#Orlando Amtrak

[mrsmoose54]

Florida - Rail Options

Central Florida continues to attract increasing numbers of visitors annually. In 2021 is was reported that there were around 57 million visitors, the majority are US domestic travellers but 2 million are from overseas. Numbers are going up and certainly recovering from the impact of the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic. Would travelling through the Sunshine State by rail be an option for anyone instead…

[keiteay]

Destination unknown

[archaalen]

@amtrak-official what's your opinion of this?

[amtrak-official]

What's your take on the high speed, all electric Siemens Brightline train in Florida? Miami to Orlando in about half the time, on rail lines that aren't shared, and they have a pretty swish first class available that also includes a luxury lounge at the station. I don't know how many people really travel between Orlando and Miami and if it's going to prove itself on such a limited route, but just looking at it, my guess is if it were in the NE corridor, the Acela would have really stiff competition.

It's a good service but I fucking hate private rail and want it nationalized immediately before they start being used as an excuse to defend amtrak by Republicans. Also I do welcome competition on the NEC, bit I think it will be unlikely to cause any real change because amtrak owns the NEC and why would the higher ups let direct competition on the line, I mean it is possible as Marc and NJtransit use the NEC already but like those are state run so it's different. All in all I have a lot of issues with Brightline, but do have decent service

[lonelyfanboy48]

The Disney Channel Magical Holiday Express

Christmas in Disney World never fails to disappoint each year. Employees redecorated every single building in the park to put families in the holiday mood. Not to mention the Disney princesses and stars from the films appear to spread cheer for the holidays. Especially from Star Wars and Marvel. However, whenever fans of Disney enjoy the spreading of cheers from Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel characters and attractions, they couldn't get over the fact that Disney Channel Cartoon stars never get their attractions during the holidays. They may spend time at the parks in Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom, but little compared to other famous franchises. They never got their attraction greenlit due to bigger plans from the company making more attractions in four parks. But it all changed when right after last year's Christmas, the Disney Channel Cartoon stars finally made an agreement to the Walt Disney Company to open their own Christmas Attraction, but a mobile one at that.

In Jacksonville at the Amtrak Station, people are taking the night trip to Orlando where Disney World is at. But when it comes to the Disney World Vacation Package, people usually take flights to Florida. If travelers are close to Orlando, they get an exclusive deal to take the train with the attraction they've been hearing about since mid Spring. After the train to Miami left, it was only a matter of time for the train to arrive for Orlando. Friends and families are eager to spend their three hours in the mobile attraction that Disney created.

"Hey!" A young girl pointed. "It's finally coming!"

Everyone turned their attention to the train that's a quarter of a mile from arriving at the station. But unlike the train people took from time to time, the train is a lot more different, not because of it being decorated in Christmas lights. It's painted with Disney Channel colors they show on TV during the holiday season, the passenger trains show characters of the cartoons on display with Christmas outfits but what will entertain people the most is what's taking place from the inside.

When the train stopped at the station, the doors opened revealed Mabel from Gravity Falls with her reindeer antlers on her head and Molly from The Ghost And Molly McGee wearing a Santa outfit. "Ladies and gentlemen!" Mabel cheered after walking out with Molly from behind. "Welcome to The Disney Channel Magical Holiday Express!"

As Molly leaned close to the kids, she presented the Holiday Express itself. "The most Fa-La-La entertainment express for your trip to Orlando!" She squealed.

"It will be the best three hours of your holiday experience." Mabel and Molly invited all the passengers inside the train. The kids loved the short but charming introduction from two stars, one of which ended their show almost eight years ago along with another who's two years old.

There were three classes for passengers to sit for their trip to Orlando which each class decorated with tons of Christmas decorations. But the separate classes behind the engine car is where the stars are relaxing and preparing for their performances. In the first class of the express, Kristine from Hailey's On It in her fancy Mrs. Claus' outfit is making her railway announcement with all the passengers putting their luggage away.

"K-Squad, this is Kristine, the Mrs. Claus Queen telling you that we're starting the train to Orlando where Disney World is at!" She smiled with her voice being heard from the speakers. "The Holiday Express will be more than the Polar Express, except for the train going on thin ice that is." The passengers laugh from the compliment. "Anyway, enjoy our railway trip." She put her microphone away as she headed back to the classes from the front.

In no time at all, the smoke from the engine came out as the train moved on the railway from the Station. The kids and teens couldn't believe they met three stars they barely see at attractions, aside from conventions. It was almost like what they read wasn't a lie or changed at the last minute. And things are getting better from here on out.

Cricket and Tilly from Big City Greens came out with Cricket holding mugs filled with coffee, while Tilly is holding a tray of butter biscuits. "Anybody in the mood for a warming Christmas beverage?" Cricket smiled.

"Along with special Christmas biscuits made by grandma!" Tilly added as the passengers paid and received the mugs and biscuits. The kids were thrilled to see the current Disney Channel Cartoon stars appear from their very eyes. When Tilly handed a biscuit to the girl in the purple jacket, she gave her a hug without hesitation. "Oh, such a sweet gesture."

