Throughout 2010, chief executives across the Central Florida Region share their views on a variety of issues and topics in the monthly business news magazine, FirstMonday. Republished here for our Every Monday readers, we invite you to take a look at their thoughts.
High-Speed Rail will soon become reality in Central Florida.
By Leila Jammal Nodarse (P.E.), CEO, Nodarse & Associates Inc.
My first exposure to high-speed rail was in the mid 1980s, when Sam Tabuchi came to Orlando with the vision of a Maglev demonstration project from the Orlando International Airport to International Drive. At that time, my father, Jim Jammal, was Mr. Tabuchi’s geotechnical engineering consultant, and it was then I first learned about the importance of engineering design to a successful high-speed rail system. Unfortunately, the Maglev proposal was considered “ahead of its time” for Central Florida, and the project never came to be.
My next experience with high-speed rail was in 1999, when the BeeLine Monorail — a 55-mile corridor from Port Canaveral to International Drive — was studied but also failed to come to fruition.
Florida has a long history of planning for high-speed rail, which dates back to 1974 with the Cross Florida Transit Study. That study was followed by several additional studies that were initiated after 1981. Between 2001 and 2009, I had the honor of serving as a gubernatorial appointee on Florida’s High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA). It was then that I learned firsthand about the millions of dollars that have been invested analyzing the viability of high-speed rail in Florida. I also met many of the people in this state who have dedicated years of their lives working to turn the rail vision into reality.
During that time, the HSRA oversaw the completion of the Project Development & Evaluation (PD&E) study for the Orlando-to-Tampa high-speed rail route. Through that experience, I gained an appreciation for the significance of the Florida Department of Transportation’s decision to preserve the central corridor of Interstate 4 for potential future high-speed rail use. Looking back, it is clear to me that the preservation of that corridor was truly visionary and the single most advantageous element necessary to advance Florida’s rail future. And, although the Orlando-Tampa project stalled in 2008, that PD&E study was smartly “put on a shelf” until a future day when funds would come available to build it.
On April 16, 2009, that day came. Only a few months after being sworn into office, President Obama officially announced a national policy directive and investment commitment to bring high-speed rail to our country. I attended that press conference in Washington D.C., as a representative of Florida, and I knew then the waiting was over. The time of high-speed rail in America had finally arrived.
The President spoke of his desire to see America have infrastructure and travel alternatives that are equal to, or better than, those that exist in other parts of the world. A meaningful $8 billion commitment was made to high-speed rail, and within a few months, various state proposals were submitted to the federal government for grant consideration. In January, President Obama and Vice President Biden personally traveled to Tampa and delivered the news that Florida would receive $1.25 billion for Phase I of the Orlando-to-Tampa project. The grant was the largest for a single rail project in the nation.
While many were talking about the “perfect storm” our economy was facing, high-speed rail seemed to be the “perfect solution” to create jobs quickly and simultaneously build the first leg of a world-class transportation system. Once completed, the link will connect two major regions (Orlando and Tampa), thus creating a combined economic region that is estimated to be the ninth largest in the nation. Up next will be Phase II (Orlando to Miami), which is currently under way with its own PD&E study.
I believe our “stars have aligned” and high-speed rail will be operational in Florida by 2015. The reasons are many, beginning with an early vision for a dedicated and state-owned right-of-way along I-4. Second was the leadership of our committed Congressman John L. Mica and Congresswoman Corrine Brown, who have worked as a bipartisan team to make this a reality for our community. Plus, from a geographic standpoint, Florida is long, narrow and flat, which makes constructing a true high-speed rail system economically feasible.
Another benefit is that the Orlando-to-Tampa Phase I project is “shovel ready” and can create jobs immediately. When you add the fact that Central Florida will soon begin to reap the benefits of our first rail project, the 61-mile SunRail commuter train connecting our outlying communities through downtown Orlando, you begin to understand our community is on the verge of a real rail transportation alternative.
At a recent Central Florida Partnership meeting, I heard Jacob Stuart say “good things don’t just happen, they are brought about.” Thanks to many dedicated people in Florida, I believe high-speed rail will soon be “brought about.” As a Florida native and business person, I look forward to the day when our transportation choices in Florida will include high-speed trains.
Leila Jammal Nodarse (P.E.), CEO of Nodarse & Associates Inc., is an investor in the Central Florida Partnership and serves on its Board of Directors.
Stay tuned for future insights and opinions from these key community leaders who are helping to make Central Florida strong.
Central Florida Partnership - Ideas to Results
Improving Central Florida’s economic vitality and quality of life by focusing on transportation, public policy advocacy, regional leadership, entrepreneurial growth and regional planning.
Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce
Shaping our community’s future by focusing on what matters to the millions of people who call Central Florida home. Your business. Your community. Your future. Your chamber.
For additional information, visit:
www.centralfloridapartnership.com
www.orlando.org
