Wednesday, September 24, 2014

TRI-RAIL GOING COASTAL?


TRI-RAIL GOING COASTAL?

Could it really be so simple as adding trains to the Florida East Coast Railway tracks? Those tracks run along Dixie Highway and pass through cities like West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Ft. Lauderdale, and would complement not replace the existing Tri-Rail tracks along I - 95. While these plans have been in the offing for years, they might be close to realization now. If it were to happen, it would expand service to up to 22 new stations. Service would expand from the current Northern limit of West Palm Beach to Jupiter under the new plan. There would be new stations that would have to be built, creating jobs. The East station stops are more centrally located and would eliminate the need for the cumbersome Palm Tran buses that are needed now. Most of all, it comes down to money as usual. There is a 2 year study being conducted by the Florida Dept. of Transportation but the costs to link the FEC tracks (called the Tri-Rail Coastal Link) are between $720 and $800 million. Then another $100 million would be required annually to run it. The money would come from the counties, and possibly from some cities as well. To pay for the larger infrastructure costs, options such as transportation sales tax, gas tax or rental car surcharge have been discussed. I am extremely excited about this! This has been something sorely lacking in Florida, mass transportation, and this is a great and cost effective way to make it happen. We all know that our population in Florida is growing rapidly. We are the 3rd most populous state now, having just overtaken New York, and the traffic problems are mounting. I have lived in Boca Raton since 2001 and this summer is the most traffic I have ever seen. If it stays this way there will no longer be an “off season” in the summer and fall, if it hasn’t happened already. So we must find a way to get some cars off the road and quickly. It sure looks like this is a viable plan so hopefully it will happen. I promise to provide more updates on it as soon as they are available. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.

Tri-Rail moving ahead with coastal railroad expansion

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