FEC Corridor: Commuter Rail Photo Tour

[Metro Jacksonville]

FEC Corridor: Commuter Rail Photo Tour



The Florida East Coast Railway is a locally based company that operates 351 miles of mainline track between Jacksonville and Miami.  While we've discussed the potential of using the city's S-Line right-of-way for urban commuter rail, FEC's rail line through the Southside is a critical segment to the overall plan as well.  This photo tour is intended to visually make an argument for JTA moving forward with a commuter rail feasibility study before it's to late.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/364

[The E]

This is the best plan I've seen for a mass transit commuter line in Jacksonville.  It is a great start for the city and covers some of the most densely populated, most shopped, and most touristed parts of Jacksonville.  Great plan.  Now all we need is one to go the beach and the airport and this train will be hoppin'.

[Jason]

What a great tour.   Seeing point by point photos like this really go a long way to show all that lies along these existing rail line.

Can't wait to see the westside tour...

[DaveP]

This seems to make too much sense not to use.  The raised BRT sections will cost the city a fortune and disrupt traffic for years druing construction.  Commuter rail would be easy to empliment and extremely cost effective.  This is a great portrayal of the superiority of a commuter rail system.

[Leslie A. Goller]

This is a terrific, practical and doable idea.  I totally support it!

[Fred]

The plan would provide service to the airport, although riders would have to transfer onto a bus or maybe even another light rail type option like the one seen connecting Newark, NJ's airport with the New Jersey Transit and Amtrak lines.  In the airport's current plan for 2025, some sort of light rail is being used to get passengers to/from the parking lots.  Maybe this could be extended to reach the train station near I-95 if commtuer rail ever gets going.

[J]

What about going over the St. John's River?  Would the train go over the existing Rail Draw Bridge?  Or will riders need to transfer to the Skyway?

[thelakelander]

If a deal could be worked out with FEC, commuter rail would use the existing rail drawbridge, to connect with JTA's planned Prime Osborn transportation center and other rail lines that would connect the Westside, Orange Park, the Northside and perhaps Amelia Island with downtown.  Those looking to get downtown would transfer to the skyway or free trolleys at the Prime Osborn.

[Tyler]

What about the St. Augustine airport on U.S. 1?  Do you think there would be enough demand to put a stop there?  It is a pretty small airport.

I love your commuter rail proposals!  It just makes sense.  I don't know why the city doesn't think of these things....  Keep up the good work!

[thelakelander]

Sure, in fact its shown on the second picture.  The airport may be small, but it's the home of one of the region's largest employers and there are a few large scale mixed-used developments proposed in the corridor.  It would definately make for a good park n ride spot.

[J]

Looks good to me.

[RG]

Good work, as always, Lake.   I am praying that our City officials will see the light, drop most parts of BRT and immediately begin work on commuter rail as you propose.  This is truly visionary.  BRT is truly stupid and WILL fail.

[pwhitford]

What an Epiphany!!  This is brilliant!  The simplicity!  The convenience!  The possibilities are not only endless, but endlessly inspiring.  How can this be ignored by any right thinking person?  Not that this is a panacea for all the ills, great and small, that plague Jacksonville as it struggles to establish itself, but what a vital boost to its outdated and crippled infrastructure.  

[Charles Hutcherson]

I have been touting this plan for quite a while... It's part of my campaign platform for City Council District 6. I actually worked on the BRT study with a consulting firm here in Jax and am NOT in support of the North/South leg of the system. I would only consider a BRT line from the Rail to the beach in order to pick-up beach residents to the Commuter Rail line.
As the DRI's develop between Bayard and St. Augustine, local bus feeders will pick-up residents in these new areas and drop off to TOD's on the Commuter Rail Line, I-95 and US-1 will not be able to handle this future Growth.
This Commuter Rail is vitally important to the future of how Jacksonville will grow. Grid-lock? or a City with a REAL Furture?
(My Background: Engineering/Planning for 22 years)

[Bob Mann]

FANTASTIC! It´s about time, IF I ever get out of Colombia (Today I got good news and bad news. The good? "The Inspector General of the Railways want´s to see you!" The bad? Our Ferrocarril de Antioquia restoration project just got shot in the butt from Bogota... more meetings, more foot dragging, and the beat goes on and on) and WE complain about JACKSONVILLE!

Someone mentioned the Beaches, well this might be a stretch at this point in the game BUT, if you walk the track south through San Marco, you will pass two interesting points (I confess seeing them from the window of an FEC passenger train) ONE is the old South Jacksonville Station site and the other is a sharp spur that turns east (or did a few years back) into some industrial yard and gate and ends butted up aginst an elevated section of I-95. THIS little spur is part of the old railroad "wye" and the Start of what was once a line along Beach Blvd, all the way to Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Mayport! IF WE´RE TALKING MILLIONS, how hard would it be to put it back?

Also, check out the proposed on again-off again Florida DOT plan to restore Amtrak to the Florida East Coast. St. Augustine and St. Johns County ALREADY HA VE a plan with design in hand for a multi-modal / over US 1 Station at their airport!  Plus at last check the old (very tropical modern circa 1960) FEC station was still standing just to the west of Where the highways split as you enter St. Augustine proper. The railroad removed the track by the station and relaid it behind it´s old MILLER SHOPS in St. Augustine in order to use the Miller property fronting on US 1 as development land. But with only a hundred yard move the cool Station from the past COULD be put back into use. You might also note a slight lump in US 1,  as you approach the FEC tripple office buildings (Sold to Flagler College) . That´s because the old mainline went over the road and into a classic St. Augustine Station in that little park just North of the Offices. THAT would make a nice, ez walking distance setting for a stub terminal for Commuter Rail, right at the College´s new doorstep... But then there´s St. Johns Mall, Palm Coast, Bunnell, Oh what the heck, bring back the "Havanna Special", "Flamingo", "Dixie Flyer", "H.M. Flagler" and all the rest al lthe way to Miami!

Ocklawaha
Frustrated in a deserted, Andean Cloud Forest, railroad yard office!