west palm beach magazine
downtown Fort Lauderdale, among many otherforms of transportation.
A transportation infrastructure has sorely been needed for
decades to support the growing population in Florida, now
the third most populated state in the nation. We have 100+
million visitors to the state coming in the years ahead, plus all
those snowbirds and retirees, so relief for Florida’s congested
roadways is imperative.
All Aboard Florida is a privately owned and operated
company—financing has been through a mix of debt and equity. No state or federal grant money has been requested, with
no ongoing taxpayer subsidies required. The engineering and
environmental reviews have been finalized as of Summer 2016,
and infrastructure agreements have been obtained after
meetings with more than 650 officials, business
and civic groups.
When creating the plan for All Aboard Florida, noise
and environmental concerns were key to the decision
making process. The railway will have a positive impact
on the area in key areas, and the publication of the
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) by the Federal
Railroad Administration (FRA) validates this assumption.
High-speed railways are lauded for the way they can
reduce fuel consumption, roadway congestion, and
pollution within urban areas. “...We are excited at the
prospect All Aboard Florida presents to enhance and
ignite the economic ties between Florida’s largest
marketplaces and the robust, influential Hispanic business communities that thrive there. Hispanic residents,
businesses and visitors alike will surely embrace the All
Aboard Florida service. Hispanics do business and visit
family throughout the state, while our in-bound Latin
and South American visitors have made Florida a travel
destination of choice. It connects Florida’s two largest
Hispanic communities: Central and South Florida”, expressed
Julio Fuentes, President and Chief Executive Officer of Florida
State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Another official weighing in is Dennis Grady, President and
Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Commerce of the
Palm Beaches who said The Chamber of Commerce of the
Palm Beaches is proud to express our strong support for All
Aboard Florida. “For more than 20 years, there has been rising
demand for an efficient and timely passenger rail service connecting Miami- Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties”, said
Grady. “Every one of those early discussions required taxpayers
to pay for the initial capital cost to construct the system and
provide an ongoing operating subsidy for the passenger rail
system. That is why it is so exciting that a private company – All
Aboard Florida- is investing over $1.5 billion in private capital to
better our community and give us a transportation solution we
wanted for decades.”
Michael Putney, Senior political reporter for Miami’s WPLG Lo68
wpb magazine
cal 10 news thinks that governments need to do things the private sector can’t - run prisons, build roads and bridges, operate
airports and ports, etc. and that private industry can do what
government can’t - like run an efficient, affordable, convenient
passenger rail service between two of the state’s major cities.
He expects that if the Miami-Orlando route is successful,
AAF can create more passenger rail links to Tampa and Jacksonville.
The Station construction projects at the four destination
cities are at various stages. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
(SOM) designed the three South Florida stations in association with Zyscovich Architects. Construction begun in Miami,
Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, and each station will
be completed well in advance of the 2017 launch. The Orlando
station will be part of a larger Intermodal Transportation Center
at Orlando International Airport.
Brightline trains being built for All Aboard Florida will be a
forward-leaning solution that is a smarter alternative to more
cars on crowded roads
PBK
The express inter-city Brightline trains themselves are being
built in California by Siemens and each will be adorned in a
spectrum of five bright Florida approved colors: BrightRed,
BrightOrange, BrightGreen, BrightBlue and BrightPink, led by
BrightYellow locomotives.
The West Palm Beach station will gets travelers and commuters into the city and Palm Beach County faster and more
comfortably than ever. The station will be located between
S. Rosemary and S. Quadrille, east and west and between
Datura Street and Evernia Street, north and south. It connects
with the neighborhood’s existing vehicular, trolley, and pedestrian networks and establishes links to the Tri-Rail and Amtrak
West Palm Beach Station, creating a new transportation hub for
the West Palm Beach area.
All Aboard Florida is a whole new way to get around in speed,
comfort, safety and style. So, the light at the end of the tunnel
looks bright.
- premier lifestyle magazine in west palm beach