"Knew this is what we wanted." Cricket commented after getting a fist bump from a teen. While they head to the second class of the express, kids and teens get a chance to watch episodes from their favorite Disney Channel Cartoons old and present from the installed TVs hanging from above. For the next twenty minutes, they can use the TVs to watch twenty two minute or two eleven minute episodes until Holiday Express continues its brand new gig.

After Cricket and Tilly finished up with the third class, they headed back to the separate classes. They took a break after doing their job and for twenty minutes, it's time to spice things up. "Okay, it's your turn now." Tilly whispered.

"Go out there and hit a home run, Christmas style!" Cricket added.

While fans were enjoying watching their favorite episodes, the screen changed into the high quality cam from the first class. It catched them off guard but not too long, the main star from Hailey's On It and Marcy from Amphibia appeared from the door. With headset microphones for the classes from the back to hear.

"Marcy," Hailey called, straightening her Santa hat. "Where are your other friends? You said they would come along on this express."

"I did, but they got side tracked from their holiday shopping rush this afternoon, so that's why they missed the train." Marcy showed Hailey her phone.

"But we're supposed to make these passengers occupied. What about Luz?"

Then Amity appeared from the door in her Mrs. Claus outfit. "Sorry! She missed the train because she forgot to bring her gift." She stepped in.

"Seriously!?"

"These passengers need to arrive at Disney World, but without our friends, what can we do?" Marcy asked, to which Dipper from Gravity Falls came out in a conductor outfit.

"Everyone, calm down!" He called to the three's attention. "I'm fully aware that we don't have our biggest Disney Channel stars, but we can still occupy the passengers. We have enough stars in the front for entertainment."

"But Dipper, giving entertainment from our biggest stars is what people wanted. I'm not enough without my best friends."

"Yeah and Luz always lightens up the mood, especially during Christmas." Amity added.

"Hey, that doesn't mean we have newer stars who became fan favorites this year. Including you Hailey." While Hailey blushed, Dipper turned his attention to the passengers. "Everyone, please welcome, Casey!" As he headed back to the front, Casey from Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur appeared in her stylized yellow Santa outfit.

"Hey everybody!" She cheered while taking a selfie with the passengers. "Usually our conductor makes the introductions, but he gave me the liberty for that along with an exciting entrance. We don't have a grand stage to fit in the Holiday Express but we can still add excitement right?" The kids in all classes cheered yes, much to Casey's surprise. "Well, I'm thankful that my headset didn't explode."

"My ears still hurt though." Hailey retorted while taking off her headset.

"You get used to it after a while." Marcy added.

"Anyway, I want you all to welcome...Moon Girl!"

After giving the introduction, the door from the third class that shows the railtrack, opened, taking the passengers off guard. Moon Girl was skating on the rails of the track with only one boot from her superhero outfit. She jumped through the back, while shutting the door with her leg.

The passengers make an applause from the out of nowhere entrance from Moon Girl, as if they expected it to happen in first class. "Merry Christmas everyone!" She cheered.

"Here's my favorite superhero!" Casey appeared in the third class.

"Well, I made it before the holiday rush, trust me, Christmas isn't always about happiness when it comes to last minute shopping." Moon Girl greeted her best friend.

"We've all been there."

The passengers laughed, while the two continued the show. "So, since we have..." She looked through her goggles. "More than two and a half hours until we arrive at Disney World. The only thing we need to keep an eye on is upcoming Christmas crashers."

"Christmas crashers?" A black boy responded to which Moon Girl turned to.

"Yes. Like birthday crashers, but for Christmas instead.".

"While I've taken care of my enemies, but when it comes to other shows, they found out we've been working on this Holiday Express just before we started building it."

"You mean these?" Casey showed Moon Girl her phone.

"Yes, Chip Whistler hijacked this whole express to turn it into their own Wholesome Foods express." With kids gasping from the news itself, Moon Girl looked through the windows from both sides. "The good news is however, they're nowhere in sight, but they told The Green Family they're on their way when they informed us yesterday. Plus I'm in charge of being the lookout outside of the train." She headed back to the door she came in. "Sorry for not entertaining you all, but this is a serious mission to save your Christmas vacation at Disney World."

The moment she prepared to open the door, the kids cheered Moon Girl from all classes in the Holiday Express. To which she smiled as she headed out. She went on top of the train to look out for Chip Whistler. On the TVs, it shows Moon Girl sitting down while giving them the thumbs up. Soon the TV screens turned back to where the passengers left off.

As the Holiday Express was just forty five miles from its destination, the passengers, mainly the kids, were calm after what Moon Girl told them earlier while still enjoying the Holiday Express. Soon enough, four stars appeared in the first class from Amphibia, Sprig, his sister Polly and Anne's parents, Mrs. and Mr. Boonchuy in their Christmas outfits. But they only head their way to the second class to give it some more attention. Upon entering the second class, they only have one microphone in Sprig's possession, but they're gonna turn this Holiday Express into something more.

"Hey everybody. Sprig, Polly, and Anne's parents are here to keep you occupied." Sprig replied. "Now I know what you're thinking, sorry but I didn't get a word from Anne yet." He showed everyone his phone.

Polly grabbed the microphone from her brother to fill in. "The holiday shopping rush really got her and Sasha in the way." She added. "There's more reasons why we Planters don't celebrate Christmas in our world but, let's just say we're anything but Christmas crashers."

