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SunRail

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SunRail
Overview
StatusUnder Construction
LocaleCentral Florida
Termini
  • DeLand, Florida
  • Poinciana, Florida
Stations17
Websitewww.sunrail.com
Service
TypeRegional rail
History
Opened2013 (Phase 1 planned)
Technical
Line length61 mi (98 km)
CharacterAt-grade
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Route map
Template:Infobox rdt

SunRail (formerly referred to as Central Florida Commuter Rail) is a planned commuter rail system in the greater Orlando, Florida area, linking Poinciana to DeLand through Downtown Orlando. When completed, SunRail will run for 61 miles (98 km) with 17 stations along the CSX Transportation "A" Line (former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad main line).

The SunRail system is being financed by the counties, the state, and the federal government. It is expected to be fully completed sometime in 2015, with the first phase operating as early as 2013.

Route

The following stations are planned:

Cost and funding

The total cost of the system is estimated at $615 million for construction plus an $491 million to purchase the right of way and tracks. The state of Florida will purchase the "A" Line from DeLand to Poinciana from CSX. The money was above the $615 million quoted for the system, which was have CSX still run some limited freight at night on the "A" Line, but most freight traffic is planned to be rerouted.[1]

The new commuter rail system is to be financed by the federal government, the state and the counties. Volusia County, Seminole County, Orange County, the City of Orlando and Osceola County are the partners in the project. Fifty percent of the funding is to come from a federal transit "New Starts" grant. The local partners are responsible for 25 percent of the cost and another 25 percent is to be paid by the State of Florida. This includes the cost to make track improvements, construct train stations and purchase rail cars.

On 22 December 2010, it was announced that the state of Florida had created an escrow account with $173 million.[2] The money was planned to be used to purchase the tracks SunRail will operate on, and also allowed the state to formally request $300 million from the federal government to cover construction costs.[2]

Project planning and approvals

An agreement was reached between Florida Department of Transportation and CSX for the purchase of the tracks on November 29, 2007, and the Florida Legislature approved the CSX-Florida Department of Transportation agreement in order for project construction to begin. However, the legislature failed to vote on the agreement to purchase the right of way and tracks from CSX in the 2008 session. At issue were provisions regarding liability and indemnification. Commenting on the bill, state senator Paula Dockery said, "I don't envision a time anytime soon where thoughtful senators are going to say that there's some kind of good public policy involved in taking liability away from somebody who was at fault and putting it on the taxpayers of the state of Florida."[3]

The contract between CSX and Florida DOT was in place through June 30, 2009, and the legislature planned to use another opportunity to consider and approve the agreement in the 2009 legislative session.[4][5] The bill made it through all necessary Senate committee approvals and the first segment of the project had already been approved to enter Final Design by the Federal Transit Administration on August 11, 2008.

On January 14, 2009, the SunRail name and logo were presented to the public by City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.[6] Progress continued to move slowly forward on the project until the state legeslative session on April 30, 2009 when the project was once again defeated by a 23-17 vote. The movement against the project, which was once again led by state senators Paula Dockery and Mike Bennett, continued to revolve around an amendment that would have approved a $200 million insurance policy for SunRail. The proposed insurance, however, was similar to the arrangement the state already had with FEC for the South Florida Tri-Rail system. Another political problem for SunRail was an overall lack of support for the project from the South Florida delegation (which included state senators Chris Smith of Fort Lauderdale, Dan Gelber of Miami Beach, Nan Rich of Weston and Frederica Wilson of Miami) effectively killed the bill.

After the second failure, with the deadline to purchase the tracks in question from CSX looming, the state initially pulled the plan from the legislative agenda, endangering as much as $307 million in federal funds that had been promised to SunRail, which would have been taken away if the plan failed. Nearly $27 million of that federal money had already been spent to purchase rail equipment and land for stations and it was unknown whether or not the State of Florida would have had to pay the money back to the federal government. However, CSX rescinded the deadline on June 29,[7] permitting more negotiation time for insurance arrangements. An agreement on insurance was finally reached, and lawmakers convened a special session in December 2009 that passed the House on December 7 and the Senate on December 8. Additional federal money may be attracted to reduce the financial cost to the state.[8]

