New train is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive
Christine Simone
Issue date: 3/12/10 Section: News
|
Phase One of a high-speed rail system will connect downtown Tampa and the Orlando International Airport by 2015. The 'bullet train' is expected to reach speeds of 150 mph as it voyages along the median of I-4 corridor.
Not only is Polk County located along the 84-mile route, but Lakeland will also host a stop for the train between the two primary destinations.
A special meeting of the Polk Transportation Planning Organization was held Feb. 23 to choose Lakeland locations to recommend to Florida officials as potential train stops. Five Lakeland stops were proposed to the committee, however the city commissioners refused to choose a single location on Feb. 13, prompting the additional meeting just over a week later.
Ultimately the decision was narrowed to two potential locations - a site at the University of South Florida Polytechnic and a site on Kathleen Road.
The USF Poly site gained a significant lobbying force that attempted to persuade voters to choose the option. Advocates said that the USF location will help to develop that area of the city by attracting more people to the area via the train, which would in turn lead to an increase in economic development and housing near the campus.
Proponents of the Kathleen Road location pointed out that it is more centrally located in Lakeland and boasted its proximity to important attractions and medical facilities. The number of potential travelers that may choose to use the train to commute may be higher near the Kathleen Road than the USF Poly.
Although the Lakeland City Commission initially recommended a train station be located near Kathleen Road in 2003, the group did not choose to officially recommend either site.
Other destinations throughout Florida are planned for the future including stops in Miami, West Palm Beach, Cocoa, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Pensacola, Tallahassee and Fort Myers.
"Hopefully one day it will have stops in more cities. I myself will probably never use the bullet train because I have a car, but I might take it one day just for fun," Michal Sierans, FSC senior, said.
A bullet train ticket from Orlando to Tampa is expected to sell for between nine and ten dollars - a saving of about one dollar per trip over the existing Amtrack train.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Ashley
posted 3/15/10 @ 10:16 AM EST
I think it should be called the Orange Blossom Special.
The Orange Blossom Special was a deluxe passenger train operated primarily by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad between New York City and Miami in the United States. (Continued…)
Post a Comment