The pre-proposal meeting for the Central Florida Commuter Rail CEI contract

scheduled for Wednesday, April 16, 2008

has been cancelled.

***

There will be a public meeting held for all firms  interested is proposing on the 
Central Florida Commuter Rail Construction Engineering Inspection (CEI) contract.

10 a.m. to noon

Wednesday April 16, 2008

Sailfish Conference room

FDOT Kepler Rd Office 

1650 North Kepler Rd

DeLand Fl, 32724

***

On Nov. 30, 2007, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and CSX Transportation (CSXT) signed agreements to bring Commuter Rail to Central Florida, providing both convenience and new opportunities for Floridians who live and work along the 61.5-mile corridor, from DeLand in Volusia County to Poinciana in Osceola County. The agreements will help meet the growing needs of the state, reduce highway congestion, increase protection for the environment and enhance transportation capacity for consumer goods and other products. The three agreements provide for state purchase of 61.5 miles of track in Central Florida; detail operating and management agreements; and resolve transitional issues during construction of the Central Florida Commuter Rail project. The Department also signed “Letters of Understanding” with bus providers Lynx and Votran to augment the Commuter Rail project. The agreements are posted on the right side of this page.

Additional Project Milestones

The Florida Department of Transportation is working in the Fall of 2007 to complete preliminary engineering requirements for the project, which is needed to secure an agreement with the Federal Transit Administration to fund 50 percent of the project's capital construction costs. That work includes meeting with individual communities to finalize the location of commuter rail platforms for each station along the 61.5-mile route, as well as designing preliminary station prototypes. The station prototypes will include ticketing kiosks, lighting, security features, weather canopies and similar necessities. Local governments will have an opportunity to provide station enhancements , if so desired, at local expense.

The Florida Department of Transportation also appointed Tom Keane as the new safety engineer for the Central Florida Commuter Rail system. Mr. Keane, who has more than 21 years of experience in railroad operations and procedures, and railroad safety and security, will review safety and security plans to ensure that the project complies with applicable state and federal requirements. FDOT also is preparing documents to design, build, operate and maintain the system. As those documents are finalized within the next few months, job opportunities will be posted. Additionally, FDOT is starting to negotiate right-of-way purchases required to build parking areas around some of the station stops. Please check back frequently at the www.cfrail.com website for additional project updates. 

***

The Florida Department of Transportation's local partners in Orange, Volusia, Seminole and Osceola counties, and the city of Orlando, have unanimously approved local funding and operating agreements for the proposed Central Florida Commuter Rail project. The extraordinary display of local leadership and regional cooperation, finalized July 31, 2007, allows FDOT to move forward with design, engineering and right-of-way acquisition for the project, and sets the stage for final federal approval of a full funding grant agreement in 2008. Contract negotiations that would allow for the public purchase of 61.5-miles of CSX Transportation railroad also are nearing completion. For more detailed information about the project, please browse through the www.cfrail.com website.

Public Hearings Presentation

In March, 2007, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) gave the go-ahead for the proposed Central Florida Commuter Rail project to move into final engineering and design – a major milestone in the project’s evolution. And on April 27, 2007, the project cleared another federal hurdle with FTA approval of the Environmental Assessment, posted on the bottom right of this page. The federal “Finding of No Significant Impact” or FONSI is posted below.

FONSI Decision