gildone

Opponents of All Aboard Florida, just can't win: :-D All Aboard Florida Gaining Steam, Opponents Losing It By Ed Dean June 20, 2016 - 1:00pm Since the announcement of the high-speed rail train project, All Aboard Florida (AAF) has been outflanked by its opponents when it comes to public relations. But on the legal front, AAF is winning the battle. Earlier this month, a Leon County Circuit Court shot down another lawsuit brought by Indian River and Martin counties on challenging AAF’s financing of their train. The court insisted the counties had no subject matter jurisdiction and had failed to establish standing to challenge the Florida Development Finance Corporation’s decisions to issue Private Activity Bonds for the rail project. Full article at: http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/all-aboard-florida-gaining-opponents-losing-steam

Multi-billion dollar bullet train connecting Houston to Dallas expected to break ground next year Texas Central to break ground in late 2017. Interesting, how there are still opponents to this privately funded project using arguments normally reserved for public rail projects. Methinks there is more than just ignorance at work here. There have always been and will continue to be strong opposition to trains by interests who want to keep us trapped in our cars and/or enduring the cattle-car and low customer service experience of US airlines: "Not everyone is excited for the nation to see the first ever high-speed rail built in Texas. State Rep. Cecil Bell launched the Texas High Speed Rail Calculator. It is a publicly available tool that the state representative claims measures the profit and loss of the proposed high-speed rail. Representative Bell believes that the calculator gives Texans the direct access to determine the train's viability. “I’m not inherently opposed to any private project. I am saying that it does not look economically viable, and if it’s not economically viable, it is only intended to become a subsidized endeavor,” said Representative Bell. “I don’t believe that Texas properties should be taken or private properties should be taken. I don’t believe taxpayers’ dollars should go to fund the endeavor. It’s a big amusement park ride. That’s what it is.”" http://m.yourhoustonnews.com/cypresscreek/news/multi-billion-dollar-bullet-train-connecting-houston-to-dallas-expected/article_9528330e-a559-55de-a4bc-53fac477d3a3.html?mode=jqm

This is Peak Oil by Luís de Sousa, originally published by At the Edge of Time | TODAY In the last press review of 2015 I asked if that had been the year petroleum peaked. The question mark was not just a precaution, the uncertainty was really there. Five months later the reported world petroleum extraction rate is pretty much still where it was then. This is not a surprise, but the impact of two years of depressed prices is over due. Nevertheless, during these five months of lethargy the information I gathered brings me considerably closer to removing the question mark from the sentence and acknowledging that a long term decline is settling in. Understanding the present petroleum market as a feature of the supply destruction - demand destruction cycle makes this case clear. Looking Backwards Worldwide petroleum extraction hit some sort of ceiling back in 2004, once it crossed above 70 Mb/d. The volume coming to the market kept increasing, but at a shy pace. From 2004 to 2012 the extraction rate grew only 3%, from 72 Md/b to 74 Mb/d. At the same time, the Brent index endured a remarkable rise from 2004 to 2008. Some called this the "end of cheap oil", alluding to the increasing need for lower return-on-investment resources: ultra-deep water, heavy petroleums, Arctic, etc. Nevertheless, the price collapsed by a third from 2008 to 2009. Back then I explained how the concept of an ever rising petroleum price was at odds with "peak oil". For the world extraction to enter a declining trend, periods of supply destruction must take place to keep those higher entropy resources at bay. Today the market is going through the second supply destruction cycle since the 2004 shift. In reality these cycles are taking far longer than I anticipated, showing a considerable time lag in the adjustment of the supply curve. There is however something special about this supply destruction cycle that could possibly be sealing the end of growth as far as petroleum is concerned... full article at: http://www.resilience.org/stories/2016-05-23/this-is-peak-oil

Is this proposal moving at all? Or is it still languishing?

Duh.. Waterfront Line. Sorry... I just noticed at the link you provided that Greyhound's "letter of support" is pretty lukewarm.

Sorry to be stupid... what's WFL? I missed the acronym definition somewhere...

U.S. bullet train proposals shun public funds, favor private cash http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-rail-idUSKCN0XW0AY “All the rules relating to public engagement start the day you take public funding,” said Wendy Meadley, chief strategy officer for North American High Speed Rail Group’s project in Minnesota. With private financing, she said, opponents "can’t make thousands of public records requests and run the project over.” Also this article says that in light of this, private funding can be a cheaper option.

This is unfortunate. If our legislature gave a damn about public transit, this wouldn't be happening

Update: Tried to submit a complaint about this via RTA's website, but the complaint form is limited to 500 characters! Come on RTA, sometimes you can't limit your explanation that much!

