Answers
Commuter Rail
Several milestones must still be met before a commuter rail car glides down the tracks. The plan is to have the first 31-mile segment (between DeBary and Sand Lake Road in Orange County) operational by early 2010. This segment includes stations at DeBary/Fort Florida Road; Sanford/SR 46, Lake Mary, Longwood, Altamonte Springs, Maitland, Winter Park/Park Avenue, Florida Hospital, LYNX Central, Church Street, Orlando Amtrak/ORMC and Sand Lake Road. By 2013, extended service is planned for stations at Meadow Woods, Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee Amtrak and Poinciana Industrial Park, as well as a new northern terminus at the DeLand Amtrak station.
The cost for phase 1 and 2, which includes the 60-mile/17-station plan between DeBary and Poinciana in Osceola County, is approximately $615 million in year-of-expenditure dollars. Of that, it is expected that the federal government will pay 50%, the state 25% and local governments in the four counties apportioning the remaining 25 percent. It should be noted that the state monies are already in place for this project and local government officials in all four counties and the city of Orlando have approved interlocal funding, governance and operations agreements. Costs will continually be re-assessed as the project moves forward through the design phases.
That hasn’t been decided yet, but there will be substantial discounts for passengers who buy multi-use passes as well as senior citizen discounts. Riders could probably expect a minimum fare of $2.50 for travel within one county and $1 per additional county.
That’s not easy to estimate, but start-up ridership on similar systems is about 3,500 – 4,000 per weekday. During peak hour, the Central Florida Commuter Rail Transit (CRT) system is expected to carry as many passengers as one lane of I-4.
Once open, the commuter rail operation will receive an allocation of Federal funds each year and there will also be “fare-box” revenue from passenger fees. This will cover a portion of the annual operations and maintenance (O&M) costs. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is picking up the remaining O&M costs, commonly called the “operating subsidy”, for the first seven years to prepare for and during the I-4 reconstruction work. After that, local governments will be responsible for the remaining O&M amount.
FDOT has identified 17 potential stations along the eventual 61-mile route through four counties.
For these identified locations, FDOT will build site-appropriate stations with covered platforms, seating, information and ticket kiosks and parking at suburban stations. Local governments may wish to fund upgraded stations by adding retail opportunities such as coffee shops, newsstands and dry cleaners. These basic station site costs are approximately 25% - 30% of the total project budget.
Commuters can reach their destinations in a number of ways. Each station location is planned to accommodate as many rail passengers as possible. For instance, because Florida Hospital, downtown Orlando and Orlando Regional Medical Center receive thousands of visitors and employees each day, stations have been planned for those places.
Most commuters will probably be able to walk to their destination. The rail cars will be able to carry bicycles, so cycling is also an option. Large employment centers may choose to operate shuttle service. Finally, the LYNX and VoTran bus systems will serve the train stations as part of their route structures.
Experience from other cities with commuter rail shows that improvement comes to the areas around the stations. This includes higher-density residential development for commuters who work downtown, and restaurants and shops catering to those workers and visitors taking advantage of the commuter line. The stations provide an opportunity to focus new development, enhance bicycle and pedestrian access and connectivity, streetscape improvements and other benefits.
Each station will be constructed with public safety in mind including open sight lines, plenty of lighting and will be designed with ADA accessibility features.
Local residents, pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists will benefit from safety and security measures with improved crossing surfaces and warning devices at existing grade crossings. Most stations will be adjacent to an existing at-grade crossing. Cross-track access will be at the existing grade crossings where the railway warning devices will alert pedestrians to railway traffic. Fencing will prevent pedestrians from crossing the tracks within the station areas. If there is not an at-grade crossing next to the station, an overhead walkway will be provided with an elevator for cross-track access.
Commuter rail has a very good safety record across the country, especially when compared to the number of motor vehicle crashes on our roadways.
