Jacksonville Commuter Rail Plans Progressing

[Metro Jacksonville]

Jacksonville Commuter Rail Plans Progressing



JTA's recent allocation of $1 million to begin the Alternative Analysis study indicates that plans for commuter rail in the First Coast are moving forward.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-jul-jacksonville-commuter-rail-plans-progressing

[Abhishek]

One step closer to not being forced to buy a car.
I hope there is some thought given to the last leg of transit after de-boarding the train. It makes all the difference in the success of Mass Transit.

[DemocraticNole]

The city is still way to slow in acting. At this rate, it will be at least 15 years before streetcar service is even available.

[thelakelander]

Actually this has nothing to do with the streetcar plans.  However, if people want to see streetcar construction move forward sooner, rather than later, you should get familiar with the draft of the 2030 Mobility Plan, currently under consideration.  

Assuming local politics don't get it removed from the initial five year plan (which is why people need to get active), if approved later this year, a "starter" streetcar line between DT and Riverside could possibly be operational within five years.

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,8166.0.html

[urbanlibertarian]

"Unless Jacksonville residents are willing to self finance the construction of fixed transit throughout the region, the New Starts program puts our community in the position of landing federal financial assistance for future major mass transit projects."

This is how government boondoggles are born (ie ASE).  Projects paid for with "free" federal dollars lead to huge, poorly designed and implemented projects which make sense to those in the DC beltway but would be much more efficient and useful if done locally or in Tallahassee or better yet with private funds.

[thelakelander]

Good point. Personally, I believe the best option is to do a mix of both.  Start off small locally while continuing to seek federal assistance for expansion opportunities.  This provides you with the benefit of quick initial implementation without breaking the bank.

[tufsu1]

Generally, the new starts program is a 50% federal contribnution matched with 50% local/state contribution....most likely the local area will need to come up with 25% of the total cost (which means about $175 million for the whole system) as well as identification of sufficient funding for  operations and maintenance.

[finehoe]

"...better yet with private funds.

Yes, because private funding has financed so much mass transit across the country.

[grobeson]

What we should continue to ask is why our federal govt soaks up so much of our Jax citizens' tax revenue that we have to turn around and beg them for funding. Im not even saying i agree with the plan....but it certainly is silly that we have to to the feds to get money that should never have left Jax. Whether we are libertarian, liberal, or conservative...can we at least agree on that much?

[urbaknight]

I don't think that the money and responsibility for the study should've been intrusted with JTA. We all know that they'll eather get it wrong by accident or sabotage the project so they can keep things the way they are now. We need outside help if any of this is even going to go just one step forward.

[tufsu1]

JTA will likely manage the study and hire a consultant team to do the majority of the work...and more than likely rail study and FTA/FRA experience will be a major factor selecting the consultant team.

[urbanlibertarian]

Jacksonville Traction and Jacksonville Coach Company were both private.

[Ocklawaha]

One step closer to not being forced to buy a car.
I hope there is some thought given to the last leg of transit after de-boarding the train. It makes all the difference in the success of Mass Transit.

Hey friends, let me help y'all with this since we are a "FULL SERVICE" site...  (Smile)

Rather then:
I hope there is some thought given to the last leg of transit after de-boarding the train.

Try this:
I hope there is some thought given to the last leg of transit after detraining.

Introduction to the industry words:
ENtrain
and
DEtrain


Enjoy,

OCKLAWAHA

[stjr]

How many mass transit studies has JTA been connected to?  Just give me a deadline when they are going to have something up and running.  Will it be in our lifetimes?  Where is the $100 million "local" investment in mass transit corridor acquisitions promised a decade ago by the Better Jacksonville Plan?

The only thing that matters is results.  After hearing this "promising" stuff for decades, the only "rail" we have to show is the massive failure called the Skyway.  And, our other mass transit "success", our bus system.  JTA cannot be counted on to deliver the goods.  

JTA reminds me of the recent Minerals Management Service (MMS) that was charged with both collecting royalties from offshore drilling and regulating it.  The results of that conflict of interest are not dissimilar to JTA's performance.

We need to take mass transit planning from the incompetent and/or insincere "hands" of JTA and give it to an agency dedicated to only its success.  The Charter Revision Commission missed a great chance to fix this.

JTA - "Just Talking out our A$$"

[Ocklawaha]

Something is wrong with this photo, please do not adjust your computer!

Rail is going to happen with or without JTA. The agency's greatest weakness is the fact that it is both highway builder/planner/engineering as well as Mass Transit operator/planner/engineering. Since Mass Transit and especially RAIL, have been nearly polar opposites of highways as a means for transporting goods and people efficiently  with speed and a minimum of expense, the JTA set up makes little sense

As it is almost unheard of in the transportation world the best analogy I could offer would be the following hypothetical pact between Japan and the United States before WWII:

As a method of consolidation, to streamline, trim and speed decisions, it is decided that the pilots and aircraft from the following ships:

IJN CV Akagi
IJN  CV Kaga
IJN  CV Soryu
IJN  CV Hiryu
IJN  CV Shokaku
IJN  CV Zuikaku

Will operate from the decks of the:

USS Enterprise
USS Hornet
USS Wasp
HMS Hermes
USS Lexington
USS Yorktown

How does that sound to y'all? Just think of the savings, the millions of dollars and thousands of men that might be spared by allowing Pearl Harbor to attack itself!

Welcome to JTA-THINK.

Even with the best intentions and some very talented personnel, JTA is crippled at the starting gate by a huge conflict of interest.  Mass Transit promotes infill development, walkable, compact, multilevel, livable spaces which are self and/or transit sustaining.  Highway development promotes suburban development, sprawl, massive surface parking lots and garages, FREEways, and auto sustaining infrastructure, such as gas stations, auto parts stores, etc...

I'm not even sure that JTA ever had a choice to make, they simply evolved from the Jacksonville Expressway Authority (which did a fairly good job as a pioneer) and got saddled with a mission to absorb the defunct City Coach Lines "...and make it work."  Nobody in City hall then or now speaks transit, and this single mistake has become a huge self perpetuating disaster.  Wonder why we can take the idea for a multimodal center and blow it all over 7 city blocks, and claim it as "a" station? Think TOWN CENTER, REGENCY, AVENUES, JIA...  SPRAWL to the 10Th power, HIGHWAY influences, highway's media, highway's supplies and sales people, and an office coffee table covered in fun magazines such as "Happy Asphalt Today", "Road Builder", "Gas and Oil Journal", "Classic Wrecking Ball Times".

This is how Jacksonville ends up with such ridiculous plans as a dozen Amtrak Trains, State Corridor Trains, Commuter Trains, Regional Trains, and 3 High Speed Rail Routes (Gulf Coast, Florida, and Southeast) all converging at Jacksonville Terminal, below the flood plain and on THREE STATION TRACKS AND 2 PLATFORMS as planned by ?? Wanna guess??

I didn't notice another full powered OCKLARANT boiling to the surface, but this is fixable people. Let there be a JTA that excels in Transit, and a JHA (Highway) authority that is the nations premier  urban road builder.

OCKLAWAHA