Polly gave the microphone to Mrs. Boonchuy while looking at the passengers. "I've gone through so many Holiday shopping rushes when Anne was little, but the day at the Christmas-Palooza parade, she and her friends built the Thai Go float which is..." She stopped herself with a tear coming down from her eye. "My dream is to go out at the parade with the float."

Everyone was touched by Mrs. Boonchuy's words to even imagine the dedication Anne did for her own mother. "But the less said about what happened at the parade, the better." Mr. Boonchuy leaned towards the microphone.

"And on Christmas morning, she gave me this." Mrs. Boonchuy showed everyone the Blue Butterfly. "It's been decades since I've enjoyed Christmas before Anne was born. This gift is what really takes me back from that Christmas."

With the passengers clapping from Mrs. Boonchuy speech, she gave the microphone back to Sprig. "When it comes to me, Polly, and Hop Pop's first Christmas, we had to learn the chaos way of being one of the most stressful holidays but we're still anything but Christmas crashers." He walked up towards the people from the back of the cabin, while showing people a picture from his phone. "This is me and Anne with her holding my gift to her. It wasn't the best gift in the world, but she accepted it."

"Which is what I've learned," Polly walked up to Sprig. "That being with people close enough can still show appreciation."

"Speaking of appreciation," Sprig pointed at Mr. Boonchuy, who was holding a gift box. "Here's our token of appreciation." While Mr. Boonchuy takes out the gifts to the passengers, it was the same gift Anne gave to her mother, but slightly smaller with the same value. "We made many Blue Butterflies for you all to remember this express but even if some of you would take the train to Disney World again, these are not available in stores, only on the Holiday Express."

As Mr. Boonchuy gave the passengers Blue Butterflies one by one, she gave some to Sprig, Polly, and Mrs. Boonchuy to hand them out in the first class. With everyone appreciating the gesture, they were amazed that the model is just the same as Mrs. Boonchuy. When Mr. Boonchuy entered through the third class, Marco from Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil came in the first class and stopped Sprig, Polly, Mrs. Boonchuy from exiting the first class.

"Guys, Moon Girl texted me that Chip Whistler is close to the Express along with Wholesome Squad!" He called.

"What!" Polly reacted.

"Moon Girl better be prepared because-" Sprig gets cut off when a bump is heard from the top of the train.

With the TV screens turning to the POV of Moon Girl's phone, Chip Whistler's bodyguards were ganging up on Moon Girl but luckily, she transformed her hand into a boxing glove to punch one of them, but just when she reaches the third class cabin to enter, more bodyguards appear from the sky while landing right in front of her.

"Woah!" Mr. Boonchuy reacted after hearing the bumps from above. The kids reacted while the door from the back kicked right open, revealing Chip Whistler.

"Here's a Merry Christmas to you all you filthy animals." He grinned while Mr. Boonchuy backed away from him. "I eventually knew when and where this kiddy train was heading but even without the information, I would be one of the only people in this world to find this train."

When Mrs. Boonchuy and the others head inside the third class, they saw Chip taking one Blue Butterfly from a little girl while looking at it closely. "Give that butterfly back to her!" Mrs. Boonchuy called out.

"Why? People would prefer Wholesome Foods' Christmas specialty rather than tourist attractions like you." He then breaks the Blue Butterfly, causing the girl to cry.

"Oh you better not ruin our Holiday Express!" Polly reacted.

"Even if it's by stopping this train, I would still tongue you out!" Sprig unleashed his tongue but Chip dodged it, while grabbing it wearing rubber gloves. He pulled Sprig off the ground while grabbing him by his clothes. He then snapped his fingers as bodyguards appeared from the back door as he handed Sprig to the bodyguards.

"Take out another disgusting tongue and you're being thrown out." Chip said curtly, making a thinly veiled threat.

Not much later, Cricket and Tilly made their way to the third class cabin to aid the Planters and Boonchuys. "Chip, if you ruin our Holiday Express, you're gonna get a coal shaped tooth for Christmas."

"Yeah, like that's ever gonna stop me from taking over this express." He walked up to Cricket, with the Wholesome Squad still holding onto Sprig who was resisting. "You may make a fool out of me from time to time, but you're nothing like a hero. I have full power on this express and no one's gonna stop me."

Just when Chip and the Wholesome Squad headed to the first class to take over the train taking the passengers, the tv screens showed the light lasers of light blue and dark pink from the distance. But it wasn't enough. From the left a portal opened up from the outside of the express door which Dipper immediately opened. Then from above the express while Moon Girl was on the verge of defeat, she and the Wholesome Squad saw something above in the sky. Even during the night, it became visible in a matter of seconds with the dark magic appearing.

"Merry Christmas, suckers!" Luz in her Titan Witch form landed next to Moon Girl, taking the Wholesome Squad by surprise.

"Luz!" A young girl cheered from the second class.

Luz used her titan powers thanks to Stringbean to push the squad off of the express. "NOO!" Chip looking at his bodyguards falling from the express out the window. Then Star Butterfly jumped out of the portal thanks to the dimension scissors. As if it wasn't enough, the light lasers came in from the third class, revealing Anne and Sasha with their calamity powers.

Everyone cheered to see one of the best Disney Channel stars as they surrounded Chip and his goons. "You may have power, but you don't know what power is from destined heroes from Amphibia." Anne walked up to Chip.

