
COMMUTER RAIL IN SOUTH FLORIDA and Other Railroading in Florida

Welcome to our Florida Railroad WebSite

Here's a preview of some of the exciting projects we have put together for you:

We have some important passenger links for Florida . Next we have a great article on Tri Rail in South Florida (at the beginning) .

See our sections on Florida railroad history , Florida railroad maps , a great Florida railroad reference section , and information on Florida freight railroads .

See what Florida cities are served by Amtrak and enjoy a Florida Railroad Grand Plan .

2009 Undates

Miami-Dade Transit will break ground on a 2.4-mile Metrorail extension from the Earlington Heights station to the Miami Intermodal Center, which is being built next to Miami International Airport.

Scheduled to open in 2012, the Metrorail MIC Connector is "the county's most significant construction project since the opening of the original Metrorail system," according to Miami-Dade Transit. The majority of the $526 million line will be funded through a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2002 as part of the People's Transportation Plan. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) also will contribute $100 million toward the project.

FDOT is overseeing construction of the Miami Intermodal Center, which will link Metrorail, bus, Tri-Rail, Amtrak and car rental services. Passengers will connect to the airport via a people mover.

The ground-breaking isn't all Miami-Dade Transit will be celebrating in May. The agency will mark the 25th anniversary of Metrorail service later this month.

2012 Updates

Florida East Coast Industries to develop private passenger-rail service

Important Passenger Links for Florida

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See KC Jones BLOG about Railroad History

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By December of 1988 an orange, green and blue train - South Florida's first commuter railroad - is scheduled to make weekday runs along existing tracks beside Interstate 95.

The sight will be a new one for commuters battling auto traffic and construction detours as I-95 is rebuilt. Having visited Florida for the last fifteen years, I can testify to the growing congestion as each year passes.

But transportation planners hope the commuters will not only get used to looking at the passing commuter trains. They hope the drivers will leave their cars at home and get used to taking the train to points between West Palm Beach and Miami.

The commuter line, called Tri-Rail to reflect the fact that it is a mutual development of Palm Beach, Broward and Dade counties, will be the most visible early evidence of transportation planning that is dealing with more than highways.

It and other plans for public transportation are needed to head off an often-quoted scenario in which I-95 would have to be widened to 44 lanes to handle increased traffic expected along certain stretches by the year 2020.

Among the officials who cite that grim highway prediction regularly are the proponents of a second railroad, a high-speed train that planners want to operate between Miami, Orlando and West Palm Beach by 1995.

Two private firms have submitted plans for building the $2 billion railroad and providing the sleek, 150-mph trains to run on it.In addition, the firms have proposed taking advantage of liberal development opportunities the state plans to offer with the right to build the railroad.

One firm, headed by AmeriFirst Development Corp., has proposed building new towns as large as 20,000 acres and hotels, offices and industrial parks to help raise the money to build the high-speed railroad.

The French TGV Corp., operators of a successful high-speed line that links Paris and Lyon, is competing against AmeriFirst for the state's permission and assistance in building the high-speed line. TGV differs with its rival on whether the railroad can be financed by private development and says it will ask the state to help pay for building the high-speed train's track if the firm is selected to operate the train.

In March the two firms paid $35,000 apiece in application fees and submitted bulky reports outlining their proposed train and land developments in the first step toward winning the right to build the train system.

Transportation, development and environmental planners throughout South Florida are examining the two proposals as part of and evaluation process that could take until 1991. Within the last few years, an indication of passenger train possibilities has been observed by watching the popularity of the "Silver Palm". This train started as a state subsidized AMTRAK run between Miami and Tampa. As many passengers boarded from the small towns south of West Palm Beach as from Miami. One reason for this train's popularity was that it took half the time of the bus.

The Tri-Rail commuter train, meanwhile, was envisioned by state transportation planners as a temporary alternative to I-95 while the highway undergoes a three year renovation program starting in 1989.

Tri-Rail will run on the CSX (ex Seaboard Coast Line) route that goes from Wildwood to Miami. Running parallel to CSX is the Florida East Coast from Jacksonville to Miami. This is the route that once went to Key West before a bout with a hurricane in 1935. Now it is a model of efficiency: no passenger service; two-man freight crews; well-built 554 mile roadbed; CTC and no cabooses. The dispatcher at New Smyrna Beach has the entire Florida East Coast under surveillance of CTC and radio, also hot box, dragging equipment, and shifting load detectors. FEC's work rules have eliminated the labor intensiveness that has become such a burden on the other Class 1 railroads. The road is sort of a super short line - service when it is needed.

