Miami=Downtown/ Central Business District III

[casamagda]

Originally Posted by Miami High Rise

Exactly, I just can't see freight traffic coming back after people adjusted and got used to being rid of it when it got damaged. Really it shouldn't be necessary. Port of Miami is not 'that" busy, in fact it's a hole in the wall compared to the busiest freight ports in the country. Look at the traffic/trucks at Port Boulevard. It's not that bad, and that's the WHOLE entirety of the port traffic you're seeing, freight and cruise. With the tunnel addition making 395 themuch better way, that intersection and the port bridge will die, I imagine. But anyway the highway will handle the container trucks sooo much better that intermodal freight via train should not be necessary. Didn't they use the port tracks up until 2003 when that hurricane damaged them? It hasn't been that long, but long enough that people will not want it back.

The Port of Miami does over 6 Million containers per year and growing. To compare/contrast that with other east coast ports, Boston does 1.4 Million per year, Jacksonville 3.5 M, Philly 1.7, Ft. Laud 4.7, Savanah 16.7 M according to the American Association of Port Authorities.

[casamagda]

Originally Posted by FTL Beach Bum

And where does this leave the residents of Miami-Dade? Footing some $400 million toward a tunnel which will soon become unnecessary and obsolete for one of its primary purposes

The residents of Miami-Dade are not paying $400 Million toward a tunnel. The financing comes from a variety of sources and is a private public partnership, revenues from tolls will be used to pay off the construction company and pay for the operations and maintenance of the tunnel going forward.
This project won international finance awards for how progressive the deal was structured to keep the construction firm in the deal long after completion, to ensure that the job is done well, on time, and operates efficiently. The structure also minimizes the risk of cost overruns to taxpayers.
According to my friend at the Port of Miami, without the tunnel (and only utilizing the train and Dodge Isl. Bridge) the Port would lose so much business that the Port would be rendered useless for cargo.
More money is generated by cargo business than the cruise business by a very significant factor.

[Miami High Rise]

The reason more money is generated by cargo than cruise traffic is that those cruise lines probably pay unfairly low docking fees. I saw a book on it at the library, it caught my attention, can't remember the name. It was about that and other "cruise industry controversies."

[Aceventura]

R.I.P. Gerry.

[QuantumX]

"And it's taken you so long, to find out
You were wrong, when you thought
It held everything"

Originally Posted by Aceventura

R.I.P. Gerry.

[FTL Beach Bum]

Originally Posted by FTL Beach Bum

...As the FEC revives rail operations to and from the port on its existing lead with a $22.7 million grant awarded by the USDOT last October.

Update:


Per the FEC Railway Yahoo Group, the railway just brought down new rail for approximately six miles' worth of track to rejuvenate their port lead between the wye at Little River (~NE 71st Street) and downtown. It will be awhile before they actually lay the rail, as they're just dropping it off alongside the exiting track right now. This operation started Saturday, with a few private photos of the drop available to group members showing specialized rail maintenance cars placing new track alongside the old, with the Opera Tower and Paramount Bay off in the distance to the east.

It also stated that FEC CEO James Hertwig expects to be hauling containers out of the port by first quarter next year.

Here are some public photos of the rail being transported down from Jacksonville:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=359586

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=359561


Guys, this is probably gonna happen sooner than you think...

[Miami High Rise]

Only that aspect will, nothing else will finish ahead of schedule; the tunnel will prolly be late and cost 2 billion.

But great news on the rail project! Wow, operational by next year! Last I knew they were just hoping to do it by 2014, there is still the intermodal hub, the "Flagler Logistics Hub," to do, though.

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/110310/story7.shtml

[Obfuscatus]

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[Miami High Rise]

Really? I never heard that. Did you get that from a first person source?

[Obfuscatus]

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[FTL Beach Bum]

Those that receive the print-edition of the Sun-Sentinel, today's Outlook section has an article titled "Ships, Trains, & Automobiles Where Florida transportation is Headed" featuring an entire column by FEC CEO Hertwig. Some highlights relevant to Miami:

Many will argue that South Florida missed its chance as a major shipping hub. I disagree. So do policymakers. The widening of the Panama Canal - slated for completion 2014 - allows South Florida another chance to compete for its share of cargo from post-Panama mega-ships.

The U.S. Department of Transportation last year provided the Port of Miami with $22.767 million to build an on-dock rail facility. FEC is investing $10.9 million to upgrade its tracks, the Florida Department of Transportation is matching our $10.9 million, and Miami-Dade is investing $4.8 million - a true public-private partnership.

