All Aboard! Orlando to Miami . . . by Train

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From the trade journal Progressive Railroading:

A little more than a year ago, Florida Gov. Rick Scott killed the state’s high-speed rail project when he returned federal High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail funds to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Now, a privately owned railroad has plans to implement passenger-rail service connecting Orlando and South Florida.

Today, Florida East Coast Industries Inc. (FECI) announced it plans to develop All Aboard Florida, a privately owned, operated and maintained passenger-rail service that would run 240 miles to Miami, Cocoa and Orlando. The service would operate along 200 miles of existing tracks between Miami and Cocoa, and along 40 miles of new track into Orlando. The system eventually could be expanded to include connections to Tampa and Jacksonville. The project will cost about $1 billion.

The company launched a feasibility study for the project several months ago, and an “investment-grade” ridership study and engineering work are under way, according to a press release. Now, FECI will begin to work with local, state and federal officials, as well as communities along the route.

Because the project currently is in what All Aboard Florida spokesperson Christine Barney terms the “due diligence” phase, FECI has not yet determined what type of trainsets it will need to purchase or what firm will operate the trains, she says. Once ridership and environmental reports are completed, the company will be able to issue a project timeline.

At least one date has been issued: FECI plans to launch All Aboard Florida in 2014, a timeframe that’s realistic because the majority of the service will operate along tracks already in service on the Florida East Coast Railway L.L.C. (FEC), Barney says.

The studies under way also will help FECI determine train speeds. The company plans to operate trains at top speeds of 100 mph to 110 mph, says Barney.

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4 replies
  1. Will
    Will says:

    I was discussing this possibility the other week while driving over the tracks going fishing. All that line needs is upgraded signaling to run high speed trains, the lines are strong continously welded rail. It was built like that for some seriously heavy limestone trains.

    Would be perfect to use to catch a cruise out of Canaveral, fort Lauderdale or Miami.

  2. NE2
    NE2 says:

    There have been plans for a while to add Amtrak service to the entire FEC (Jacksonville-Miami). This would be a logical branch (presumably they’d make a deal with OOCEA for right-of-way).

    (For the record Amtrak already does have once-a-day Orlando-Miami service (via Haines City).)

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