South Florida officials, however, have embraced the proposal and hope to draw 7,000 passengers to the train each morning and evening to make it successful enough to continue and grow after the three-year trial period.

Estimates of how many people will ride the train have varied from a low of about 2,000 for Broward County to 7,000.

Eighteen bilevel cars similar to those used by GO Transit in Toronto are under construction. Five "F40PHL" locomotives are being created by Morrison-Knudsen. They have 16-cylinder, 3200 HP engines and are built with parts of old trade-ins. The net effect will be four trainsets in operation.

The train's tentative schedule calls for nine trips each weekday morning and evening along various lengths of the 70-mile track between Miami and West Palm Beach.

County busses and private vehicles are scheduled to ferry passengers from each of the railroad's 15 stations to the businesses or airports that are their destinations.

Currently, three airports are located in this section of Florida: Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Maybe good rail service will allow the airlines to discontinue flights between these airports. Sounds ridiculous, but a Delta flight from Hartford lands in Ft. Lauderdale, takes off and lands in West Palm Beach - just a few miles away.

Port Everglades cruise ships look like a growing industry in the 1990's and need a good access path - why not rail? The Port of Miami would also benefit from a rail tie in. Currently, freight tracks there serve a container terminal.

Some stations including Delray Beach are undergoing renovation. Free parking lots are being expanded at other stations. There will be 400-foot-long covered platforms at the stations. There will be six stations in Palm Beach County, six in Broward County and three in Dade County. Six of these are now AMTRAK stops.

Miami's METRORAIL should tie in nicely with Tri-Rail and the proposed high-speed service. This is a new light-rail operation running through the center of Miami. The southern terminus of the commuter rail line will be near the Miami International Airport where riders will be able to transfer to METRORAIL.

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Old picture post card of the train station station in Jacksonville, Florida

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Railroads On The Rebound

Over the last 50+ years, railroads have changed a lot. Now they are about to change again.

It is all about a combination of economic factors and climate factors.

Since 1950 , railroads have consolidated. Freight moved from a "box car mentality" to a "unit train,mentality". Passenger went from a robust business to a "caretaker" arrangement called AMTRAK. This happened as everybody could drive for free on the Interstate Highway System or fly on an airline system where the government subsidized both airlines and airports. In the meantime, railroad express and railroad post offices went "down the tubes". The old Post Office Department and the Railway Express Agency could not adjust to the new way. UPS and Fex Ex could.

Carbon Calculator
What's the most environmentally-friendly way to transport goods? The answer is freight rail. The EPA estimates that every ton-mile of freight that moves by rail instead of by highway reduces greenhouse emissions by two-thirds. But what does that really mean? Our easy-to-use carbon calculator will estimate the amount of carbon dioxide that can be prevented from entering our environment just by using freight rail instead of trucks. We'll even tell you how many seedlings you'd need to plant to have the same effect.

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Florida Railroad History

The history of railroading in Florida spans almost 170 years and is closely linked with the state’s development and growth.

Between 1834 and 1837, Florida's first railroads begin operation. The Tallahassee-St. Marks is the first to be incorporated on April 10,1834; however, the St. Joseph-Lake Wimico line is the first to be in service on April 14, 1836.

1850 - Senator David Yulee promoted the Florida Railroad from the port of Fernandina to the Gulf of Mexico at Cedar Key. While built to speed shipments between the Atlantic seaboard and gulf coast destinations, the line also encouraged the development of interior north Florida. Parts of this line are still in use today.

In 1855, the Florida General Assembly passed a law giving incentives to railroads to build in Florida.

In 1860, The Florida Railroad, the first cross-state line, links Fernandina on the East Coast with Cedar Key on the West.

Prior to the Civil War, the Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad line extended from Jacksonville to Tallahassee and by 1874 was extended to River Junction near Chattahoochee. In 1883, the Louisville and Nashville line from Pensacola made the connection at River Junction.

The proceeds from the Disston Land Purchase (1883) established the Internal Improvement Fund. The fund was used to assist the construction of new rail lines.

In 1886, needing railroad service for a great hotel he built at St. Augustine, Henry M. Flagler bought the first transportation link in the chain of railroad and hotel properties he built down the East Coast to Key West.

Henry Plant’s rails pushed south from Jacksonville along the St. Johns River to Sanford then southwest through Orlando to Tampa. The University of Tampa now occupies Plant’s hotel at the end of the line. Henry Sanford’s lines penetrated the interior of the state.

Henry Flagler acquired the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax River Railway, and advanced construction south along the east coast arriving in the settlement of Miami in 1896.

In 1911 - Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway goes to sea and the first train arrives in Key West.