"You may have failed to win against your enemies, but you don't stand a chance against us." Sasha added.

"Don't push it, I know who you are!" Chip retorted.

"And I know where all of this is going." Cricket smirked.

As Anne and Sasha pushed Chip and the squad, Star and Marco showed them the dimension portal. "For the record, fights on the express will kick you out to the dimension." Star crossed her arms.

"Especially hijacking trains." Marco added.

"Thanks for the tip, ship show wreckers." Chip rolled his eyes as he and his goons jumped through the portal. Dipper closed the door with the portal disappearing into nothingness, while he and Mabel turned their attention to the passengers.

"I give you." Dipper presents the heroes of the express.

"The Christmas Saviors Of Holiday Express!" Mabel shouted in excitement.

Anne and Sasha turned back into their normal selves, whilst in Santa outfits as well. Moon Girl and Luz, who also turned back into her normal self, entered inside from the third class cabin. Everyone cheered for saving the Holiday Express and the entrance they made.

"We're back from our holiday shopping rush." Sasha replied.

"When we heard that Chip Whistler was taking over this express, we had to rush by...well you know." Anne giggled and so did the passengers.

"They called us and we need to send our most twisted villains away with these." Star showing off her dimensional scissors.

"If only we had those in our show." Tilly said, being mesmerized.

Luz and Moon Girl made their way to the first class as Luz witnessed Amity. "I have my gift." She smiled.

"I don't need to guess who it is for." Amity giggled.

As Luz made her way to her girlfriend, Anne's mother and others also appeared in the first class cabin. Sprig stuck his tongue up in the ceiling, launching himself from the ground, landing in front of Anne. "Merry Christmas Boonchuy Claus!" He grinned.

"And who are you? The first ever frog elf?" Anne smiled.

"I beg to differ." Polly retorted.

"Anne, tell everyone what you and the others are gonna do, since you arrived." Mr Boonchuy replied.

"Yeah. Since we are here, I was thinking that we should sit next to the passengers and watch our favorite Christmas episodes." Anne suggested as the passengers cheered.

"I think we'll take that as a yes." Marco putting his finger in his earplug.

"Big time." Cricket added.

"Well you heard her, let the real Holiday Express begin!" Molly cheered from the front.

For the rest of the trip, stars of Disney Channel watch their Christmas episodes with the passengers they're sitting next to. The passengers didn't think it could get any better but the express itself outdid it again. They wanted this to happen for such a long time and it's only a matter of time to make updates when it comes to feedback.

The Holiday Express arrived at Disney World. The train stopped at the Orlando Amtrak Station where Dipper appeared in the first class, making one last announcement. "Passengers, we have arrived at our destination." He responded. "Thanks for taking The Disney Channel Magical Holiday Express."

The door opened as everyone got out. On their way out, The Disney Channel stars gave out high fives and hugs. With the three classes empty, the express left the train station. The Disney Channel stars go to their exclusive classes to take their break after their performances. "That was...something else." Hailey commented.

"We know how you felt after watching your Christmas episode." Sasha replied.

"I'm surprised that we were allowed to do the hijacking." Marco added. "I thought it was out of the question."

"Maybe some of the people at the company felt bad for us." Casey added.

"That's mostly putting it lightly, judging from what we've been through." Luz taking a drink from her hot cocoa.

"We're not even allowed to kiss in the express." Amity added.

"I would blame it on the company, but I wouldn't take the risk of cancellation." Star added.

"Ok, as much as we went through a lot, this is still our first time doing such an attraction." Dipper replied.

"I wasn't nervous." Cricket biting a biscuit.

"Neither was I," Tilly added.

"Yeah, I wanted to do more especially when we had three hours." Mabel smiled.

"Well the thing is, Disney wants the passengers to relax on their way to Disney World." Mrs. Boonchuy replied. "We can only perform for a small amount of time."

"You're right, but still it was fun for social interaction." Kristine said.

Everyone in the class agreed with each other from Kristine's compliment, but Anne has a confession on what she felt about the whole thing. "Even if I spend less time on this express, it still feels special."

"You can never deny that." Polly commented.

"And from what I've learned by going to Disney World before Amphibia came out, each attraction takes years to put together, and is more expensive than other kinds of attractions."

"And we're paid just enough, but not on the same levels of animated movies." Marcy commented.

"My point is if we're gonna make this work, we should change it up from time to time."

"Like me being the conductor?" Mabel wondered.

"Yes, and we can get more of our friends from our shows to show everyone we're capable of our Holiday Express."

"Including villains?" Moon Girl guessed while smiling.

"If they can allow more powerful villains than Chip Whistler." Cricket replied.

"I couldn't agree more." Molly Mcgee stood up. "When we get back to Jacksonville tomorrow, I should do a speech similar to your mother's as long as-"

"Yes you can have Oliver, but we're still unsure with the whole kissing thing." Anne replied.

"I was actually talking about my family. While having Scratch saving the express."

"That also works."

"Anyway we should relax while watching a Christmas movie." Amity said. "We'll do the plans in the morning."

"Be thankful the company allowed us to do more impromptu actor changes." Star commented. "Disney World doesn't allow that."

"Especially at DisneyLand." Hailey added.