So a couple of weeks ago my family and I took the Red Line to Little Italy. Since we weren't taking transit anywhere else, we decided to get one ride tickets for the trip there at Brook Park where we boarded and we would get our return tickets at the Mayfield Rd. station. I still have a couple of beefs with the ticket machines. On the trip there I was purchasing multiple tickets from one of the machines that give change. There were 5 in our group, but the machine will only let you buy 4. Why? Over all not that big of a deal, but I'd still like to know why. On the return trip, the only machines they have at Mayfield Road don't give change, which is fine, that's not my issue; however, it seems that the machines that don't provide change will only let you buy one ticket at a time. Here's the problem: I had the right combination of change and bills to purchase the tickets together, but it appears the ticket machines that don't provide change will only sell you one ticket at a time(at least that particular machine wouldn't, the other machine was off line) I find this customer unfriendly. Why can't you buy more than one ticket from a machine that doesn't give change? As it turned out, the machine would not take bills, credit cards, or change so it was impossible to pay anyway, thus we rode back without tickets. (for the record, I did talk to two RTA policemen parked on the side street by the station about the broken machines and they said just go ahead and if you get asked let them know). For the RTA lurkers on here, why is it that you can't buy more than one ticket from a machine that doesn't give change? Or was that just a bug in that particular one because it was broken anyway? And, why is the total number of tickets purchase at one time limited to 4 at the other machines?

Work is advancing, despite the NIMBY's: All Aboard Florida prepares to start double-track work All Aboard Florida prepares to start double-track work :All Aboard Florida is preparing to receive the first set of rail it needs to add a second train track to the Florida East Coast Railway line. http://www.raillynews.com/2015/all-aboard-florida-prepares-to-start-double-track-work/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RaillyNewsAmerica+%28Railly+News+AMERICA%29

Passenger rail not coming to Tulsa as soon as hoped The plan to open passenger rail service from Tulsa to Oklahoma City in May has been sidetracked. But train fans don’t need to worry. The service is still coming — just on down the line, rail officials said. The problem, according to Iowa Pacific Holdings president and CEO Ed Ellis, is that the idea got too popular and was received too well... http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/passenger-rail-not-coming-to-tulsa-as-soon-as-hoped/article_acf8b9f8-1724-5d3b-8f99-d438ad8fca74.html?_dc=738885555416.3456

It would be a mistake for Europe to eliminate its night trains. People over there have already started protesting. If you're a tourist, why would you want to spend your days traveling when you can do it while you sleep?: Can Europe's last sleeper trains survive? By Marcel Krueger, for CNN Updated 0601 GMT (1301 HKT) September 2, 2015 (CNN)It's close to midnight and Berlin's Hauptbahnhof central station is almost deserted. But on platform five, there are scenes of mild chaos. The City Night Line sleeper has just pulled in and passengers -- me among them -- are grabbing their luggage and eyeing up the carriages that, for the next eight hours, will be their hotel on wheels. I've been fascinated by night trains ever since I first took a sleeper from Munich to the Hungarian capital Budapest 20 years ago. Back then such trains were still relatively common sights in European cities not yet in thrall to the budget airline revolution. Today, it's a different story. Night services are in decline against the competition of cheap airfares and faster daytime intercity train services. http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/02/travel/european-night-sleeper-trains/index.html

An entire cottage industry in the re-sale of used but still valid day passes has cropped up at various Redline stations. I first noticed it a few months ago, but it seems I cannot board at Brookpark anymore without someone asking me if I need a pass or have one to sell. Two different guys came up to me this evening. I just ignore them and go to the ticket machine. I would guess it's happening on other lines as well. Also... rode from Brook Park to the new Little Italy station this evening for dinner. The new station is very nice. It enhances the neighborhood quite nicely.

All Aboard Florida passes key environmental hurdle and gets tax-free, private activity bonds approved. There is little to stop the project now: All Aboard Florida gets green light for trip to the future It’s been a momentous week for All Aboard Florida. The controversial, privately owned venture got the blessing of a key environmental impact report and, more important, the OK to issue $1.75 billion in tax-exempt bonds it needs to proceed. Now it’s up to the company, descended from Florida business and rail pioneer Henry Flagler, to make good on its optimistic vision of high-speed passenger rail service connecting the high-tourist cities of Miami and Orlando in three hours, by way of West Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast. If All Aboard Florida succeeds, it would be a benefit for the most populous part of this still-growing state. It would boost the prospects for high-speed rail elsewhere in the United States. And if it fails, it will be a business failure that is the company’s and its investors’ alone. Neither taxpayers nor the counties and towns along the route will be stuck with the debts. The critics have had their say. Now it’s time for residents of South Florida and the Treasure Coast to begin to learn to live with the reality of this project... full article at: http://opinionzone.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2015/08/08/all-aboard-florida-gets-green-light-for-trip-to-the-future/

AAF has posted on their Facebook page that grade crossing work has already begun. More is on the way: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-all-aboard-florida-track-construction-20150513-story.html

