High-speed railroad aid questioned
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TAMPA, Fla. -- The drive from Orlando to Tampa takes only 90 minutes or so. Despite the distance, the Obama administration awarded Florida $1.25 billion in stimulus money to link the cities with a fast train to help kick off its efforts to bring high-speed rail service to the United States.
The Florida train would indeed be high speed -- as fast as 168 mph. But because the trains would make five stops along the 84-mile route, the new service would shave only about half an hour off the trip.
Time-pressed passengers may also find themselves frustrated at the end of their trip. Neither city is known for great public transportation, so travelers may discover that they have taken a fast train to a slow bus.
Proponents of high-speed rail worry that the new line, scheduled to be operational in 2015, might hurt rather than help their cause, if it comes to be seen as little more than an expensive way to whisk tourists from Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World, which is slated to get its own stop.
Even Rep. John L. Mica, a Republican whose district in northeast Florida stops about 20 miles short of the proposed line, has questioned whether his state was the best choice to receive some of the $8 billion set aside in the stimulus act for high-speed rail.
Mr. Mica wondered if the notoriously congested Northeast corridor from Boston to New York to Washington, largely shut out of the money pool, might have been a better choice. "That would have the most dramatic impact, as far as a positive result for the country," said Mr. Mica, who added that he was grateful for the investment in his home state.
State officials say they have been planning the route for decades and own most of the right of way needed for the tracks -- a big selling point to the Obama administration, which saw it as the fastest and cheapest way to get a line up and running.
Florida also hopes that it would be only the first leg of a high-speed line that eventually would stretch south to Miami, linking several of the state's tourism and business centers. But it is unclear where the state will get the money to extend the train line. As it is, officials are uncertain where they would get the rest of the $2.6 billion that they believe is needed to build the Orlando-to-Tampa route.
Supporters of high-speed rail often argue that it can be a way to lure passengers off airplanes. But Orlando and Tampa are so close that no airlines fly between them. The drive took less than 82 minutes on a couple of recent test runs by a reporter; the train is expected to cover the same ground in 54 to 58 minutes.
Even the Florida project's planners have acknowledged that it would have a limited impact on traffic.
First Published March 23, 2010 12:00 am