As they turned on their TVs in their class cabins, they watched a Christmas film while the train took them back to their apartments. It was a crazy night, but a successful night to make their goal come true. They await for what the feedback is, but they're aware they didn't make a mistake. It may be the beginning of their attraction, but it'll grow to the point they might run the express outside of Christmas. The Disney Channel stars achieved their goal and now they're doing whatever it takes to give new passengers Magical Holiday Express in the future.

[public-transportation-tournament]

Round 1!

The TCAT, Tompkins County, NY, USA vs Seattle Center Monorail, Seattle, WA, USA

M1 (or Millennium Underground Railway, but also known as "the small underground" by locals), Budapest, Hungary vs Grande Recife, Recife, Brazil

London Underground, Greater London, England vs Rotterdam Metro, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Beamish Tramway, Beamish Museum, Beamish, England vs Catbus/Nekobus, Sayama Hills, Saitama Prefecture, Japan (My Neighbor Totoro)

The New York City Subway system, New York City, NY, USA vs Corviknight Flying Taxi, Galar (Pokémon Sword and Shield)

Buenos Aires Underground (Subte), Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina vs Monte Toboggan, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

The Stargate Network, throughout the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies (the Stargate franchise) vs the Deepsea Metro, Inkopolis Bay (Splatoon)

CAT, Perth, Western Australia vs SkyTrain, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Brolly Rail, Nevermoor (Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend) vs Métro Ligne 4, Paris, France

Tyne and Wear Metro, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom vs the REM, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (upcoming)

Jeepney, the Philippines vs Sea Train, Water 7, connecting it with St. Poplar, San Faldo, and Pucci, as well as the Judicial Island Enies Lobby (One Piece)

The MTR, Hong Kong, PRC vs the Omnibus, New York, NY, USA (1832)

SeaBus, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada vs Wuppertaler Schwebebahn, Wuppertal, Germany

Ice Highway, the Nether Roof (Minecraft) vs Battle Subway, Unova (Pokémon Black and White)

WY Metro, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom vs Tunnelbana, Stockholm, Sweden

MRT (Moda Raya Terpadu/Mass Rapid Transit), Jakarta, Indonesia vs An Luas, Dublin, Ireland

RIPTA (Rhode Island public transit authority) (it’s buses), Rhode Island, USA vs Bakerloo Line, London Underground, London, England

Mount Vesuvius Funicular Railway, Mount Vesuvius, Italy (opened in 1880, destroyed by volcanic eruption in 1944) vs AquaBus, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Yarra Trams, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia vs SEPTA (southeast pennsylvania transportation authority), Pennsylvania, United States

Cable Cars, San Francisco, California, United States vs MAX Light Rail system, Portland, Oregon, United States

Amtrak, United States vs Fenelon Place Elevator, Dubuque, Iowa, United States

Ninky Nonk, Night Garden (In The Night Garden) vs Prague Metro, Prague, Czech Republic

Polar Bear Express, between Cochrane and Moosonee, Ontario, Canada vs the Crosstown Express, Robot City (Robots (2005))

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (the T), Greater Boston, Massachusetts, United States vs Worcester Regional Transit Authority, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States

Kakola Funicular, Turku, Finland vs Angkutan Kota (Angkot), Indonesia

Galaxy Railways, the Milky Way (The Galaxy Railways (銀河鉄道物語, Ginga Tetsudō Monogatari)) vs The Ride, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

MST Trolley, Monterey, California, United States vs People Mover, Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida, United States

Public Transit Victoria, Victoria, Australia vs Carmelit, Haifa, Israel

The L, Chicago, Illinois, United States vs Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway, South Lanarkshire, Scotland

Personal Rapid Transit (PRT), Morgantown, West Virginia vs Helsingin seudun liikenne/Helsingforsregionens trafik/Helsinki Regional Transport, Helsinki, Finland

Gondolas, Venice, Italy vs the Trolley from the Trolley Problem (Philippa Foot came up with it originally, but in media it was also presented in "the good place")

Zahnradbahn Stuttgart (die Zacke), Stuttgart (Marienplatz to Degerloch), Baden-Württemberg, Germany vs Detroit People Mover, Detroit, Michigan, United States

Warp Pipes (Super Mario Bros.) vs SCMaglev, Yamanashi, Japan

Transport Canberra Bus Network, Canberra, Australia vs Stagways, Hallownest (Hollow Knight)

Roosevelt Island Tram, Roosevelt Island, New York, NY, United States vs NJ Transit (Northeast Corridor), New Jersey, United States

Sunrail, Orlando, Florida, United States vs Bay Area Rapid Transit, Bay Area, California, United States

Purple Route (Charm City Circulator), Baltimore, Maryland, United States vs Alderney Ferry (Halifax Transit), Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Millennium Line, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada vs MARTA, Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Dual Mode Vehicle (DMV), Asa Coast Railway, Shikoku, Japan vs Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, Lynmouth, England, UK

Hovercraft, Portsmouth - Ryde, UK vs Funiculars, the Questionable Area (Psychonauts 2)

WildNorWester, Sodor (The Railway Series) vs Shinkansen, Japan

Métro de Paris, Paris, France vs Metro do Porto, Porto, Portugal

Deutsche Bahn, Germany vs UC Davis Unitrans Bus System, Davis, California

Vaporetti, Venice, Italy vs Harbour Bus, Copenhagen, Denmark

[longlivetv]

It's funny that you added the point about reliability for trains, because it's a big issue and Amtrak have absolutely no consideration for the fact that they regularly fail to achieve the scheduled times. It's never been a huge issue for me because I've always been on holiday and learned quickly to factor in an assumed delay, but I met 2 Belgian guys on the train from Denver to Chicago last summer who were totally bemused by the fact that they train was running about 5 hours late and all the Amtrak employees said was "come back later" with no provision of food vouchers or even just a sincere apology! Obviously, the staff deal with the same thing pretty much every day, so they're probably over it, but the difference with the European network is insane.

