Plans for a Miami-Orlando passenger rail service call for fast trains to roll up and down Florida's central east coast -- but not to stop at any of the cities along a 140-mile stretch from Martin to Brevard counties.
"All Aboard Florida" would run on existing Florida East Coast Railway tracks between Miami and Cocoa, and then use some 40 miles of new rails to connect inland to Orlando.
FEC Industries' announcement of the route last week initially excited Treasure and Space coast residents who have been without coastal rail service since Amtrak departed in 1968.
But FEC officials say their plans do not envision any stops between West Palm Beach and Orlando.
By minimizing stops, the trains could average speeds of 100 mph, said spokeswoman Christine Barney. That would be far faster than the Amtrak service that connects South Florida and Orlando via an interior route.
"We're trying to do what makes the most sense to deliver the most travelers," Barney said, adding that additional terminals haven't been ruled out.
Kim Delaney, of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Commission, has worked with FEC and Amtrak to explore a return of passenger rail service to Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties.
"Clearly, the FEC is interested in passenger service, and hopefully this will help expedite intercity passenger service along Floridas East Coast," Delaney said.
She emphasized that FEC's initial announcement "does not preclude any other passenger service being contemplated on the FEC Railway.
On Friday, the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization will host a rail information meeting at Daytona Beach City Hall.
The gathering -- part of an ongoing campaign by beachside communities to revive coastal train service north to Jacksonville -- is scheduled to hear representatives from Amtrak and the state Department of Transportation.
FEC's Miami-Orlando route, with an estimated price tag of $1 billion, is billed as a private venture by FEC. Both FEC Industries and FEC Railway are majority-owned by funds managed by Fortress Investment Group, headquartered in New York City.
"There would be no risk to state," Barney said. "The vast majority of construction will be privately funded."
She added, however, it was "too early to say what minor contributions may come from the the public sector." She said there had been no discussions with Amtrak, but that FEC is "open to any options that make sense."
Karen Jarosh, who helped lead the No Tax for Tracks campaign against a light rail project in Hillsborough County, called the east coast project "great news if this is truly private."
But she remains skeptical until an in-depth ridership study is conducted.
"They are showcasing jobs and environment which seems geared more for governmentpursestrings than the eyes of investors or potential passengers," Jarosh said.
"They tout 240 miles in three hours with frequent service, and I'm thinking this is new packaging of the high-speed rail plans Floridians have rejected several times over and will require billions in federal funds to get off the ground."
Barney acknowledged that ridership and engineering studies have yet to be performed, but she said that Miami and Orlando -- large population and tourism centers -- appear to make a high-speed line financially feasible.
"There could be 50 million potential riders a year," she said.
By contrast, the middle coastal counties north of Palm Beach are more suburban/rural, and not exactly high-volume tourist meccas. The combined population of Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Brevard counties is barely 1.1 million spread over 2,633 square miles.
Brevard alone accounts for roughly half the region's population. The Brevard city of Cocoa is envisioned as the turning point for the railroad's pivot between Orlando and the coast, though Barney said there were no plans for a passenger service there.
Leigh Holt, spokeswoman for the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization, said she thought it was "curious" that FEC made its announcement without first speaking to Brevard County officials. Holt said the county has yet to hear from FEC.
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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