And with regard to diverting trucks from surface streets and preempting the need for the tunnel...

Moving freight by rail directly from ports also reduces the number of trucks on highways. Currently, 60,000 trucks annually transport goods between the Port of Miami and our Hialeah rail yard[.] FEC can convert these trips to rail, allowing truckers to move additional cargo within South Florida.

I would expect their on-dock rail facility to ramp up rather quickly when complete, despite the progress of the Panama Canal or the dredging of the port: The quicker they can get their current goods right onto a well car and out the door, the less time and money is wasted waiting for hundreds of containers to be trucked halfway across a city...Which still have to be converted over to well car.

The Panama Canal project and Miami dredging project won't help to speed up the rail project, but they will lead to increasing the total volume that flows through.

[Miami High Rise]

Yeah but the rail to the port is for containers.

Oh yeah, I just thought, what good is the hub if not directly connected to a free highway, ie not the stupid dolphin or airport expy, but it is right next to the (soon to be motherhighway) Palmetto, right? Is that what that new ramp you see heading over the Palmetto is all about?

And this was in response to obfactus or whatever

[Obfuscatus]

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[FTL Beach Bum]

Originally Posted by Obfuscatus

Nice, the rail is also expected to eventually carry passenger traffic to the port.

As of July 2010, not anymore:

The Build Alternative was identified to provide intercity passenger rail service for Florida east coast from Jacksonville to Miami. The Build Alternative would restore passenger service on the existing FEC from Jacksonville to West Palm Beach. In West Palm Beach, the alternative would use the Northwood Crossover diverge to the South Florida Railway Corridor (SFRC [My note: Tri-Rail Line]), which is an existing railway approximately 2,100 feet west of the FEC. The Build Alternative would follow the existing Amtrak route on the SFRC from West Palm Beach to Miami. The segment of the FEC from Jacksonville to West Palm Beach is a single track railroad while the segment of the SFRC from West Palm Beach to Miami is a double track railroad. The existing FEC freight corridor south of the Northwood Crossover was considered as an alternative alignment for the proposed passenger rail service from West Palm Beach to Miami. This alignment would require additional infrastructure and stations along the freight corridor within highly urbanized areas. This alternative alignment would involve substantially higher capital costs, right-of-way costs and environmental impacts as compared to the Preferred Alternative (the existing Amtrak route) and was therefore, eliminated from detailed analysis.

(my emphasis in bold/underline)


http://www.dot.state.fl.us/rail/FECA...ent%20Plan.pdf

[Miami High Rise]

We're not talking about WPB to MIA, we're talking about POM to MIA.

[Obfuscatus]

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[FTL Beach Bum]

Originally Posted by Obfuscatus

I believe that you are confusing two projects.

The quote which you have provided states that the proposed Amtrak line from Jacksonville-Miami has abandoned the possibility of using the existing single-track FEC freight tracks, in favor of the Tri-Rail tracks. However, there is a separate project currently in planning to use the FEC freight corridor for local commuter rail service (similar to tri-rail) with the likelihood of double tracking that segment as well.

Ok. You previously posted that passenger service was specifically mentioned in the grant application...Was this the same $22.7 million USDOT TIGER2 grant application for building the on-dock facility/port access bridge repair/etc, or another one? Forgive me for being skeptical, but nothing in that grant's award mentions anything about passenger service. It's all about intermodal.

Is there a link to any more information about this particular project?

[Miami High Rise]

Yeah, everything I've read about the TIGER 2 grant says it's just to fix the link between the port and Hialeah, and just for intermodal. If they were going to add a passenger traffic thing they definitely would not leave that out and it would cost more than 22 million.

In fact an older estimate was that it would cost almost double that to fix the rail link. The grant was applied for and the rest was supossed to come from the FEC and the port.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/2...l-project.html

[Obfuscatus]

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[UMdev]

Originally Posted by Obfuscatus

Details can be found here: http://www.miamidade.gov/portofmiami/tiger_II_grant.asp

The work being done now will prepare the rail for future passenger traffic, but will still require passenger rail service on the SFEC corridor, and a station built at the port. Details can be found here:

http://www.sfeccstudy.com/

From my understanding there are no real plans for passenger service to the port.

In conjuction with the rest of the FEC corridor the plan would be to have passenger service along the FEC Port Lead. This is the area between where the FEC corridor turns west to go to the Hialeah yard and downtown where the FEC corridor turns east to go to the port. The passenger service would stop downtown preferable around 10th st with a connection to the Overtown metrorail station.