My wait for that train at Salt Lake City was one time I got caught out a bit. I was supposed to leave at 3am so I decided to just go to the station on the last tram ... which was at about 1030pm. But when I arrived they said the train would be there til 530am (at the earliest) so I really wished I'd just kept my hotel room! It ended up being 630am. I still had a great journey, but it's not a great service.

My one and only Amtrak trip was literally the trip from hell. The planned vacation was a trip to Disney World planned for me by my then boyfriend. We were university students with no money, so the trip also included various friends, including two girls I didn’t know well, a friend of mine from high school, who had introduced us, and my best college friend. Best college friend and I had always wanted to take the train, so we decided to do that while my boyfriend, his two friends, and my high school friend drove. The plan was for them to pick us up at the train station, and we would all end up arriving about the same time, and then we would go to the rental house.

Well. Although our train left on time, somewhere in the middle of nowhere we got stopped. For 12 hours. Which was then so long that once they fixed whatever had us stopped, we were still trapped there waiting on a new crew because they’d been on duty too long. They ran out of food, and we couldn’t get off to walk to the Shell station we could see out the train window to get food or water. There were almost no outlets, so passengers had to take turns sitting in the bag storage to charge their phones.

We arrived in Orlando an entire day late. We missed a whole park day, and in my absence my boyfriend had slept with my high school friend, as I discovered finding her stuff and used condoms in the room he and I were supposed to share. And I then had to fly back to my hometown with her and eat the most awkward dinner with ever, because our respective parents were picking us up and her dad was on the board at my mom's work.

So yeah. No amount of vouchers or refunds was gonna fix that one. Gonna take a lot to convince me to go very far on Amtrak.

[sam-vargas]

Winter Park, FL

(Written in 2018)

Clear skies, hot summers and cool winters with sporadic days of extreme chill (from a Floridian’s perspective), a lively population of college kids year round, and snowbirds in the winter, Winter Park, Florida is a treasure trove of culture and life located in the outer suburbs of the greater Orlando area. Within 20 minutes of Orlando’s epicenter, Winter Park puts residents within reasonable driving distance of the city and its parks, as well as hosting its own attractions for tourists and natives. Two of Winter Park’s biggest colleges sit on the same, aptly named road of university a mere 11 minutes away from one another: Full Sail University and University of Central Florida.

Apartment complexes in the immediate area surrounding and between the two welcome students from both schools with signs before the gates at the beginning of the traditional school year. Full Sail students attend year round, with new classes starting and graduating each month. This makes for a steady cycle of new and old. UCF brings students in on a more traditional basis, but houses students in dorms during their first year. This makes for a culture known to many college towns, one of busy weekends spent partying at night, and weekdays spent cramming for assignments and projects, exams and lectures. 

Winter Park has adapted well to its combined populus of snowbirds and college students by creating beautiful parks with vibrant gardens and river views. There are museums of art, movie theaters (the Enzian in particular home to the Florida Film Festival). An excellent opportunity for any local filmmakers: student or otherwise, and an array of shopping centers, malls, and restaurants. Park Avenue is a thriving line of shops and restaurants operating next to a park housing both gardens, fountains, and the amtrak station. Foot traffic, as well as car traffic, here during the weekends is brutal, but certainly worth the wait. 

Up a ways and over from Park Avenue is Winter Park Village. Another epicenter of shops, restaurants, and a movie theater, with just as much foot traffic, but much more parking. Here one can find a wide selection of both chain restaurants such as Cheesecake Factory, and independently owned restaurants such as the Firefly Kitchen & Bar. 

The Regal Cinema is a hotspot on weekends, especially with new arrivals and openings. It provides a comfortable viewing experience with plush leather recliners, and a generous concessions counter at the front of the theater. The Village is also home to a grocery store, a music store, and salons. 

Just outside of Winter Park is Maitland. This is where visitors can find the Art & History Museum, the Enzian, and Lake Lily Park. The Art & History Museum offers tours of the facility which includes an indoor gallery, and outdoor structures that have been restored. The work displayed on the campus belongs to residents of the museum who spend their days experimenting and producing work on behalf of the museum. 

The Enzian is a small theater with a very unique atmosphere. It resembles a dinner theater with its own bar and restaurant situated just outside. Menus are offered at the start of each showing, placed before patrons on tables. This theater is popular for its seasonal special features. Last year, I attended a Halloween special feature of The Devil’s Rejects, and greatly enjoyed myself. Later, I wanted to attend the theater’s showing of Idiocracy during the elections, but ultimately missed the event. I heard stories from friends of mine about one particular showing of The Room (for those unaware, the movie The Disaster Artist was based on, and widely viewed as the worst movie ever) was the most lively of its kind, with people laughing at the worst parts and quoting lines out loud before they were spoken. Overall, drinks and a good time were had by all. 

