So many stupid fucking people on here.
I4 is **NOT** a clusterfuck. Nowhere NEAR anything like I have seen in other large areas. When I do have to travel to Orlando, on MAYBE 5% of the trips, there's a delay when first entering Orlando, and then it's fine after that.
Who will use this train?
People that want to go to Disney, which conveniently the proposed train would have stopped at. Even there - the Disney are and various attractions are spread all over. The other end of the train goes to the Orlando train station which is in the fucking ghetto, built in the late 1800's, is a shit hole, and still 5-10 miles form most of Orlando downtown, much like the shit hole train station in Tampa, which is a bit closer to downtown.
As said above - you will still need to get a cab/etc to get to downtown Orlando. Combine the time and hassle getting a cab, add it to the train transit time, regardless of what speed it is, and you won't save any time. Disney, being the cheap fucks they are, will not pay anything for the train.
The tracks they plan to use are owned by CSX. The agreement with CSX is that all track maintenance is paid for and done by the state. Guess what? The tracks are in disrepair, and no where near in the condition they need to be in to handle a bullet train at those speeds. So - all new tracks, at the taxpayer's expense, and all maintenance going forward.
Aphex - you are an idiot.
Like FNE, I don't know anyone that commutes to Orlando either, and since the widening of I4 - the traffic is much better than most similar routes. I have lived here since 1977 and never knew of anyone that commuted daily back and forth. Pretty fuckin stupid - they should move, it's over 1.5 hours away. You don't know what real traffic jams are if you think that is bad. You want to spend well over 5 billion dollars to avoid an occasional delay on a relatively little traveled SECTION of highway? Are you so naive to think that this won't come with a huge price? When was the last time you saw more than 4-5 people on a city transit bus? If you even HAVE a transit line over there.
Mass rail transit will never work here - we have crazy urban sprawl, low housing prices, ample parking, very low auto ownership costs, Low fuel costs, etc.
This will indeed be a revenue vacuum for years and years to come, FNE is dead on with this,
I didn't vote for Scott - I think he's one of the most dishonest politicians ever - but I agree with him on this. Once people get past the rhetoric and short term job gains - they will see this is a beast and useless in Florida.
And I LIVE in Central Florida, just a few miles north of Tampa.