Florida pledges to seek funds for high-speed rail

February 14, 2001 Several members of the U.S. House of Representatives held a field hearing Monday in Miami to review national high-speed rail plans, including Florida's project to build a high-speed line between Miami and Tampa via Orlando partly funded by Obama administration stimulus money, the Miami Herald reports. While Florida sought $2.5 billion for the Tampa-Orlando stretch and $30 million to advance the Orlando-Miami leg, the Federal Railroad Administration granted Florida $1.25 billion for Tampa-Orlando and nothing for Orlando-Miami.

But after her testimony May
3 before the House Transportation subcommittee on railroads, pipelines and
hazardous materials, Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie
Kopelousos said that her agency will try again to get federal money for both
projects.

"We are preparing two
applications to get more money for the Tampa-Orlando phase and Miami-Orlando,"
Kopelousos said, without citing the specific amount Florida will seek later
this year.

Kopelousos’ statement was
the clearest to date that her agency has not given up on building the
Miami-Orlando-Tampa line despite the fact that in January the Obama
administration failed to give Florida enough money for the project.

"We are moving forward,"
Kopelousos told the subcommittee. "We will continue to apply for funds."

Kopelousos said her
agency would seek money this year from two programs the federal government is
offering. One is a $115-million program for planning and construction grants
for which applications are due May 19 and the other is an additional $2.5
billion for high-speed rail development that will be available "in the near
future," according to a document distributed at the hearing.

Several of the House
members at the hearing, including Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, praised
Florida’s plans for high-speed rail saying the state can be a model for the
rest of the country. But Diaz-Balart wondered whether the Tampa-Orlando leg would
persuade enough drivers to leave their cars at home and become train riders.
His concern was based on estimates that the train trip would be only slightly
faster than a car trip between the two cities. A document provided at the
hearing said the train trip could be accomplished in less than hour, or about
30 minutes less than by car.

But Rep. James L.
Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,
welcomed Florida’s plans.

"The plan that Florida
has laid out makes sense for the state," Oberstar said. "Florida could be a
template for the nation."

In her testimony,
Kopelousos estimated that the Orlando-Miami line would cost as much as $8
billion to build. The Florida transportation agency sought money for high-speed
rail from $8 billion President Barack Obama offered in stimulus funds for
high-speed rail projects.

Of the $1.25 billion it
was awarded for Orlando-Tampa, Joseph C. Szabo, administrator of the Federal
Railroad Administration, said his agency planned to pay Florida an initial $60
million May 3 or 4.

Kopelousos said Florida would
seek some money to advance a plan to resume passenger rail service from
Jacksonville to Miami along the Florida East Coast Railway eastern shore track
now chiefly used by freight trains. Amtrak ran a special passenger train
between Miami and Jacksonville on the FEC line May 1. If the project succeeds,
it could also advance plan to start a Tri-Rail-style commuter rail service on
the same east coast line between Miami and Palm Beach County.