Passenger Trains > All Aboard Florida expanding to Jacksonville

Just found this: All Aboard Florida says as soon as it's up and running next year it will immediately start looking at Jacksonville on the north end of the Florida East Coast Railway and eventually Tampa, expanding westward from Orlando..

Many have criticized Florida Governor Rick Scott for turning down the Obama stimulus money to build the stand-alone "demonstrator" high speed project between Orlando and Tampa. Scott rightly said he was not afraid of the cost of building the project, but the ongoing cost of having to operate the project beyond the initial federal commitment. Turns out he was right; less than a decade after he turned down the money, a substantial private company will build the complete project at no cost to the government and operate it as a private enterprise.

Here's the story: http://ccrail.com/all-aboard-floridas-brightline-rail-service-may-extend-to-jacksonville/
 

I'm gonna get my Briteline pix right after it opens.  It could be disruptive to flights to/from MCO, FLL and MIA come to mind as alternatives. That remains to be seen, however. 

johnpage Wrote:
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> Scott rightly said he
> was not afraid of the cost of building the
> project, but the ongoing cost of having to operate
> the project beyond the initial federal commitment.
> Turns out he was right; less than a decade after
> he turned down the money, a substantial private
> company will build the complete project at no cost
> to the government and operate it as a private
> enterprise.

Why would Gov. Scott think that ongoing costs would be a problem, while the private enterprise does not?


 

Because the initial demonstrator project was a very short distance, between Orlando and Tampa, and had no connections to any other system. As we all know, "demonstrator" projects often end up being the full project, instead of just a portion of a larger project, and Governor Scott figured that out.

The All Aboard Florida Brightline project is a full system, with every major urban area in Florida connected: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa, and many other smaller, but significant areas, such as St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Cocoa Beach, Stuart, etc.
 

Hopefully this creates some interesting transfer opportunities for Amtrak. For example, Silver Meteor patrons who wanted to go to Tampa or East Coast points could transfer at Jacksonville to All Aboard Florida train on adjacent track.

And the Palmetto really needs to be extended to Jacksonville. How to speed it along so it can get to New York and Jacksonville before midnight - I don't know - but something needs to happen to allow for this. Jacksonville is more of the "end-point" than Savannah! 

I'd like to point out a couple of things: First of all, "AAF Jacksonville Segment LLC", the subsidiary formed to secure operating rights on the FEC north of Cocoa, was formed in 2014 so this is not "new news"; second, the only thing AAF will be opening in 2017, if they stay on schedule, is the Miami to Palm Beach segment.  AAF has not even revealed yet how they're actually going to finance construction of the Palm Beach - Cocoa - Orlando piece, and any further expansion to Tampa/St. Pete or Jacksonville is even farther into the future.  When talking about possible extensions in 2012, AAF said they expect the Miami - Orlando segment to be the "moneymaker", implying that the economics of further extensions are somewhat doubtful.  The AAF presentation at Northwestern University I attended earlier this year said absolutely nothing about future Brightline expansions.

Why this "news" has re-surfaced at this time I can only wonder - perhaps their political support in Florida needs shoring up?  Or perhaps Jacksonville interests are having issues with their Transit Center project and need to dangle future AAF service in front of someone?  Perhaps someone on TO with local political insight can comment?

Read the information in the article - yes, it was formed in 2014, but "AAF will be looking for ways to expand the Brightline rail service as soon as it begins, according to Mike Reininger, the company’s president and chief development officer." That is news; they are not waiting to begin looking at the expansion.

Also, All Aboard Florida has said if the bonds aren't sold, they will fund the line into Orlando without the bonds. They have already begun work at the Orlando terminal. The rolling stock equipment is being built by Siemens in Sacramento. For anyone thinking All Aboard Florida is somehow going to be stopped by the NIMBYs or those who mistakenly believe private passenger rail isn't possible, they are wrong. Florida is the perfect place for the revival of private passenger rail, and the people in Texas are wasting no time in becoming the second state for private passenger rail developers to show what they can do.

 

I was in Stuart the other day and noticed a lot of construction fencing along A-1-A from Martin Luther King Jr south to Monterey Avenue.  Haven't seen any actual work, but this area will be where the two tracks go into one for the trip through Stuart, over the bridge, and out to Dixie Highway, where the double track resumes.  Crossing gates will have to be relocated, etc.

FWIW, the Jacksonville connection makes perfect sense.  You get some revenue in the door, it's good track all the way.  The end points are not well served by air (unlike Miami to Orlando).

johnpage Wrote:
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> Read the information in the article . . .

I read the article.  And several others.  I read all the 2014 court filings.  And I heard in person an extensive presentation earlier this year by AAF's General Counsel, Myles Tobin.  I still think there's little to see here, and wonder why this "news" is being re-reported in the Florida press at this time.  I'd really like to hear from someone in Florida who knows the politics of AAF and can provide the backstory to the published news articles.

The 2014 court filings simply split the FEC easement option, first granted to AAF in 2007 for a term of 20 years, into two pieces, one north and one south of Stuart, and assigned the north easement to "AAF Jacksonville Segment LLC".  If that means anything, it means Jacksonville was formally put on a back burner in 2014.  If it's now front burner, I'd be surprised, as AAF management has stated their current focus is building the various Transit-Oriented Developments and opening the Miami - W. Palm Beach segment in late 2017. 

Send these people to Texas.