Cocoa, Fla., set to commit to Amtrak station
Written by jrood
The Cocoa, Fla., City Council is expected to adopt a resolution September 8 acknowledging potential sites for Amtrak stations and pledging commitment to a project that would run a passenger train route along the state's Atlantic coast, according to Florida Today.
Few details are known yet
on what having a station in Cocoa would cost. The city likely would be
responsible for some staffing and maintenance, depending on the type of station
that gets built. It would be one of eight station locations along the route.
"We’re still finding
out what the impacts are," Public Works Director Ed Wegerif said.
The Treasure Coast Regional
Planning Council restarted the push to bring passenger rail along the Florida
East Coast Railway when the opportunity arose to use federal stimulus money.
The Florida Department of
Transportation and Amtrak were nearing a deal in 2001 that included local stops
in Titusville, Cocoa and Melbourne.
But the plan fell apart
after concerns from the federal government about Amtrak’s spending. Passenger
trains haven’t run along the state’s Atlantic coast since November 1968. Amtrak
carries passengers from Jacksonville to Miami, but the routes cut inland,
serving Tampa and Orlando.
The three sites in Cocoa up
for consideration are in the area of Rosa L. Jones and U.S. 1; State Road
520/Stone Street and U.S. 1; or an area north of State Road 528. Amtrak will
decide the site and conduct negotiations with property owners to buy necessary
land.
Stimulus funds will be
applied for by Oct. 2, and the system could be operational by October 2012.
If stimulus funds are
awarded, site selection could begin next year.