Finally, Lake Lily Park. Not only is this park beautiful with white painted pavilions, a bridge over the lake, and its population of water birds, but the park is also home to a farmers market. Taking place on the weekends, the market hosts a wide variety of local vendors selling products ranging from organic coffee beans to soaps made with essential oils. This event is wildly popular, which can make finding a parking space in the confined space a challenge. Still, people cycle in and out pretty quickly, so finding a parking space is merely a matter of planning your time wisely. 

Now, as mentioned earlier, the heart of Orlando is located a mere 20 minutes away from Winter Park. This makes downtown Orlando a popular spot for those interested in any of the numerous events taking place in the city. In downtown Orlando, you can find any number of events and festivals taking place throughout the year. From art festivals to concerts, plays and musicals, Orlando has you covered. 

Orlando is also home to a number of resorts and parks, property of Disney, Sea World, and more. For those looking to get out for a day free of charge, Disney Springs, known as Downtown Disney before its renovation, is the place to be. The park is home to a large number of Disney property shops such as the Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney stores. Restaurants are also in high supply, ranging anywhere from a casual sit in and dine, to a fancy meal on the water in a riverboat. Last but not least, you can’t throw a rock without hitting a pub, and, because the park is privately owned property, your drinks can travel with you (so long as you remain within the park while your glass is filled). 

For more seasonal visitors or locals, the parks are a popular attraction. Most tourists are known to make trips on long holidays, which gives local or nearby season pass holders an opportunity to visit the parks during lower traffic seasons. All Disney parks are located within a near immediate vicinity to one another, with buses carrying patrons from one park gate to another at their discretion. Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and more are just a short ride away. 

But Disney, while a more popular option amongst park goers, is not the only attraction Orlando has to offer. Both SeaWorld and Universal Studios are well within driving distance of Winter Park. SeaWorld, for those with more aquatic, and possibly even scientific and educational tastes, and Universal for thrill seekers. 

Universal is probably most popular for its Halloween Horror Nights events. However, popular can be a bit of an understatement. The park can sometimes become so crowded with people that some will give up entering lines and instead wander the streets with the hired actors, gnawing on a turkey leg. I attended Halloween Horror Nights the first year of The Walking Dead attraction. At the time, I didn’t know this, but I was soon to discover it as we came upon the advertised house. The line was long and winding, leaking past even the gates delineating the beginning of the line. I had spent anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour waiting in line for some of the other attractions. However, I spent close to 2 hours and 30 minutes in the line for The Walking Dead. Needless to say, that house, I only visited once. 

Beyond Halloween Horror Nights, the park is well managed, and lines are nowhere near as long at a 2 hour wait. The rollercoasters are fast, and get the blood pumping. However, Universal also has shows, shopping, and experiences. Perhaps one of the most famous experiences the park has to offer is the Harry Potter World attraction (now with Diagon Alley!). Here, you yourself can become a wizard, with shops where you can prepare for your trip to Hogwarts. Buy yourself a wand and robe, and grab yourself a cup of butterbeer to immerse yourself in the experience. 

In the end, there are few cons to living in Winter Park. You’re far enough from Orlando that you avoid the heavy tourism during summer months, but close enough to visit on the off season. Due to the city’s mismatched population of snowbirds and college students, recreation is plenty, and of relatively reasonable cost. The area is well maintained, and home value is high in areas close to or by the lakes and rivers. Residential areas are home to families as well as snowbirds, who will rent out on the off season. Apartments are friendly to college students, and amenities are convenient. 

The cons that do exist come from the college students. Weekend nights are common for noise disturbances, DUIs, and rowdy crowds. Traffic during weekdays taking place at odd hours is the fault of the Full Sail campus, with classes that could start anywhere from 4:30 in the afternoon, to 5:00AM. However, if you’re a Florida native, you should already know of the infamous offensive driving that becomes more aggressive the further south you travel. I-4 within Orlando city limits is always a nightmare, but I-4 can be avoided by using toll roads. Ez-passes and Sunpasses are worth the investment if you’re a resident who does a lot of traveling in and out of the city.

[lakelandg]

Leaders seek Brightline expansion to Tampa, point to 'critical breaking point' in I-4 traffic

Two regional transportation boards representing Tampa Bay and Orlando passed a resolution supporting the expansion of a passenger rail service along I-4.  The Sun Coast Transportation Planning Alliance and Central Florida MPO Alliance passed the resolution, which calls on the state to commit funding to expanding passenger rail services like Brightline and increasing Amtrak service.…

[pochqmqri]

I'm thinking about going to Houston later this summer for about a week and my options for getting around are to fly + rent a car and pay exorbitant amounts because I'm only 24 (until Oct at least), or use the Amtrak Auto Train to go down from DC to Orlando with my actual car and drive like 15 hours across the Gulf Coast, which would be significantly cheaper but would take a bit longer and require more physicality. I wonder which is worth it...

