Filling a 15-mile gap left by SunRail, a Georgia-based company proposes to connect the Orlando airport, the Orange County Convention Center, Disney World and the Florida Mall with magnet-levitation trains.
"This is the missing link," American Maglevpresident and CEO Tony Morris told Sunshine State News inan exclusive interview. "And we can do it without spending a penny of public money."
Noting that the $1.3 billion SunRail's southern line ends at Sand Lake Road and Orange Avenue, Morris predicted that his extension would "quadruple ridership."
Because SunRail relies on CSX freight tracks and right of way, the rail line doesn't necessarily follow a commuter-friendly path. And even before work began, the project was dogged by concerns over cost.
Morris says his company's advanced technology, in which passenger trains are suspended with powerful magnets, reduces energy use and lessens wear and tear.
After extensive testing of the Maglev system, he said private investors, including the giant Spanish construction firm Grupo ACS, are ready to foot at least part of the bill, which Morris pegs at $821 million.
Morris forecasts that if local governments approve his venture this year, American Maglev's 15-mile line could be completed in 2014, the target date for finishing Phase One of SunRail.
A ridership study commissioned by American Maglev predicted at least 3.1 million riders by 2014, 4.6 million by 2025 and 6.4 million by 2035.
"This completely complements SunRail, it never conflicts," Morris said.
Orange County leaders, such as Commissioner Fred Brummer, have said they like Morris' idea because -- unlike SunRail -- the project does not require taxpayer money.
American Maglev is currently in discussions with Cobb County, Ga., and the South Shore of Montreal to build transit projects there.
Since 2007, the Marietta-based company has conducted trials on a 2,000-foot elevated test track. In that short distance, trains have reachd speeds near 40 mph. When the test track is completed, top speeds of more than 100 mph are expected.
But there have been bumps along the way.
According to new reports, a 1994 Maglev project never got off the ground in the Volusia County city of Edgewater
In 2000, the company was awarded a contract on the campus of Old Dominion University in Virginia in connection with the university's research department. Complications, including 9/11, brought that venture to a standstill.
Morris maintains that additional private funding and advancements in technology have made the Maglev system more viable.
MetroPlan Orlando said its position on the project hinges on a pending review by the Florida Department of Transportation. An FDOT spokeswoman said no conclusions have been reached.
"We're waiting to hear," MetroPlan spokeswoman Cynthia Lambert said Friday afternoon.
Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
