Will you ride SunRail? (Miami, Hialeah: homes, buyers, garages)
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I think the one of the keys to success is to temper expectations, properly market the system, and most importantly...develop the system correctly. This is NYC or Boston, nor may it ever be, we shouldn't expect one rail line to convert our car-centric region over night. But we can not keep on our current track and continue building without a comprehensive transportation system including roads, rails, buses and bike trails. Rather than trying to mimic cities that have traditionally grown with, and around, rail we need to look at similarly situated cities that have been down this road before us and succeeded. Places like Denver, Charlotte, Portland, Seattle, Atlanta, Minneapolis and Houston
I've been watching the Sound Transit videos on youtube, Seattle and that region did a fabulous job. Ridership is increasing as they built it correctly. Does it hit all the major point? NO, Seattle's downtown has a larger employer area than Orlando's granted but still never the less in their first phase they have done well.
Dallas is another city that has done well.
I've watched Tri-Rail videos and couldn't understand the purpose of Trial besides carrying people to Miami. Ft. Lauderdale (downtown) and the beaches have heavy employment and visitors , just didnt make sense.
Only station on SunRail that doesnt make sense to me is Sandlake. as this is the station I'll be using, there is absolutely nothing there. You have the Florida Mall to the West and the Airport to the EAST but nothing except bus 42, and 111 to connect the two and which neither bus is efficient enough for this. I wish the OIA connector was indeed being considered.
Only station on SunRail that doesnt make sense to me is Sandlake. as this is the station I'll be using, there is absolutely nothing there. You have the Florida Mall to the West and the Airport to the EAST but nothing except bus 42, and 111 to connect the two and which neither bus is efficient enough for this. I wish the OIA connector was indeed being considered.
I believe this is the exact reason for the Sand Lake station. It's not because its major population or employment center but geographically it's the perfect point to build a multi-modal center. This is the perfect place to connect Sunrail to FL Mall, I-Drive and the Convention Center. It also breaks up the trip to next stations which would be in Osceola county. Also, there was speculation that a private company wanted to build the airport connector, potentially all the way to Lake Buena Vista. I think their proposed plans called for the private train to run along the beachline or sandlake road and connect with Sunrail at Sandlake. In a few years we may see Sandlake as major transportation station.
I believe this is the exact reason for the Sand Lake station. It's not because its major population or employment center but geographically it's the perfect point to build a multi-modal center. This is the perfect place to connect Sunrail to FL Mall, I-Drive and the Convention Center. It also breaks up the trip to next stations which would be in Osceola county. Also, there was speculation that a private company wanted to build the airport connector, potentially all the way to Lake Buena Vista. I think their proposed plans called for the private train to run along the beachline or sandlake road and connect with Sunrail at Sandlake. In a few years we may see Sandlake as major transportation station.
I've been reading dozens of sites and pulling up info on this. I seen two line proposal for the connector.
Both proposals included turning Sand Lake into an Multi-Modal center especially since 5 Lynx Bus routes run right by it along with 4 more being within 2 miles. perfect Location as you stated because of the LAND AND HUGE POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPEMENT. Plus the factories and industrial city to the south would really get things going since a lot of people are employed.
I found last night about a rail circulator in South Orange County alone.
From Convention Center International Drive East Along the 528 or Sand Lake Road to the Florida mall, then Sand Lake Road Station, to the Airport, To Lake Nona, Osceola Parkway, Another Stop In Kissimme, And Disney, Then Back Up Down Palm Parkway To International. Which With SuNRail Crossing this proposed route 3 times would be huge.
If so White Text as some of the Lynx busses and lymmos use would be ideal. since Sun Rail will be bright white
Those destination signs were developed specifically for LYNX by a company called Twin Vision. They actually adjust the brightness based on the level of ambient light around them. What works in the mid day sun is too bright at night and actually causes them to become difficult to read. They have been adopted as the gold standard by a number of transits around the country, regardless of the geography.
I have a few concerns/suggestions I''d like to share.
1. Will there be updated information kiosks at the stations while people wait or arrive? Such as what lymmo used to have. Shows a brief map of the Sun Rail system with an indicator of where the trail is and an estimated arrival time.. kiosks should be centrally centered in the play form so multiple users can use them at one time. I don''t know if it is possible but a penta shaped kiosk would be ideal. I suggest a central location for kiosks that way only one person will have their back turned to the tracks or if constructed right, none. Information such as time temperature, weather would be ideal for commuters as well. Yes. Each station will have variable message boards, as well as audible announcements for information such as train arrival times and so forth. Time and temperature could be programmed, as well. Information kiosks will include system maps and announcements. Generally, these kiosks will be centrally located at the center of the platform.
2. Will there be text marquees on the trains or at the stations? If so White Text as some of the Lynx busses and lymmos use would be ideal. since Sun Rail will be bright white, I think it would give off a last effect to spot a SunRail train from a far with both the lightning from the car lights and the white text which at night can be seen clearly or dark during thunderstorms, unlike the orange marquee during abundant sunshine and dark weather. There will be variable message boards on board trains, as well as at stations. The Department has been working closely with the transportation disadvantaged community and visually impaired through both MetroPlan Orlando and the Volusia County Transportation Planning Organization. Yellow or Amber text was selected based on their recommendations for ease of visibility.
3. Will SunRail do a monthly pass program such as Lynx? Will SunRail have Train-To-Bus tranfers such as the system in South Florida? It''ll be a nice thing to have riders get off Sun Rail and allowed to ride Lynx with a tain transfer to their destination. One issue will be costs and that is a great incentive to get people to ride. Yes, SunRail will offer monthly passes at discounted rates that have yet to be determined. And the Florida Department of Transportation is working closely with both LYNX and Votran to ensure a seamless bus-to-train transfer for passengers using the same fare card medium.
1. In its agreements with CSXT to purchase the mainline railroad corridor on which SunRail service will run, the state did preserve an option to purchase in the future an existing railroad spur that connects to Orlando/Sanford Airport. There is currently no timetable as yet to exercise that option. The Florida Department of Transportation recently advertised a study to begin examining alternatives for rail service that would connect to Orlando International Airport. That study is expected to take about two years. When Phase I of SunRail service begins in 2014, bus connections will be provided to Orlando International Airport from the Sand Lake Road station. And finally, no direct rail connections are currently contemplated for the SSU campus in Altamonte.
2. As you may know, the Department is contracting out the construction, operations and maintenance of SunRail to third-party vendors. The Department anticipates that the Operations and Maintenance contract will be advertised within the next few months, and that contractor will be on board by late this year or early next year. I have attached a flyer that details some of the jobs that may become available as part of that contract.
3. SunRail will have wifi service on board the trains, but not “Transit TV” per se. Technology seems to be evolving so rapidly these days, that many smart phones with Internet connections are capable of streaming live video on demand!
4. I have attached a rendering for your review of what the design schematics are for the interior and exterior of SunRail trains. I hope you concur with the visual appeal of the designs!
I like the color scheme and overall look but I'm not sure about the predominantly white cars given the dust, rain and sun. Unless their washed regularly, seems like they could get dirty pretty quickly.
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