Author Topic: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station  (Read 22286 times)

Mattius92

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 313
  • It's time to bring the "Change" to Jacksonville.
Re: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station
« Reply #30 on: May 13, 2010, 01:41:31 PM »
In real reality poeple in Fleming Island and south will probably benefit the least from commuter rail, because the distance from Fleming Island to DT is rather large and there is a lot of stops along the way. The only I think this could be solved is having an express train from Fleming to DT in the mornings and afternoon.

Let me do this mathematically, its around 25 miles from DT to Fleming Island, now if an express train doing 50-60 MPH straight to DT it would take less then 45 minutes. Now I am not sure how fast commuters can reach, but if they were to do 75MPH on an express route they could get to DT in around 30 min.

People North of Fleming Island but south of NAS JAX will still have around 30-45 min to get to DT, because they aren't on a express train.

This could be the same for the St. Aug to DT route, an Express Train from St. Aug to DT will reduce the amount of time.

And hell I dont mind walking, I have lived in the so called country for 8 years I walk 1.6 miles just to get the mail and back, and I am moving to the most transit friendly city in the US once I graduate College. See ya Jacksonville you fail me.
SunRail, Florida's smart transit idea. :) (now up on the chopping block) :(

Mattius92

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 313
  • It's time to bring the "Change" to Jacksonville.
Re: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station
« Reply #31 on: May 13, 2010, 01:44:16 PM »
I don't know - he has a point about the OP-Southside commuters.  

And, as the vast majority of people in this area are mass-transit uninformed, I believe jandar actually puts forth a majority question/concern.

The question is, since Downtown will be the hub, you will have commuter lines running primarily north-south, and the only viable option for those commuters is and will be for the foreseeable future the Buckman Bridge, how *will* you entice this demographic to use it?

EDIT: JeffreyS posted before I was done.  So basically, you'll entice these people over time?

Wanna fix OP-Southside Commuters, build an rail line down the middle of the Buckman, guess what its fixed!

SunRail, Florida's smart transit idea. :) (now up on the chopping block) :(

thelakelander

  • The Jaxson
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 35203
    • Modern Cities
Re: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station
« Reply #32 on: May 13, 2010, 01:45:39 PM »
When people think about rail, people forget the fact that rail is only one form of an integrated mass transit system.  Even in cities like DC, NYC and Chicago, bus service is needed in certain areas that aren't accessible by rail.  As a transit spine, the Jax rail corridors will serve as major N/S transit connectors and encourage pedestrian friendly infill development along their entire paths.    

With that in mind, the commute from OP to Southside isn't a negative with the rail argument.  Since we're talking about an integrated regional transit network, its a reason for an express east/west bus line that directly ties the Southwest/Southeast rail corridors with each other at OP and Avenues, via I-295.  This service could be made possible by rerouting existing bus services that would duplicate proposed rail corridors.
« Last Edit: May 13, 2010, 01:50:33 PM by thelakelander »
"A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” - Muhammad Ali

Doctor_K

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1494
  • Your friendly neighborhood Hot Rod!
    • Carolina Fusion
Re: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station
« Reply #33 on: May 13, 2010, 01:48:49 PM »
Lake, this is why you're my hero. :)
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create."  -- Albert Einstein

thelakelander

  • The Jaxson
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 35203
    • Modern Cities
Re: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station
« Reply #34 on: May 13, 2010, 01:49:14 PM »
Perhaps you would entice the OP-Southside commuters to move....  If a regional transit network develops, it will be desirable to live anywhere near the FEC line, or around the Roosevelt line if they work downtown.  Maybe poorly planned areas of town will become less desirable and die off, allowing for denser development near transit lines.  

So true, so true.  Those that want to really take advantage of using rail-based transit in their lifes with begin to seek areas where this is possible.  The side benefit of this would be a reduction in the amount of sprawl being developed on the outer edges of our communities.
"A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” - Muhammad Ali

Mattius92

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 313
  • It's time to bring the "Change" to Jacksonville.
Re: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station
« Reply #35 on: May 13, 2010, 01:55:01 PM »
Yall see that oil disaster in the Gulf, and wonder how we could stop things like that from happening. Well its called reduce the use of oil, and how do you do that. Well you could walk, but that isn't practical. So whats the next best thing, Mass transit, gosh. Buses and trains use oil but the oil they use is used for more poeple then just a standard car carrying ONE person.  

My generation is making to move to reduce oil, I am guess we will just have to wait for the previous generation to die before we can make any changes.

One thing that makes me stand out from hundreds of other people, is I look at every side and I know how things actually work. And if I dont know something then, guess what, I find it out. Ignorance is a huge factor on why certain things happen in our country. I can go on an on...  And yes not everyone is going to agree, because I am defying what is normal, and therefore be considered wrong.
SunRail, Florida's smart transit idea. :) (now up on the chopping block) :(

Mattius92

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 313
  • It's time to bring the "Change" to Jacksonville.
Re: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station
« Reply #36 on: May 13, 2010, 02:11:22 PM »
Yeah, well I plan to be vocal, however I am wondering if my vocal opinion will bring on negativity. I am going to start by not voting for leaders that are not interesting in any smart planning.
SunRail, Florida's smart transit idea. :) (now up on the chopping block) :(

Captain Zissou

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4301
Re: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station
« Reply #37 on: May 13, 2010, 02:14:56 PM »
Mattius, I strongly disagree with you.  As a whole, I think the younger generation is one of the worst to ever walk the earth, especially in America.  The attitude of entitlement, apathy, and laziness runs rampant through teens and young adults.  Since birth, this generation has been inundated with the get rich quick mindset and the mass marketing of the corporate machine.