Major hurricanes in 1926 and 1928 abruptly ended the land boom. Both the Florida East Coast and the Seaboard, burdened by the expense of rapid expansion in Florida, entered receivership.

The Hurricane of 1938 wiped out the railroad to Key West. Except for World War II, Florida's railroads suffered a decline.

Two events marked railroading’s rebirth. First, the oil crises of the 1970's highlighted the inherent energy efficiency of rail. Second, the federal Stagger’s Rail Act of 1980 deregulated the industry, allowing railroads to compete in the transportation marketplace and to abandon unprofitable lines. At the same time, growing highway and airport congestion drew attention to a renewed role for rail passenger service.

In 1988 - The Florida Department of Transportation purchased the South Florida Rail Corridor, the former Seaboard line between West Palm Beach and Miami from CSX Transportation.

See a list of Florida railroad museums by either railroad or by city/town.

See Florida of the Railroad Barons

The South Florida Railroad Museum is a good history source for south Florida.

Atlantic Coast Line & Seaboard Air Line Railroads Historical Society has a lot of historical material because these two railroads were important in the development of Florida rails.

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Railroad Maps of Florida
The Pathfinder
Granville's railroad and township map of Florida.
Map from the State University System of Florida
Florida's Historical Map Collection

Florida Cities Served by Amtrak

1. Bradenton, FL (BDT)
2. Chipley, FL (CIP)
3. Crestview, FL (CSV)
4. Dade City, FL (DDE)
5. Deerfield Beach, FL (DFB)
6. Delray Beach, FL (DLB)
7. Deland, FL (DLD)
8. Daytona Beach, FL (DYA)
9. Fort Lauderdale, FL (FTL)
10. Fort Myers, FL (FTM)
11. Hollywood, FL (HOL)
12. Jacksonville, FL (JAX)
13. Kissimmee, FL (KIS)
14. Lakeland, FL (LAK)
15. Lake City, FL (LEC)
16. Madison, FL (MDO)
17. Miami, FL (MIA)
18. Ocala, FL (OCA)
19. Okeechobee, FL (OKE)
20. Orlando, FL (ORL)
21. Palatka, FL (PAK)
22. Port Charlotte, FL (PCH)
23. Pensacola, FL (PNS)
24. Sebring, FL (SBG)
25. Sanford (auto Train Station Only), FL (SFA)
26. Sarasota, FL (SRA)
27. St. Petersburg, FL (STP)
28. Tallahassee, FL (TLH)
29. Tampa, FL (TPA)
30. Waldo, FL (WDO)
31. West Palm Beach, FL (WPB)
32. Winter Park, FL (WPK)
33. Winter Haven, FL (WTH)
34. Wildwood, FL (WWD)
35. Lakeland - To/from Points South, FL (LKL)
36. Gainesville, FL (GNF)

Florida Railroad Grand Plan

Phase 1: 4.5 hours Miami-Tampa, Miami-Orlando, Jacksonville-Tampa.	Phase 2: Orlando-Jax abandons Palatka route and is shunted from CSX to FEC northeast of Deland along new ROW, JAX-MIA added via FEC, Track between Tampa-Orlando and WPB-Auburndale completely double-tracked to reduce endpoint times to 3.5-4 hours.	Phase 3: Track between Tallahassee & Jacksonville completely double-tracked to 110mph standards; JAX-Tampa = 3-3.5 hours, Tampa-Tally = 4.5-5 hours. Sadly, Miami-Tallahassee is still a lost cause, but then again, Tallahassee is so far from Miami, even maglev would be a 2+ hour trip.

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Above and below: Stations at the Palm Beaches


The railroad used to run here. Not anymore, the Hurricane of 1935 wiped out the railroad and the causeway was rebuilt as a highway.


Old picture post card of the Atlantic Coast Line station in Fort Myers


Old picture post card of the train station station in Hollywood, Florida

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Florida Freight Railroads (2002) From FDOT Rail Office
Railroad	Miles of Railroad Operated in Florida Railroad Owned/Leased	Miles of Railroad Operated in Florida Trackage Rights	Percent of Florida Rail System
Alabama and Gulf Coast	44		1.5
Apalachicola Northern	96		3.4
Bay Line	63		2.2
CSX Transportation	1,616	130	56.3
Florida Central	66	10	2.3
Florida East Coast	386		13.5
Florida Midland	27		0.9
Florida Northern	27		0.9
Florida West Coast	14		0.5
Georgia & Florida RailNet	48		1.7
Norfolk Southern	96	53	3.3
Seminole Gulf	119		4.2
South Central Florida Express	158		5.5
South Florida Rail Corridor	81		2.8
Terminal Companies	30		1.0
TOTALS	2,871	193	100.0