On December 8, 2009 the contractual requirement necessary to move forward with SunRail was passed along with funding for South Florida's Tri-Rail system. At the bill's signing Senate President Jeff Atwater said "Today, Florida is embracing the opportunity to lead the nation in developing a comprehensive transportation system, thereby ensuring our competitive edge in the 21st Century global economy. A comprehensive transportation system, creating opportunities and avenues to connect employers and employees, is integral to building a stronger future for Florida."[9]

Negotiations with Amtrak subsequently led to a dispute over which party would bear liability for incidents on Amtrak trains operating on the route, which would be owned by SunRail—Amtrak wanted SunRail to assume responsibility for such incidents, while SunRail wanted Amtrak to be liable. The purchase of the trackage from CSX could not be completed until an agreement with Amtrak was reached.[10] On December 10, 2010, it was announced that Amtrak and the state had apparently reached a deal regarding the issue, as Amtrak had dropped its opposition to the sale.[11]

On January 29, 2011, Florida Governor Rick Scott froze all SunRail contracts and ordered a six-month legislative review of the project to determine whether the project was a good investment.[12] However, on July 1, 2011, Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad announced that Scott had finally approved the project.[13]

Approval votes

  • Orange County - 7-0 - July 19, 2007 [14]
  • City of Orlando - 7-0 - July 23, 2007 [15]
  • Seminole County - 5-0 - July 24, 2007 [16]
  • Osceola County - 5-0† - July 30, 2007 [15]
  • Volusia County - July 31, 2007 [17]

† Osceola County has agreed in principle, but is examining how to fund its $9.3-million share.

Technical

A Rail Runner using a similar equipment setup to that planned for SunRail

Operation

The SunRail line is presently used by two daily Amtrak round trips, the Silver Meteor and the Silver Star, as well as by numerous CSX freight trains. It was also used by an Amtrak tri-weekly trip, the Sunset Limited from Orlando to Los Angeles, which has been suspended indefinitely between Orlando and New Orleans since 2005 due to damage caused to the line by Hurricane Katrina.

Rolling stock

The Florida Department of Transportation is in the final stages of placing orders for the rolling stock of the SunRail system.[18]

Model Built Builder Inventory
MP36PH-3C 2010 Motive Power 7
Bombardier BiLevel Coach 2010 Bombardier 4
Bombardier BiLevel Cab Car 2010 Bombardier 9

Paint scheme

On September 10, 2010, the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission announced it had chosen a paint scheme for the trains.[19] The design consists of a representation of a sun, as well as renderings of green for wildlife and blue for skies.[19] According to the designer, Jim Bockstall, the scheme was based on public input and was a hybrid of representations of both movement and traditional imagery.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ News & Events - CFRail.com
  2. ^ a b "SunRail's $173 million escrow account moves commuter rail one step closer to construction phase". Orlando Sentinel. 22 December 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  3. ^ "CSX RAILROAD WANTS TO BE TREATED LIKE A KING". The Injury Board. 3 May 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  4. ^ Miller, James (May 1, 2008). "Senate applies brakes to commuter rail". Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved 2008-05-02. [dead link]
  5. ^ "State won't buy CSX track in Central Florida". Tampa Bay Business Journal. May 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
  6. ^ Schlueb, Mark (January 14, 2009). "Logo for proposed commuter rail unveiled". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  7. ^ "Sentinel exclusive: Commuter-rail plan might be back". Orlando Sentinel. 2009-06-26. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
  8. ^ "Dyer: 3rd time will be charm for SunRail". Orlando Sentinel. 2009-07-02. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
  9. ^ DECEMBER 16, 2009, GOVERNOR’S PRESS OFFICE
  10. ^ "Amtrak dispute could delay SunRail plans". Trains Magazine. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  11. ^ "Amtrak, Florida reach SunRail deal". Trains Magazine. 10 December 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  12. ^ http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Scott_freezes_SunRail_contracts_for_review_114856889.html
  13. ^ http://www.review.net/section/detail/7-1-2011-sunrail-gets-go-ahead/
  14. ^ [1][dead link]
  15. ^ a b "Orlando on board for rail". OrlandoSentinel.com. 2007-07-24. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
  16. ^ [2][dead link]
  17. ^ "Volusia County Council Actions - JULY 31, 2007". Volusia.org. 2007-07-31. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
  18. ^ Tracy, Dan (2010-05-10). "State About To Buy Locomotives And Coaches For SunRail Train". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
  19. ^ a b c "Rail Commission picks SunRail train design". 10 September 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
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