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FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Regional Transit System

The Federal Government supports a vision for high-speed rail to connect regions throughout the country. In Florida two high-speed rail corridors were identified to provide connections from Central Florida to Tampa and Miami.

The High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, offers stimulus money for passenger rail projects throughout the United States. FDOT applied for four separate projects to receive funding: High-speed rail connecting Orlando to Tampa and Orlando to Miami, Central Florida Commuter Rail (SunRail), and Amtrak-Florida East Coast Passenger Service.

The Orlando-Tampa high-speed train will run along the I-4 median at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour. Stops include Orlando International Airport, the Orange County Convention Center, Walt Disney World, the City of Lakeland, and the old Morgan Street jail in Downtown Tampa.

The Florida Department of Transportation and Amtrak applied for Federal stimulus funds for the return of intercity passenger rail service along the Florida East Coast (FEC) corridor from Jacksonville to Miami.

METROPLAN Orlando recently developed a Regional Transit System Plan, displayed below. This plan, intended for aspirational purposes, illustrates the achievable multi-modal transportation opportunities intended to connect our region.

SunRail is Central Florida’s planned 61.5-mile commuter rail service, which will travel through four counties from DeLand to Poinciana. As the spine of an integrated regional transportation system, SunRail is the first step to building a sustainable local economy.

Corridor Development

Population densities and intensities throughout the corridor must be high enough to support transit ridership. Each transit component requires a minimum density for success.

Aligning transportation and land use planning is essential to the success of corridors. Higher densities, a mix of uses, and a pedestrian scale help to create the corridor aesthetic.

Download full version (PDF): Implementing the Central Florida Regional Growth Vision

About the Florida Department of Transportation
www.dot.state.fl.us
“The department will provide a safe transportation system that ensures the mobility of people and goods, enhances economic prosperity and preserves the quality of our environment and communities.”

Tags: FL, Florida, Florida Department of Transportation, SunRail

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 at 12:14 pm and is filed under Buses, Carbon Tax, Clean Air, Climate Change, Competitiveness, Congestion, Funding, Green, High Speed Rail, Highway, Infra Views, Land Use, Local, Policy, Public Transportation, Rail, Recovery, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Transit, Urban Planning . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.