During the three-hour morning and afternoon peak commuter rail service there will not be any freight train operations. Additionally, each at-grade railway crossing will be reviewed and upgrades made to the railway warning system and/or safety enhancements will be made to the roadway crossing itself. This makes commuter travel safe.
The wait time for a commuter train at a grade crossing is approximately the same as a traffic light – much better than the wait created by a 100-car freight train going by at 7:55 on Monday morning.
The capital cost for the commuter rail will include a new state-of-the-art signal system for train operations and upgrades for the at-grade crossing warning system. This new signal system replaces a 25-year old signal system and will provide a very safe and efficient bi-directional commuter rail operation. It will have the added benefit of reducing crossing delays by speeding up slow moving freight trains. In addition, the upgrades to the at-grade crossing warning system will ensure that crossing gates aren’t down any longer than needed.
The CSXT right-of-way along this 61-mile stretch is currently used 24 hours a day, seven days a week by freight and Amtrak trains. On average there are ten through-freight, ten local freight switchers and up to six Amtrak trains operating on a typical day. Many of these trains are operated after 11:00 p.m.
For the commuter rail operation, most of the through-freight trains will eventually be moved over to the “S” line running through the center of the state. The local freight trains will be scheduled outside of peak commuter times.
The idea behind commuter rail is to provide service to the most people at the busiest travel times of day. That happens to be for commutes during the traditional workday hours. Off-peak service will be offered for those commuters requiring a mid-day work commute or wishing to use the system for other reasons.
Tri-Rail in South Florida runs between Palm Beach County and Miami.
No jobs are available at this time, as the project still is in the planning phase. As final contracts are negotiated with CSXT, and construction begins as anticipated in two years, additional jobs will become available. Please check back at the cfrail.com website frequently for updates on the progress of the project.
When commuter rail service begins in early 2010, as currently planned, trains will run every half-hour during peak hours and every two hours during off-peak times. As the system matures, FDOT already has done an environmental analysis that would allow local officials to increase the frequency of trains to every 15 minutes during peak hours and every hour during off-peak times. However, that's not expected to happen for at least 20 years or more, and then only in response to community demand for more frequent service.
FDOT has committed to mitigate potential noise impacts along the proposed route for commuter rail. That includes the installation of horn shrouds to better direct warning signals on commuter trains and new track signalization. In addition, most areas also will see a dramatic reduction in freight trains, which do not currently use horn shrouds. As such, environmental analyses prepared by the state do not anticipate adverse noise effects with the commuter rail project.
The Agreement in Principle announced Aug. 2 by former Gov. Jeb Bush specifically includes $150 million for the full purchase of 61.5 miles of CSXT tracks from DeLand to the Poinciana area. The agreement also gives FDOT full control over dispatch and maintenance operations along that stretch of track, to ensure the reliability of commuter rail in Central Florida. As part of final contract negotiations with CSXT, the freight hauler also will pay the state a per-car charge, yet to be determined, for freight operations necessary to service local businesses in the Central Florida area.
No. All new tracks required for the project will be built within the current CSXT right-of-way, primarily in outlying areas that do not currently have double tracks. To build new passenger rail stations, about two dozen businesses and homes may have to be relocated. No property acquisitions are currently anticipated in Winter Park, Maitland or downtown Orlando. State analyses also conclude that the potential for new development in and around station stops, as well as new construction, operations and maintenance jobs as commuter rail comes on line, will have a "significant economic benefit" to Central Florida that will "far outweigh" any property tax revenue loss associated with passenger rail station construction.
FDOT is now working with CSXT to identify potential environmental problems that may currently exist along the CSXT right-of-way and clean those up, if needed, as required by law. That study should be complete in 2007. In addition, FDOT must fully comply with water management district rules and state laws during construction of the commuter rail project to avoid any adverse effect on the state's water supply. Air pollution is not an issue, either, according to environmental analyses conducted by the state. In fact, car emissions are far more of an ongoing air pollution challenge than is rail.
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