Leading international, state and local officials are currently meeting in Orlando over the next two days to discuss the many ways high speed rail will bring Florida and the rest of the nation into the 21st Century.
Presented by the U.S. High Speed Rail Association, the High speed Rail 2010 Conference will bring together high speed rail experts and executives from national and international companies, Members of Congress, Governors, Mayors, Florida state elected officials, engineering and construction professionals, and other professions, to extol how a state-wide high speed rail system will create efficient and safe mass transit, while generating millions of jobs across America.
Meanwhile, Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty, stated yesterday that while he backs SunRail and Florida high speed rail, there are some flaws. One such deficiency is that, as currently designed, SunRail and high speed rail do not connect. According to Crotty, persons should be able to transit from one rail system to the other. He believes that this flaw could be overcome and has put on the table three options. These are:
- Build a station where the two trains intersect
- Connect to an existing rail spur near the airport to bring the SunRail train into the airport high speed rail station
- Build a light rail system that would link the airport, the SunRail station on Sand Lake Road, and an multi-modal station at the Orange County Convention Center.
Crotty has written to members of the Florida congressional delegation urging them to seek federal funds to help ensure the two trains are connected. He has received a letter of support from Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos.
Critics of SunRail have said that the technology is out-moded and it will cost taxpayers in Florida $1 billion or more over the next two decades, forcing further cuts in other social services, such as health and education.
