney, what about eminent domain…? Can’t that apply.
QM