Florida getting first high-speed rail funds
Last year, the government promised $10.5 billion in funds for high-speed rail development and the first state to receive some of that money is Florida. Tomorrow, President Obama will be awarding $2.5 billion to the state to jump-start the first phase of their train system that will run from Orlando to Tampa.
Phase 1 will run along the heavily traveled I-4 corridor and take passengers to Orlando Airport, Orlando, Disney, Lakeland and Tampa at speeds above 120 mph – not a bullet train, but still faster than a car. Phase 2 will connect Orlando to Miami by two different routes (I-95 and the Turnpike). The system will eventually connect all the major cities in the state and points in between.
The first phase will cost $3.5 billion, so after the government funds the state will still have to raise $1 billion from private investors to complete the project. The state expects the first trains to be running by 2014.
Ideally, Florida’s train system is just the beginning of a much larger train network linking the whole East Coast and the nation. With $8 billion left to be doled out, I’m excited to see which area is the next recipient.
via Inhabitat
