All Aboard for Amtrak/FEC Passenger Service

By Commissioner Jeff Koons

Recently I joined a contingent of federal, state and local transportation officials on a sunny Saturday morning for a trip aboard a special Amtrak train. What made it special was not the train itself, but the fact we were riding on FEC freight tracks. These are the railroad tracks that parallel Dixie Highway and Quadrille Avenue through downtown West Palm Beach.

The “inspection run” from Miami to Jacksonville was part of a feasibility study to reintroduce passenger rail service along the FEC corridor, which was discontinued in 1968. The state wants to upgrade the coastal FEC freight lines from Miami to Jacksonville into a network capable of carrying Amtrak’s 90-mph trains.

Currently, Amtrak runs on CSX tracks that veer west to Orlando, then back east. The trip from West Palm Beach to Jacksonville takes about nine hours. Amtrak’s higher-speed trains could make the entire 326-mile run from Miami to Jacksonville in only six hours using the FEC tracks. In addition to rail upgrades, new Amtrak stations would be built in Stuart, Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Melbourne, Cocoa, Titusville, Daytona Beach and St. Augustine. Commuters will be interested to know the project would include construction of a key rail interconnection between the CSX and FEC tracks in West Palm Beach that could lead the way for Tri-Rail service being extended north to Jupiter. Right now, Tri-Rail service ends in Mangonia Park.

Last year, the Florida Department of Transportation applied for $268 million in federal ARRA stimulus dollars for the Amtrak/FEC Corridor Project, but it was deemed not “shovel-ready” and funding was denied. An estimated 2,100 new construction jobs were put on hold, not to mention the financial boost it would have provided for in-state tourism and local businesses.

The Florida Department of Transportation is working on an updated application for federal funding. As part of the process, regional planning councils up and down the coast are holding public workshops to provide information and obtain public input on conceptual plans for the proposed new Amtrak stations. I think these outreach efforts and the test run from Miami clearly indicate that state and local transportation agencies are ready and willing to move forward together to get the rail improvements in place. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

As always, I welcome your questions and comments. Please feel free to contact me or my staff at 355-2202.