All Aboard Florida will move forward regardless of bond vote, company says All Aboard Florida’s express passenger rail line will move forward regardless of whether it receives $1.75 billion in tax exempt bonds, according to court documents filed Monday. In opposition to Indian River County’s federal lawsuit to stop the issuance of the private activity bonds, All Aboard Florida officials filed a 40-page brief saying that denying the bonds will not prevent the improvement of the rail system for passenger trains... http://realtime.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2015/05/13/all-aboard-florida-will-move-forward-regardless-of-bond-vote-company-says/

Remind me never to fly Spirit Airlines: Dispirited: A business school professor studies the world's worst airline "The contempt is mutual. A significant flight delay prevented a customer named James and his wife from attending a concert in Atlanta, the sole purpose of their trip. James emailed several of Spirit’s top executives to air his complaint. Baldanza [spirit's CEO] made the mistake of hitting reply all, which is how the exchange became public: “We owe him nothing as far as I’m concerned,” Baldanza wrote in response. “Let him tell the world how bad we are,” Baldanza offered. “He’s never flown before with us anyway and will be back when we save him a penny.” Shamelessness has certain advantages. A more succinct expression of Spirit’s credo is truly hard to imagine." http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121548/spirit-airlines-worst-airline-america?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=TNR%20Daily%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=Daily%20Newsletter%20-%204%2F17%2F15

Passenger train service may be rolling out of Tulsa by March http://t.co/I94PsVV3Kw

Infrastructure advances in the rest-of-the-world will blow your mind. "The United States is being left behind. We will -- absent major change -- never be able to catch up with the infrastructure of Asia and Europe, given current political conditions in this country. And the most tragic part of this decline is that it's being actively promoted by our leaders." Read full article at: http://www.opednews.com/articles/Infrastructure-advances-in-by-Daily-Kos-Infrastructure_Infrastructure-US-141222-174.html

Perhaps the name of this thread should be changed to just "Privately Operated Rail Services" Privately-funded US commuter service planned USA: Plans for the USA’s ‘first privately-funded passenger rail service in almost 100 years’ have been announced by Boston Surface Commuter Railroad Co. This would operate over the Providence & Worcester Railroad between the eponymous cities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, offering a reliable alternative to unpredictable road journey times. A launch in 18 months to two years is envisaged. BSRC founder and General Manager Vincent Bono told Railway Gazette International that the plan arose from a consultancy project which examined why passengers use rail. .. http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/passenger/single-view/view/privately-funded-us-commuter-service-planned.html

Do what I did. E-mail ODOT Director Jerry Wray and copy the PD reporter who wrote this article, Alison Grant: Wray can be reached through his assistant here: [email protected] . Alison Grant: [email protected]

America: You’ve got three more years to drive normally! by Roger Baker, originally published by The Rag Blog | Sep 15, 2014 Three more years? That’s pretty scary! Surely there must be a mistake in that headline. First in a series Is it possible that average Americans could have a hard time driving only three years from now? Preposterous, to say the very least! Three more years to drive would be awful scary if it were true. Fortunately, it can’t be true because the USA has been racing ahead, drilling like crazy, with the result that we are now the world’s third biggest oil producer, just behind Russia and Saudi Arabia. As everyone who follows the news has heard by now, an innovative drilling technology called “fracking” has added about three million barrels a day of new “tight oil” production, from areas of the U.S. like the Bakken in North Dakota, and the Eagle Ford shale in Texas. Obama used to tell us how we need to break our petroleum addiction, but now he can’t bless new drilling enough. As a result, Americans are feeling better and driving more. Case closed, right? Actually no... Read more at: http://www.theragblog.com/roger-baker-america-youve-got-three-more-years-to-drive-normally/

Fred Frailey of Trains Magazine calls out the hypocrisy of Florida politicians with their "I was for it before I was against it" stance on All Aboard Florida: In 2012, when Florida East Coast Industries announced All Aboard Florida, a private, unsubsidized passenger train service between Miami and Orlando over tracks of the affiliated Florida East Coast Railway, sunshine rained down. Politicians knocked each other over in their rush to voice support, Governor Rick Scott chief among them (he the same one who turned down a high-speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando that the federal government offered to pay for entirely). Newspaper editorialists waxed eloquent. Everybody loved All Aboard Florida. That was then. But you know Florida. They do crazy things in Florida. Now the state appears to be rising up in righteous anger that Big Rail will run its big, loud, noisy, ground-shaking, trespasser-striking passenger trains through the quiet, pristine communities that dot the Atlantic coast of our Sunshine State. The politicians are again knocking each other over, this time in their rush to a microphone to denounce All Aboard Florida.... Full article at: http://cs.trains.com/trn/b/fred-frailey/archive/2014/09/05/for-it-until-they-were-against-it.aspx

Thanks KJP and others for chiming in. Believe it or not, I give Joe credit for all of the things you all have mentioned. I just can't help but get the sense that RTA is getting a bit stale around the edges as far as vision, and Clvlndr seems to have confirmed it by saying that RTA has been leading from behind on the TOD thing. KJP summed it up best: "If Cleveland doesn't offer the low-mileage lifestyles young people want, we will lose them to cities that do. It's that simple."