However, I think that the internet and media glut has also allowed the forward thinking and innovative minds of our generation to be far more influential than those in the past.  Grass roots movements are able to quickly mobilize and disseminate over vast distances far more easily than in the past.  Because of this, I think our generation will be able to affect positive change in society.

I do not think our generation is in any way better or more enlightened than the ones before us.  In many ways, I think we are worse.  We have really had no great crisis, and we do not know the meaning or the benefits of hard work.  I think we just have greater tools for informing the masses and influencing others as to the perils of our current way of life.  This is why we will create a better tomorrow.  It is foolish to discredit the generations before us.  They fought the wars, built the cities, and paved the way for us to be in the state we are today.  

Mattius92

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 313
  • It's time to bring the "Change" to Jacksonville.
Re: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station
« Reply #38 on: May 13, 2010, 02:23:20 PM »
True, but many of our leaders have become corrupt, and they are making there generation look bad, but not saying there generation is bad. What we will see is when my generation starts to enter politics then we will see if there is going to be "change". And in time we will become the ones that are running the country, we will be the CEOs, and the Generals. The key to promoting a better generation is looking at the past and seeing what needs to be done in the future to create a better State, country and world.

And yes we are what poeple will call, the first generation of the Information Age. We have a different look on things and we grew up with computers and the internet, these tools help us, and corrupt us. Overall though we have a larger and more educated view on things, because we know what happened in the past.

SunRail, Florida's smart transit idea. :) (now up on the chopping block) :(

Mattius92

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 313
  • It's time to bring the "Change" to Jacksonville.
Re: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station
« Reply #39 on: May 13, 2010, 02:25:17 PM »
Don't it suck for me being the youngest active participator in these forums.
SunRail, Florida's smart transit idea. :) (now up on the chopping block) :(

jbroadglide

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 307
Re: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station
« Reply #40 on: May 13, 2010, 02:33:30 PM »
No, it sounds like you have a lot on the ball. Surprising, since you're a Gator Mattius!  ;)
Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus (Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon)

Mattius92

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 313
  • It's time to bring the "Change" to Jacksonville.
Re: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station
« Reply #41 on: May 13, 2010, 02:38:33 PM »
I am 17 and I am still underage which means technically I wont have any say till I am turn 18 this December. I can still convince poeple and have a vocal say in things, just doesn't mean that they will matter anything or not. Better to start off early, right?
SunRail, Florida's smart transit idea. :) (now up on the chopping block) :(

Mattius92

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 313
  • It's time to bring the "Change" to Jacksonville.
Re: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station
« Reply #42 on: May 13, 2010, 02:48:23 PM »
That is true, well I plan to be active once I turn 18. Attend planning meetings and making our leaders think... haha
SunRail, Florida's smart transit idea. :) (now up on the chopping block) :(

Ocklawaha

  • Phd. Ferroequinology
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10447
  • Monster of Mobility! Ocklawaha is Robert Mann
    • LIGHT RAIL JACKSONVILLE
Re: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station
« Reply #43 on: May 13, 2010, 03:41:17 PM »
Mattius, I wrote my first letter to the late Congressman Charles Bennett, at the age of 14, it was about passenger rail on the FEC.  While there was nothing he could do in that day of pre Amtrak train-slaughter, he wrote back to encourage me to carry the flag and NEVER give up.  Today I am one of the oldest Dis·es·tab·lish·men·tar·i·an (look it up) on these webs. "Charlie" and I became good friends, he as a sort of mentor to the loud mouth kid.

Jandar, Think we should change your choice of words here, spic of land or spit of land.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=&q=spit+of+land&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS355US355&ie=UTF-8
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/spic

Otherwise all of the problems could be fixed with scheduling, express trains and reverse commutes both AM and PM.  This just means while 5 trains are running from Green Cove Springs to Jacksonville, 2 trains are running the other way.  Thus people that came in from St. Augustine and need to get to NAS (for example) can change downtown and head for the ultimate destination. FSUJAX is correct that once this is up and running, employers will flock to it. There could be all sorts of dollar incentives to move near the tracks. Green Industry, less parking required, tax breaks etc...  All of those folks from OP to Southpointe would just swap trains downtown and ride a reverse to their destination station.  JTA could run an on demand jittney from Bay Meadows, JTB etc... to learn where the business is headed until putting on regular connecting buses.  Meanwhile streetcars and Skyway will greatly expand the choices of "where to locate" for urban businesses.

As for pacing the train, they ran at track speed 79 mph most of the way, good luck on pacing THAT.


OCKLAWAHA





jbroadglide

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 307
Re: St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station
« Reply #44 on: May 13, 2010, 03:52:17 PM »
I chased the circus train north one year on the FEC from St Augustine to Bayard at just a "touch" over the posted speed limit.  ::) If we could have met the train farther south, say down around SR207, from there I think I would have gotten some good vid. But slower cars and a fast train killed that idea. Imagine going 79mph down that smooth FEC track from Jax to Miami!! The mouth waters at the very idea.
Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus (Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon)