Update on the new train or tracks south Florida?

[ByeByeLW]

I don't know, when I think of "beach area" I think of the areas along A1A, or at least east of Federal.

[DarkWolf]

There putting quiet zones at most of the crossing and passenger trains are short and quiet so I'm not sure what the issue is. It seems like multiple groups are going around stirring the pot...with misinformation...

[071402]

Here in Jupiter we have the Florida East Coast (FEC) railway tracks which run along Alt A1A past communities such as Admirals Cove and Jonathan’s Landing. These tracks are used to haul small rocks mined from rock pits in Miami northward where they are used in making construction materials. Several times a day, very long and heavy trains make their way north with their white cargo.....

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/ne...?__federated=1

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by 071402

Really? I'm standing in the yard of a friend in Palm Beach Gardens - tracks are about 20 feet from where I'm standing... Her beach is a few miles from here. And the train JUST NOW PASSING. Ok then... hmmmmmm

=====Get ready for more trains along the Florida East Coast Railway — and with it the potential for more noise. Especially from horns.
The new privately financed service dubbed All Aboard Florida is gearing up to run more than 30 passenger trains a day on the FEC starting in 2015. That's in addition to the 10 freight trains daily that already use the tracks that run east of Interstate 95 and pass [b]through downtowns along the coast.[/B] THE COAST THE COAST.

FEC Upgrades Include
-Quiet Zones at nearly every crossing , no more horn blowing
-Upgraded or Replaced Bridges over inlets
-Replaced Tracks , makes the trains quieter
-Diesel passenger trains are quiet , if your in a house or a few houses away you'll barely hear it.. A Bus or truck passing your house would be louder...

-Tracks near 95 are CSX different company
-FEC is proposing starting up a Regional rail service a few years after this is launched which would service all those towns that the express service skips.
-No part of the line goes near the Ocean...it comes close to the Bay...
-Most Freight lines in the Midwest carry up to 100 trains a day....those do cause issues , but the busier Passenger lines in the Northeast that carry over a hundred trains per day do not due to the fact that passenger trains are at a max 15 cars long vs 150+ car freight train. So It takes a min to clear the cross....dual Freight and Pax lines have freight run off peak or at night to lessen disruptions. But see any large issues from Passenger trains alone would require a train every 5 mins. That will most likely never happen...the most you'll get is probably every 30mins for Passenger...and Freight would be pushed to overnight....

[DanielAvery]

Moderator cut: off topic

Where I live, we have a horror story called "Confusion Corner," a roundabout which has five highly-traveled roads converging upon it downtown. Ocean Boulevard (west and east), Dixie Highway, A1A, Colorado Avenue, and (I think) Osceola all are represented. And the train tracks go right through the middle of the roundabout. When one of the trains comes through, the town is basically cut in half for that brief period of time. Traffic backs up in all directions. Yes, it's only a few minutes, but the number of minutes will increase greatly if there are 10-15 more trains going through, not to mention the general suspicion that will hide in the back of people's minds when they travel to that part of the town. "Will I get stuck waiting behind a train?" people will rightfully wonder every time they consider going downtown to eat, visit festivals, walk the riverfront, etc. It's hard enough to get people to go downtown due to the occasional parking shortages, but this will be yet another reason many folks may avoid the local businesses downtown.

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by DanielAvery

Where I live, we have a horror story called "Confusion Corner," a roundabout which has five highly-traveled roads converging upon it downtown. Ocean Boulevard (west and east), Dixie Highway, A1A, Colorado Avenue, and (I think) Osceola all are represented. And the train tracks go right through the middle of the roundabout. When one of the trains comes through, the town is basically cut in half for that brief period of time. Traffic backs up in all directions. Yes, it's only a few minutes, but the number of minutes will increase greatly if there are 10-15 more trains going through, not to mention the general suspicion that will hide in the back of people's minds when they travel to that part of the town. "Will I get stuck waiting behind a train?" people will rightfully wonder every time they consider going downtown to eat, visit festivals, walk the riverfront, etc. It's hard enough to get people to go downtown due to the occasional parking shortages, but this will be yet another reason many folks may avoid the local businesses downtown.

But 10-15 passenger trains is not the same as Freight..... The whole crossing sequence with a 110mph train is about 90 secs....shorter then most traffic lights... I'm surprised and not surprised that people aren't doing more research about crossing times. Tri-Rail operates a few miles east of the line , and thats slower....sit at a crossing and record the time...its still shorter then a traffic light.

[politiker]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

But 10-15 passenger trains is not the same as Freight..... The whole crossing sequence with a 110mph train is about 90 secs....shorter then most traffic lights... I'm surprised and not surprised that people aren't doing more research about crossing times. Tri-Rail operates a few miles east of the line , and thats slower....sit at a crossing and record the time...its still shorter then a traffic light.

Correct. I've been through that roundabout numerous times and never had an issue as I work at Martin Health.

I also live right next to these tracks in WPB, literally right next to them, and they're short enough to not want me to move.

[DanielAvery]

I'm also kind of....ambivalent? about trains going that fast through an intersection like that, since a lot of foot traffic occurs in and around Confusion Corner, as well as bicyclists and the like. It's still a small town, and though we don't think much about the freight trains going through, it will take some adjustments for trains flying through that quickly. I'd just feel a lot more confident in this plan if the really fast trains (as opposed to the slower freight trains) were going through areas on tracks that had physical barriers between the train tracks and pedestrians, such as the areas to the north and south of CC. It's too bad they didn't move this intersection over (somehow) decades ago before everything got all built up around it and gave that "hemmed in" feeling.

I'm sure the folks who want this to happen will make various efforts to keep things safe--it's in everyone's interest to do that. It's just making me feel really uncomfortable to see something going that fast coming through such a complex area.