FEC Announces Plans for Private Passenger Rail Service in Florida

[Lakelander]

An update on the OIA's attempt to fund a train station and garage on their property for AAF.

OIA drops terminal for now, still wants train depot

By Dan Tracy, Orlando Sentinel

Orlando International Airport officials are backing away from building a new southern terminal, but they still want a $470 million monorail and parking garage for a train depot — despite opposition from the major airlines.

Airport Chairman Frank Kruppenbacher said the train station is too important to the region's economy to be scuttled. The monorail and 3,500-space garage would link to a depot paid for by the All Aboard Florida train that would run between South Florida and the airport.

"If somebody can show me it's a mistake, I'm always willing to listen to it. But so far I've not heard anything other than economic opportunity associated with that [train station] and an improvement of our airport operations," Kruppenbacher said in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel.

full article: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...,2820400.story

[Dale]

Seems like Orlando's the holdup for AAF.

[N830MH]

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/2...of-at-new.html

Fix for design goof at new Miami airport central train station to cost millions, delay opening

State transportation officials trying to fix a critical engineering snafu at the new train station under construction at Miami International Airport’s $2 billion transportation hub have backed off the cheapest fix: closing off Northwest 25th Street. But they must now choose from a menu of alternatives that are all substantially more complex, costly and time-consuming.

The bottom line, engineers for the Florida Department of Transportation told members of the Metropolitan Planning Organization on Thursday: correcting the mistake could now cost up to tens of millions of dollars. A source familiar with the project said that could also delay opening of the $88 million Miami Central Station by as much as a year, or to early 2015.

Guess, they won't be open for this year. They pushback to early 2015. They want to reconstruction new MIA central airport station.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by N830MH

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/2...of-at-new.html
Fix for design goof at new Miami airport central train station to cost millions, delay opening

Miami's airport central stations has nothing what-so-ever to do with FEC!
Why did you include this bit of news in this topic? Wouldn't this bit of news be more appropriate with the "Miami: MetroRail expansion to the airport begins construction" thread?

[Lakelander]

The FEC project appears to be stimulating TOD talk in Downtown Miami already. From the Metro Jacksonville discussion boards:

The Miami Herald is reporting that MDM development is pushing forward with the new Miami Convention Center and a 1800 room Marriott hotel.



Highly noted is the impetus MDM got when they saw that FECI was developing their Miami train station for All Aboard Florida, which is across the street from the MDM 4 block parcel. Also noted is that this development will have direct pedestrian access to the new AAF station.

The convention center and hotel would be linked directly to the train station and the Overtown Metrorail station through sky bridges

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/1...on-center.html

The YouTube video of the development prominently shows the planned Miami AAF station and tower.

http://youtu.be/Aui9oP-IE9o

How related the two developments are could be debated, but it does show how investment in a urban transit center can trigger investment in nearby properties.

MiamiToday reports that a recent Miami Chmaber of Commerce meeting where members say the new AAF station has become a catalyst to redevelop the west side. They believe that the new station will "transform" west all the way to I-95.

Rail depot, condos to propel west side

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/130606/story6.shtml

[bobdreamz]

The hotel design looks great and glad their will be skybridges connecting the All Aboard Florida train station & this convention center. My issue is that the MDM company were the one was that were supposed to develop the MET 3 Highrise that was going to be Miami's tallest and that project fell through.