Amtrak Pacific Surfliner Corridor Service

[Metro Jacksonville]

Amtrak Pacific Surfliner Corridor Service



The Pacific Surfliner is a 350-mile Amtrak corridor passenger service serving Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo. With 2.89 million passengers in fiscal year 2008, this is Amtrak's most heavily traveled service outside of the Northeast Corridor, covering 59.1% of its operating expenses through ticket sales.  The Pacific Surfliner rail service is an example of what Metro Jacksonville believes Amtrak can bring to Jacksonville and the State of Florida.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/1004

[JeffreyS]

That looks wonderful. I think you've got me California dreamin.

[BridgeTroll]

SurfLiner... great name...

[copperfiend]

This looks awesome. I imagine something in Florida running from Miami to Jacksonville with stops in Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Cape Canaveral, Daytona and St Augustine.

[archiphreak]

What would happen if the citizens of Jacksonville took the city officials out of the mix and formed a group to lobby directly with the rail companies to begin the process of a functioning mass transit system in our city?  Just a thought.

[Lunican]

The lack of a Florida corridor service really falls on the state (FDOT). Amtrak has publicly stated they want to do this and that they are ready with their portion of the funding. The state now needs to agree to pay a portion.

It would be nice if city officials would start lobbying the state to make a move.

[thelakelander]

Archiphreak is on to something.  If our officials won't lobby for it, maybe some sort of local citizens group should lobby with other cities and groups in the state to get something running.

[JeffreyS]

Lake would you like to put together the basic petition that could be endorsed by organizations, officials, businesses and individuals.  We would then have to start selling it to those entities before we could take it to the state. The proposal would probably need it's own web page and viral campaign. Would this be something that compliments Orlando's commuter rail or competes with it?

[ac]

Thanks for this article.  Mrs. and I are going out to CA for a wedding in the fall and afterward will need to get from San Jose to Santa Barbara.  I'm now pushing this instead of renting a car and driving down.

EDIT: Oops-  It's not the same train.  It's more correct to say the article reminded me to research rail options. 

[thelakelander]

Would this be something that compliments Orlando's commuter rail or competes with it?

This is something that would complement the Orlando commuter rail system.  Think of it as an express version of commuter rail that links major metropolitan areas together.  For example, if a corridor service ran from Jax to Miami, one could catch the train in St. Augustine and ride directly to downtown without stopping.  If we had a commuter rail line on the same tracks, one could use the local commuter rail train for stops in between downtown and St. Augustine.  The benefit this brings for local commuter rail is it would help pay for the track upgrades that will also be needed for commuter rail, which reduces the overall cost of rail locally.

Lake would you like to put together the basic petition that could be endorsed by organizations, officials, businesses and individuals.  We would then have to start selling it to those entities before we could take it to the state. The proposal would probably need it's own web page and viral campaign.

This sounds perfect for the Jacksonville Transit site (Ock) to take on with Metro Jacksonville playing a major support role to get the word out.

[heights unknown]

Or you could have a Florida Statewide rail system with the East Coast (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Cape Canaveral, Daytona Beach, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville), Northern Florida running from Jacksonville to Pensacola (in between cities would have to be determine because of the smaller size of cities in between Jax and Pen), West Coast (Starting in Orlando, Lakeland, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Bradenton, Sarasota, Venice, North Port, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Fort Myers, and Naples). 

Why not go for the gusto?

You could also consider a Central State Line running from an East Coast Florida City through to Starke, Orlando, and westward to Tampa. This may not be as feasible as the other lines and would have to be studied much more indepth for feasibility and passenger demand.

Just a thought.

Heights Unknown

[heights unknown]

[This sounds perfect for the Jacksonville Transit site (Ock) to take on with Metro Jacksonville playing a major support role to get the word out.
[/quote]

To get the word out and pushing it on through to fruition and reality.

Heights Unknown

[Ocklawaha]

I'm your Huckleberry!

Just a note, taking this to the railroads as a proposal, would be the LAST place one would want to go. We go to the State, Federal and Local governments and they can TELL the railroads how the cow will eat the cabbage. I can think of only a handful of railroads on earth that would welcome passenger trains, and every one of them is in someones spare bedroom, attic, basement or garage.

The ready made corridors are in place and a future comprehensive system is at least 75% intact. They are:

Jacksonville - Lake City - Tallahassee - Pensacola - (and west)
Jacksonville - Waldo - Ocala - Wildwood - Lakeland - Tampa
Jacksonville - Palatka - Deland - Orlando - Auburndale - Lakeland - Tampa
Jacksonville - St. Augustine - Daytona Beach - Melbourne - Ft. Pierce - West Palm Beach - Miami
(Jacksonville/Orlando) Auburndale - Winter Haven - Sebring - West Palm Beach - Miami
Lakeland - Ft. Myers - Naples
Tampa - Clearwater - St. Petersburg
Tampa - Sarasota - Venice

The missing segments are GAINESVILLE (which has right of way for several old lines) at the end of a branch from Starke.
Also:
Jacksonville - Starke - Alachua - Dunnellon - (Inverness-Brooksville taken out) Brooksville - Tampa

Beyond the state lines (every possible route passes through Jacksonville), in conjunction with Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee etc. we could create a host of new (old) routes to EVERYWHERE SOUTH, Macon, Atlanta, Montgomery, Birmingham, Chattanooga, Nashville, not to mention Cleveland, Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis, Chicago, Memphis, Kansas City, New Orleans, Charlotte... ALL DIRECT.

I think we need a map showing routes and frequencys, with regular fast Surfliner or Amtrak type trains. Then get the package on the ballot and force the issue statewide... Start in Jacksonville - as you can see from the routes, we are the hub.

OCKLAWAHA

[thelakelander]

Hub = jobs.  If it can be proven that tons of jobs can be stimulated locally, it will make a fight for something like this stronger.

[JeffreyS]

OK here is my attempt at a simple verbiage to collect signatures for a Ballot initiative.

The Florida/ Amtrak partnership ballot initiative.
As Amtrak has received 15 billion dollars approved funding and requested to partner with Florida to provide expanded premium statewide passenger rail services.  These services include travel and commuter transit.  We propose a ballot initiative to establish Florida’s support for Amtrak’s expansion throughout the state.
The benefits to Florida include:
•Transit options for our residents, companies and those moving to our state
• Mass Transit that can generate enough revenue to cover O & M expenses
• Enhancement of our tourist industry
• Relief for our over crowded highways
• Rail improvements for our existing freight and transit capacity
• Needed jobs providing needed services
• Transit oriented development for our strained real estate market
• Increase our ability to provide for our growing state population
Florida should take advantage of Amtrak’s willingness to invest in our state. This initiative will require the state to partner in the creation and renovation of transit stations in our metro areas, tourist sites, seaports, universities, hospitals, airports and business centers where rail way are already in place. This opportunity to fast track transit services in our state with Amtrak’s money this should not be passed on.

We are asking you, businesses, organizations and political leaders to sign our petition to have the Florida/ Amtrak Partnership to be placed on the next state ballot.