Passenger Trains > Private passenger train vision: double-track FEC

Private passenger train vision calls for double-tracking Florida East Coast
TRAINS.com
March 23, 2012

> MIAMI – Even if 40 miles of new track are not built by 2014, a new privately-run passenger service in Florida may run anyway, the head of
> passenger rail development for Florida East Coast Industries tells Trains News Wire.
>
> Eugene Skoropowski, who was named senior vice president of passenger rail development earlier this month, said the railroad would run on the
> existing FEC from Miami to Cocoa, and until the new extension was completed, it could offer connecting service at Cocoa to Orlando.
> Skoropowski said that while months of studies remain, the company envisions operating trains on one-hour headways. He told Trains
> columnist Fred Frailey that the existing FEC would need to be double-tracked for the service. “The FEC once was double track, and all
> the sub-ballast and the bridges are still there,” Skoropowski said...

> Skoropowski, well known in the railroad industry for his successful management of California's Capitol Corridor passenger service, said he
> looks at the new service as "Capitol Corridor East" but with a much bigger market.

> ...Financing the project may not be as large a hurdle as it would appear. Florida East Coast Industries’ parent Fortress Investment Group has
> $43.7 billion in assets and raised $4.2 billion in capital during 2011... Florida East Coast Industries has real estate expertise since it also owns
> Flagler Development Group, one of South Florida’s largest development companies. It owns 5,000 acres of land in the state, including nine acres
> in downtown Miami that would be used for new development, including a new passenger station.
>
> Skoropowski said if the project moves ahead, the railroad would likely run trains at 79 mph from Miami to West Palm Beach, 110 mph from West
> Palm Beach to Cocoa, and 125 mph on the new segment to Orlando. He said two possible alignments are under consideration for the new Orlando route.

http://trn.trains.com/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2012/03/Private%20passenger%20train%20vision%20calls%20for%20double-tracking%20Florida%20East%20Coast.aspx



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/12 12:08 by GenePoon.

They should call it the John Galt line!

/Mitch

110 from West Palm Beach to Cocoa FL is really pushing the engineering. Not to mention the advance timing on grade crossings, of which there are many.

Stuart is 35 on the approaches to the bridge, and 25(?) over the bridge. That's about five miles right there. The railroad has a reduced speed through the traffic circle in Jensen Beach, etc, I believe.

There's a lot of investment required to get this railroad to 110, much more than getting it to 90.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 110 from West Palm Beach to Cocoa FL is really
> pushing the engineering. Not to mention the
> advance timing on grade crossings, of which there
> are many.
>
> Stuart is 35 on the approaches to the bridge, and
> 25(?) over the bridge. That's about five miles
> right there. The railroad has a reduced speed
> through the traffic circle in Jensen Beach, etc, I
> believe.
>
> There's a lot of investment required to get this
> railroad to 110, much more than getting it to 90.


I doubt the 110 thing would apply for the entire distance, just as even the NEC slows down significantly to go through New London, Connecticut. Put a station stop in Stuart (almost certain) and the speed restriction over the St. Lucie draw and through the curve north of it won't seem all that damaging to running times.

If they are going to run their trains on their existing track to Cocoa, then let them run all the way to Jacksonville and pick up that market as well!! We have been waiting since 1963 to travel from JAX to MIA on the FEC rails!

I see this was sort of answered in an earlier post, but this service the FEC is considering running will be in addition to the expected Amtrak trains? Unless things have changed, weren't there supposed to be 3 total Florida trains with 2 of them splitting in Jax and the Miami sections traversing the FEC, with the 3rd train running all the way to Miami through Orlando? All talk I know but it seemed to make the most sense.... It would be GREAT if FEC would run their own intra-state higher speed trains in conjunction with Amtrak's LD trains without the need to transfer trains in Jacksonville....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/12 19:21 by chess.

Eugene Skoropowski is a hero to many in northern California where he made the Capitol Corridor a very successful operation. He's a hands on guy, known to ride the trains and even handle baggage, if necessary, to keep the railroad moving.

There is little doubt in my mind he'll get the FEC project rolling. He knows the railroad business, along with the major players and how to work with them to get things accomplished.

(We miss you here, Gene.)

I still think I am dreaming or this is an early April fools joke but hey, it could happen! I was a teenager in south Florida when FEC yanked up the double trackage. At first, the single track was simply one side of the old double track. I seem to remember that when it was upgraded, the new single track was built in the middle of the ROW and the old single track was later removed. If the track is still in the middle, then double tracking may involve moving the existing track too! That would be quite a project.

railrider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I still think I am dreaming or this is an early
> April fools joke but hey, it could happen! I was a
> teenager in south Florida when FEC yanked up the
> double trackage. At first, the single track was
> simply one side of the old double track. I seem
> to remember that when it was upgraded, the new
> single track was built in the middle of the ROW
> and the old single track was later removed. If the
> track is still in the middle, then double tracking
> may involve moving the existing track too! That
> would be quite a project.

In a number of places there are fiber optic conduits and natural gas pipelines buried under the former track alignment. You can often see the markers track side.