It is a big controversy here in Orange County. It is supposed to service travel between Tamp, Orlando Airport and the Disney area. However, as you can see, the other resorts are not too happy about it.
Mears, knowing that they will be on the losing scale, jumped on the bandwagon and decided to sponsor it, so they will be part of it when if it ever is up and running.
It was put on our November Election referendum and got voted down, but it is still in the works. We will see what happens.
Here is information on what they want to do:
When voters approved an amendment to Florida's constitution in November 2000, they were signaling the beginning of high speed ground transportation in the state and starting a connection to Florida's future.
The amendment requires the use of train technologies that operate at speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour and consist of dedicated rails or guideways separated from motor vehicle traffic. The new high speed rail system is to link the five largest urban areas in Florida, and construction must begin by November 1, 2003.
In March 2001, the Florida Legislature enacted the Florida High Speed Rail Authority Act and created the Florida High Speed Rail Authority. The Act set forth that there would be a nine member Board made of three appointments by each the Governor, the Speaker of the Florida House, and the President of the Florida Senate. Since the creation of the Authority, a report of their actions, findings and recommendations has been issued to the Governor and the Legislature. Each report can be found in the Resource Library.
In October 2002, the Authority issued a Request for Proposal to Design, Build, Operate, Maintain and Finance (DBOM&F) the first phase of the project from Tampa to Orlando. The Authority received four proposals in February 2003. At the April 2003 Authority Board Meeting, orders were signed rejecting two of the proposals, from et3.com, Inc. and Georgia Monorail Consortium, which were found to be non-responsive to the RFP. The other two proposals that the Authority has received are from Fluor Bombardier and Global Rail Consortium each demonstrating strong private sector interest. Based on these proposals, the cost of this initial phase is approximately $2.4 billion. Both proposals offer private equity contributions to support operations of the system and show willingness of the private sector to share risk associated with projected ridership revenues.
After an extensive review of the proposals, the Authority ranked the proposals first and second, Fluor Bombardier and Global Rail Consortium, respectively. At the same meeting the Authority identified the preferred route for the system, which would begin near the Tampa Central Business District (along I-275) traveling towards I-4 where it will continue along the median of I-4 to the SR 417 (GreeneWay) in Orlando and into the Orlando International Airport. Intermediate stations are proposed in Lakeland and the Walt Disney area by Fluor Bombardier.
Negotiations with the Fluor Bombardier team began just after the ranking and are continuing.
The Authority is currently operating under funds issued by the Federal Government through the Federal Railroad Administration. The Governor and the Legislature in the 2004 Legislative session provided only the approval to use the Federal funds and no state monetary support.
High Speed Rail Slow Getting Up To Speed
POSTED: 10:21 a.m. EST November 28, 2003
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Florida's bullet train system is running on time but danger is lurking ahead on the tracks.
Three years after voters approved a constitutional amendment requiring a fast train network across the state, the Florida High Speed Rail Authority barely met a November deadline to begin construction. A contractor has been picked and a route from Orlando to Tampa selected.
But that may have been the easy part.
"We've got a long ways to go," authority member Bill Dunn said. "Once you get into the details, that's when the devils come out."
The authority must hammer out an agreement with Fluor-Bombardier, the partnership of two firms that was selected to design build, operate and maintain the rail system.
It also may try to wrestle more contributions from Walt Disney World in exchange for running the line directly from Orlando International Airport to the resort. Disney got the concession by pledging valuable land and riders. But the authority is asking what else can Disney provide.
Throw in smaller negotiations with the airport (where a terminus will be located) and the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (which owns a length of toll road where the bullet train panel wants to run its line), and the next few months could be a hard slog.
And if the authority trips up even in the slightest, Gov. Jeb Bush could be the largest obstacle in the train's path. "It's a boondoggle of epic proportions," Bush said. "This will consume significant parts of our transportation
budget.
Working out an agreement with Fluor-Bombardier is going to be the authority's biggest responsibility, because of the complex nature of a contract that must deal with everything from how the trains will be powered to when they're scheduled to arrive at the stations.
But Fluor-Bombardier wants to make it easy on the authority because if this project goes according to the optimists' hopes, the partnership will last a long time.
"The obligation up front to get it right and to make sure people understand what they're getting is probably higher in this instance than in other procurements," said Lecia Stewart, Bombardier's vice president for high speed rail in North America.
"This is not an established rail operating authority -- and they're asking us to fulfill that role."
Less than a month into their agreement, the authority already has placed some demands on Fluor-Bombardier. The bullet train panel liked Fluor-Bombardier's practical experience (it provided the trains for Amtrak's Acela Express running from Boston to Washington, D.C.) and business model.
However, some authority members are a bit disappointed that the Orlando-to-Tampa train would be powered by a diesel engine.
"We may get to the point where it's more perception than reality," said authority member C.C. "Doc" Dockery. He noted that Fluor-Bombardier estimates that a 200 mph train would arrive in Tampa just five minutes ahead of a train going 125 mph -- the speed of Fluor-Bombardier's JetTrain.
"But it will make a difference between Orlando and Miami."
The authority also, in the interest of safety, is demanding the route be double-tracked.
These requests prompted Dunn to note that if Fluor-Bombardier acquiesces to the authority's wishlist, the first line could cost an additional $800 million -- sending the price tag for the first leg past $3 billion.
Judging by early returns, the authority's negotiations with Disney already are getting sticky.
In beating out the interests of the Orange County Convention Center and the International Drive tourist district to land a station, Disney made the authority what it thought was a highly generous offer. The resort would donate 50 acres of land for a station and rights of way, plus hand over 2.2 million people a year that currently ride buses as part of their package tours.
That's a good start, according to one member of the authority.
"They need to make a make a major contribution, as they are a major benefactor," authority chairman Fred Dudley said.
Also, asked Dunn, what about other sources of revenue from the station? For example, who would get the money if a rental car company was allowed to set up shop near the station -- Disney or the authority.
"We're going to end up with a station that's nothing but a station," Dunn said. "Disney's going to have everything else."
In the face of such questions from the authority, Disney is standing firm.
"I would say we're bringing huge benefits to the state with the ridership, with the land, with the marketing," said Tom Lewis, Disney's vice president for transportation. "And I don't see us going beyond the scope of those commitments."
All parties want these negotiations to bear fruit by March, when the Legislature convenes for its 2004 session. They want to show lawmakers signs of progress for a costly project that has faced some skepticism in the Legislature.
However, there's no telling when accords will be reached to everyone's satisfaction. And until then, nobody knows when the first train will leave the station.
"We had a deadline in the constitutional amendment," Dunn said. "Now we don't have deadlines anymore."
Copyright 2003 by WFTV.com
