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Next phase of SunRail construction to begin in 2015
This is wonderful news. I just rode the whole existing route round trip and found it to be clean, efficient and passenger-friendly. This extension should make it a lot better in terms of people served.
I think these incremental increases to traditional train concepts are excellent. I am very dubious about super-hi-speed service (e.g. 200 mph). I think there are tremendous gains to be made by expanding traditional hi-speed service (less than 125 mph) and eliminating bottlenecks on existing lines.
Not everything is going to run at 200 mph and it doesn’t necessarily need to. There is a tremendous cost increase from providing good, frequent public transportation at 60 to 80 mph versus running 200 mph which cannot be done over existing right of ways and increases the cost of new construction at least 4-fold. Nothing wrong with basic commuter rail that provides decent service!!!