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Yesterday (3/4/16) an AAF representative came to the FRPC Meeting in Winter Park and gave us an update. Here are some salient point:

1. Construction is in full swing for all of Phase I (Miami - WPB). The basic building structure for Miami Central should be in place by late this year. We were invited to hold a meeting down there late this year. Service is still expected to begin late 2017.

2. Two full train sets are currently under construction by Siemens in California. They will be delivered late this year for testing and certification, the remaining three sets for Phase 1 will follow in first half or so in 2017. (My note: This would suggest that AAF will likely receive ten Chargers by late 2017 as part of the five trainsets for Phase I. They will receive the other 10 by late 2018.))

3. Seats will be reserved assigned seating. Got some more details on the automatically deploying bridge plates at each door. Neat thing. It is designed to work with variation in platform height of several inches.

4. Food service will be buffet style in the Cafe, no Diner style at table service.

5. AAF has a meeting with Brevard County this coming week to begin the process of site selection with the County for the Brevard County station, which is now said to be part of Phase 3 (the phase after service to Orlando goes on line (which is Phase 2).

6. The station in Brevard County will be funded primarily and owned by AAF, (My note: I would expect there to be some significant commercial development by AAF in the area around the station.)

7. Construction of the OIA intermodal station and the people mover connecting it to the current North Termnal is already in full swing.

8. Construction north of WPB is expected to begin late this year. All the land needed for construction between Cocoa and OIA is now in possession of AAF. There are still legal issues to resolve in Martin and Indian River Counties. (My note: Remember that those NIMBY's also delayed construction of I-95 by 20 years. So worst case service to Orlando may have to begin with operation on upgraded current track at a slower speed initially, while they carry on with their obstruction. But it is a matter of time. They will ultimately not prevail because the property is already owned by FEC and it is already zoned for railroad.)

9. Service to Orlando is now slated for late '18/early '19.

TAFN
 
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The fact that the WPB to OIA section is delayed until late 2018 to early 2019 isn't surprising, considering the obstacles the project has faced as a whole. Glad the delay isn't too significant. As for OIA's intermodal station, that's great.
 
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me_little_me said:
Caesar La Rock said:
The fact that the WPB to OIA section is delayed until late 2018 to early 2019 isn't surprising, considering the obstacles the project has faced as a whole. Glad the delay isn't too significant. As for OIA's intermodal station, that's great.
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Speak for yourself. At my age a year's delay may be a lifetime.
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It's all probabilistic. But a five year delay is more likely to be a lifetime than a year's delay, won't you agree?
 
Looks like they are about to start double tracking in Palm Beach County. This is looking south from the Okeechobee crossing in downtown West Palm Beach:

ssabFjt.jpg
 
Went by the Mimi station site today and it's certainly a site to see. Vertical columns that will soon carry brightline trains over downtown streets are being installed. You can definitely start to see how trains will make their ascent to the station.
 
chrsjrcj said:
Went by the Mimi station site today and it's certainly a site to see. Vertical columns that will soon carry brightline trains over downtown streets are being installed. You can definitely start to see how trains will make their ascent to the station.
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Did you snap any pictures of it?
 
chrsjrcj said:
Went by the Mimi station site today and it's certainly a site to see. Vertical columns that will soon carry brightline trains over downtown streets are being installed. You can definitely start to see how trains will make their ascent to the station.
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Does the descent start immediately on leaving the station, or does the vidauct keep going for a bit.

I can imagine the latter option would help remove crossings whereas the former would help trains accelerate while saving fuel, while also help them slow down on arrival while saving brake pads.
 
CSXfoamer1997 said:
Will the coaches have Roller Bearing trucks like most American equipment, or Journal Bearing trucks?
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Does anyone actually manufacture any new passenger rolling stock with journal bearing anymore? For that matter is any modern freight car using journal bearings?

The Viaggios are modern cars with roller bearings.
 
Question, FEC would not do this if it was not profitable, so how is FEC is making money on this Pax operation where Amtrak struggles?
 
FECI is not depending on the Brightline Service being exceedingly profitable all by itself. It is looking at the whole All Aboard Florida package which involves a huge real estate component at each station which is supported by the passenger rail service. Remember FECI's history. It is primarily a real estate operation with a railroad attached to serve the real estate by bringing people to the properties. They are following the same model by providing efficient transport avoiding the perennial south Florida traffic jams. That is the big difference with Amtrak.

Again as a reminder, FEC Industries (FECI) and FEC Railroad (FECR) are two subsidiaries of Fortress Group. All Aboard Florida (AAF) which is developing the Brightline Service, supporting infrastructure and over two million square feet of associated real estate is a subsidiary of FECI.

This is also the reason that the starry eyed folks who think that the FECI experiment can be duplicated easily elsewhere or that FECI will someday extend its service to Atlanta or such are going to be sorely disappointed. After doing Cocoa to JAX, and as an outside chance Orlando to Tampa, they will be happy to milk it all for all it is worth and not bother to go elsewhere, unless they happen to get into a huge real estate deal somewhere else.
 
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jis said:
This is also the reason that the starry eyed folks who think that the FECI experiment can be duplicated easily elsewhere or that FECI will someday extend its service to Atlanta or such are going to be sorely disappointed. After doing Coca to JAX, and as an outside chance Orlando to Tampa, they will be happy to milk it all for all it is worth and not bother to go elsewhere, unless they happen to get into a huge real estate deal somewhere else.
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I would even venture to say that I'll believe JAX and Tampa when I see them. Initailly they will run from Miami to West Palm Beach. After that they may probably do Orlando and beyond that they may well say, if you want more service your government will have to subsidize it. Does FEC have any notable real estate in Tampa or JAX? If not, what's the point in them going there?
 
The thing about JAX is, they have as much as said that they will eventually go there, and I don't have a reason to disbelieve them. And yes, they do own some significant develop-able property adjacent to the FECR RoW and elsewhere in JAX apparently. Similarly they do own develop-able property in Daytona and also around St. Augustin and whole pile of it around their big facility in New Smyrna.

The first thing that will happen after service is extended to Orlando is addition of about three stations between WPB and Orlando, one of them most likely at Cocoa.

JAX will come sometime after that. Tampa, I have my doubts.
 
How many properties, if any, does FEC own in the vicinity of the Osborn Convention center AKA the old Jacksonville Terminal? I have seen plans of passenger rail service returning there. If so, could Brightline run the east coast section of one of Amtrak's Silver trains if and when they split at JAX under contract?
 
All sorts of exciting possibilities open up indeed. However, at present it is too early to tell.

Jacksonville City wants to get the train station back by Osborne Center. However, that would reinstate the need for backup moves for trains that operate between New York or New Orleans and Orlando and call at Jacksonville, due to the layout of the links into the area, that are almost impossible to change.

BTW, there already is a DEIS for extending sections of the Silver Service down FEC to Miami.

So we'll have to wait and see.
 
Would Amtrak be able to call at that station? Seems the current one is akin to Staples Mill Rd in Richmond [too far out of center-city].
 
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