Here’s a little Pop Quiz. Jason is to Friday the 13th movies as _____ is to transportation in the state of Florida. If your answer was “The Bullet Train or High Speed Rail System” you are exactly correct…. it’s Back!
You may recall that in November of 2000, Florida voters pass a Constitutional Amendment directing the Florida Legislature to develop and operate a high speed ground transportation system capable of speeds in excess of 120 mph. The Amendment required that construction begin on or before November 1, 2003 and touted inexpensive travel such as a one-way trip from Tallahassee to Jacksonville taking 1 hour and 30 minutes and costing just $16.30. But a funny thing happened before the bullet train express could muster up enough steam to leave the station. In 2004, then-governor Jeb Bush, successfully led an effort to derail the Amendment on the basis that Floridian’s, “really didn't know what they were approving” and that the estimated $6 billion cost would actually soar to $20 billion bankrupting the state. Governor Bush may have been right, but thanks to nearly $13 billion for high-speed rail (HSR) that was tucked into President Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus package, Florida politicians are now eagerly scurrying to get back onboard the train with Governor Crist leading the way and blowing the whistle.
Florida, which is set to pass New York as the nation's third most inhabited state, has a geographical footprint that makes it frustrating and expensive to traverse. Driving between major cities such as Miami and Tallahassee can be a numbing experience, and please don’t get me started on flying around the state which is problematic at best and financially impractical. Since World War II, the U.S. has poured almost $2 trillion into highway and aviation systems, while passenger rail — like the wheezing federal Amtrak line — has received less than 3% of Washington's transportation dollars. Florida’s record of funding mass transit initiatives has been even less impressive but our state leaders now see these stimulus dollars as an opportunity to jump start an alternative rail system that could provide much needed relief to our over-stressed auto and air infrastructures.
The Florida Department of Transportation recently submitted two stimulus proposals for funding. The first is a $30 million application to conduct a project development and environmental study for an Orlando to Miami high speed rail corridor. The second application requests $2.6 billion to design-build-maintain and operate a high speed rail system within the 100 mile Tampa to Orlando corridor. The Tampa to Orlando proposals calls for the use of the more eco-friendly electric TGV trains popular in Europe and would run along a high speed rail corridor located within the existing median of Interstate 4. Local communities along the proposed I-4 corridor are touting both the economic and environmental benefits of the project but opponents see it as financial quicksand, certain the Orlando-Tampa line will end up costing much more than $2.6 billion.
Will Florida actually move forward with a high speed rail system this time around or, like those Friday the 13th movies, should we look forward to yet another sequel? You will be hearing a great deal on this issue over the next few months but it appears that the prospect of free money, the promise of a high tech traffic decongestant, and the prospect of creating 20,000 higher-wage jobs during these difficult economic times may just punch the ticket that allows this train to leave the station. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome bbruggner@gmail.com
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