Sunrail Finally Passes (Miami, Orlando, Kissimmee: real estate, hotels, construction jobs)

[annerk]

That only accounts for about 30% of tourists. What about the rest of them who stay onsite at Disney, in the Disney area, on Kissimmee, LBV, and in private rental homes? Additionally they don't want to schlepp luggage. Mom, dad, and two kids each with a large suitcase are not going to take light rail to a hotel.

And to be honest, as someone who used to do a LOT of business travel and attend a lot of conferences, even with the availability of light rail, most business travelers will take a cab or car service. I generally prefered light rail when I traveled for business where it was available, but I was the very, very rare person who did--and I am also a very light packer.

[hgebel]

My knee-jerk reaction is to support any kind of public transit, but I don't think the area is ready for Sunrail. To be economical, a rail system has to have a LOT of users, enough to keep a lot of trains running all the time. Under those conditions rail has by far the highest carrying capacity and economy of any system. But for that to happen, the people being serviced have to use the system. A rail system that is not running a lot of trains wastes the money it costs to build the system in the first place (even using existing tracks you have to build stations, etc). A rail system that is not filling the trains that are running wastes operating expenses.

I agree that using the money that is being spent on Sunrail would be better spent on Lynx. Before you can jump to rail you need a population that considers public transportation to be a viable choice. Many of the very people who would most benefit from public transit cannot use it because of the hours and areas it is available The most economical way to expand the service area and service level of public transport is to expand the bus system. Even in large cities like New York, London, and Tokyo, where the rail network is decades ahead of us in it's service area, level, and the percentage of people who actually use it, buses are still a vital means of transporting people both directly to destinations and to and from the rail network.

In rail-happy Japan the city of Kyoto, which is very roughly in the same population size class as Orange County, uses buses as it main means of transportation, despite having a population density a little over twice Orange County's (higher population densities benefit rail). And while Kyoto does have a small rail network, it also has a population that has been accustomed to using public transit for decades and which keeps that rail network running with a high level of usage.

In addition to this, LYNX has to serve not just Orange County but surrounding areas as well, some of which currently have VERY little service. Buses are the only option to serve such a large, low population density area. It is foolish to consider rail when bus service is in such a poor state; it is like building a house without building the foundation first. Rail service is not an alternative to bus service, it complements it. You have to crawl before you can run.

-Harry

[MiamiRob]

well the metro is growing and when I first moved here in 2005 I think Orange county had just surpassed one million residents. The problem is that we also have literally tens of thousands of tourists as well that are just burdening our roadways. There is no doubt that the area will continue to grow and to have a rail option in place now instead of waiting years later when it will become more expensive just makes sense.
When Miami built it's 22 mile elevated Metrorail system in the early 80s the cost of the entire system was roughly $1 billion or what it would cost now just to have Sunrail today. People back then said it was a failure yet today the trains are packed and the system is expanding. You even have smaller cities in the US with light rail & commuter rail already. Orlando is growing up and there needs to be vision in this community in order for it to progress.

[dave w]

Originally Posted by bdpop

Sunrail finally passes the senate. Maybe this will lead to more jobs. Railroad jobs tend to pay very well.

Senate passes SunRail, 27-10 -- OrlandoSentinel.com

is that the train that jumps off the tracks occasionally killing people

[bdpop]

While I agree the bus service needs expansion, it still uses the same gridlocked roads as the cars. The advantage the train has is it is not sitting in gridlock with traffic, like the buses do.

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by dave w

is that the train that jumps off the tracks occasionally killing people

Because cars never kill people.

[GLS2010]

A lot of people on this forum complain about how orlando needs better mass transit and how sad it is that orlando doesnt even have a rail service. So i think this community needs this and it will benefit us over time. We have a decent bus service, I bet once sunrail is in service lynx will alter their routes in favor of the sunrail stations, so people can take a bus to their nearest station. But even up in the northeastern cities, most people who take a bus from their suburb to their job in the city, usually drive them selves to the nearest station, and rides the train into the city. So that is what people in lake mary, long wood, deltona, etc who work in downtown will probably do. Do you know how many people commute from the northern suburbs of orlando, down I-4 to either downtown or to the attractions area? Thousands of people do.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by bdpop

While I agree the bus service needs expansion, it still uses the same gridlocked roads as the cars. The advantage the train has is it is not sitting in gridlock with traffic, like the buses do.

The point is taht if the LYNX system was expanded, more people would use it and as such, get cars off the road.

[MiamiRob]

^ I'm not so sure about that! Ever see a LYNX bus on SR 50? They are stuck in the same traffic and the point of Commuter rail is not for intercity travel but to get people who live in far flung suburbs in the north off of I-4 and other highways. What Orlando truly needed was a light rail system but I heard it was shot down over a decacde ago.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by MiamiRob

^ I'm not so sure about that! Ever see a LYNX bus on SR 50? They are stuck in the same traffic and the point of Commuter rail is not for intercity travel but to get people who live in far flung suburbs in the north off of I-4 and other highways. What Orlando truly needed was a light rail system but I heard it was shot down over a decacde ago.

You are mising my point. If Orange and Seminole County want it, they can pay for it. Instead the entire state is being forced to pay for something that they will never get usage out of.

One of the reasons that LYNX buses are stuck in traffic on 50 is that LYNX doesn't offer adequate service to the western suburbs, which forces the people who live there to drive rather than take the bus.

Anyone who thinks that all the traffic on I-4 is generated by the northern suburbs driving to downtown is incredibly myopic.