[trainingtofreedom]

December 27, 2023 - Orlando, FL

I can't describe the feeling of leaving home for good. I'd left for college; I'd moved houses; I'd taken vacations; I've traveled with nothing but my car, twice. None of it compared to December 27.

I had two big suitcases, one small suitcase, one backpack, one briefcase. Amtrak said, "Four bags and one carry-on" and I took it seriously. I called an Uber to take me to the Bus Terminal, because the rail system runs through it. Waiting for the Uber was almost painful; I could look back and see where I was living, but I wouldn't ever see that house again.

That was the echo in my head: I'll never see that house again. I won't be going back.

It was almost dark when we got to the bus station, and I rolled myself through the building, out the back, across four lanes of bus traffic, around to the train station. Across two set of tracks, so that I was on the Northbound side.

I could barely carry it all; I recognized that mistake in the bus station, but it was too late to leave anything behind. I didn't know what wasn't important, either; in my mind, every item in every bag was important. So I carried 100+lbs of everything, and I watched the commuter rail go by, thankful that I'd be checking my bags when Amtrak arrived.

I went to the bus teller when I arrived, and asked them about the train. "Train tickets are only purchased at the kiosk. There's a attendant at the track to help you." She had nothing else to tell me. "There's supposed to be an attendant, anyway." She clarified. After I rolled myself to the tracks, I didn't see any attendant. Plus I didn't know what to ask him.

Just a weird guy floating around at the handicap ramp. He didn't look like a train attendant.

The commuter rail rolled by, and that weird guy calls over to me, "Hey, are you taking the train?" I answered him, "Yeah, the big silver one, the Amtrak." He replied, "The Amtrak doesn't come here. It goes to Orlando Health. Also, you can't sit there."

There's a dawning of fear in my mind, now: I'm at the wrong station. I can't walk anywhere, I have too much stuff. How the hell am I going to catch my train in 20 minutes? I was supposed to be heading to Raleigh on the Silver Service. The attendant couldn't help, how would I get there?!?

I caught my breath, but the panic still bounced around in my brain. Call an uber. I called an uber, and tried to drop a pin at my spot on the sidewalk; I couldn't find a good landmark. The first uber says, "I can't drive into the bus station." No, not the bus station, I'm along a downtown city street next to the train tracks. I have twenty minutes to get across town.

That uber cancels. I have 15 minutes.

The next one gets there, and thankfully is clean, comfortable, and prepared. I sent my destination as "Amtrak Station," so now there's no question. I'm watching the tracks the whole drive, praying the train wouldn't beat me to the station. What would I do if I missed it? Sleep in the empty house, I guess.

The Amtrak station is obvious, thank goodness. Big sign on the building, lots of cars and people, nothing related to the commuter rail. (Commuter rail drops off on the same track, about 50m south; I could see it from here.) It didn't matter which side of the tracks anymore: everybody waits on this side.

Checking my bags at the station, I had to walk them back to the cargo area. No one was at the teller. It was an unguided experience, I just got lucky that I met one of the Red Caps at the back. "Where are you heading?"

"Raleigh...well, Charlotte." I answered. They seemed confused, so they asked for my ticket. I showed them I had two tickets: Raleigh, then Charlotte five hours later. "Why is he going to Raleigh instead of Cary?" he wondered aloud. His partner replied, "Must have been a capacity thing."

I remember a few other things he said. "Why isn't there anyone up at the teller? You're not supposed to be staring at your phone!" "Keep the claim tickets." "You don't need them in Raleigh, just Charlotte." He checked my bags to Charlotte, though they would change trains in Cary, NC, even though I went to Raleigh first instead.

(Train stuff: Amtrak's Silver Star usually drops off people in NC at Cary, because it's one stop sooner and has more exchanges, like the Crescent. Raleigh is, uniquely, in between the two Silver-Service routes, and only on the Silver Star route. The only people that ride it to Raleigh are people -specifically- going to Raleigh.)

I still have my backpack and briefcase with me, and I've NEVER left from this station before. There's probably a hundred people here, almost all coach, almost all as confused as I was. Many college kids, many people going many different places. Only a few outdoor benches, and we were all told to line up at the lettered column. I leaned on the bench to help my injured back, and waited amongst the confused throngs.

Boarding was straightforward: they asked where you're going, and they told you which way to go once you got up the stairs. No one checks tickets, even though it's on my phone and ready. Just "Go in to the right, find a seat." I was on the long-distance car, the one that goes past Cary, NC. People were going to NYC, PHL, and all sorts of far-flung stops. No assigned seats, so you just do your best. I found two seats alone (a rare treat), and slumped down.

The train is ROLLING, and they still haven't checked my ticket. This is weird if you're used to planes, where you've been identity-verified and boarding-passed three times before you reach the door. On Amtrak, they don't do any more than count bodies. You're halfway to the next stop before anyone verifies your ticket, and no one ever checks your ID.

Reiterating: You will board the train, and no one checks your ticket or ID. They will never check your ID.

Finally, a conductor comes through and checks the ticket. He writes my three-letter destination on a card, and sticks it on the rail above my seat. Reminds me that my adjacent seat won't remain empty: "This is a FULL TRAIN, there will be no empty seats!"

It's 9pm, I'm exhausted, the train is rolling. I fall asleep to "No empty Seats!" and the sound of the Amtrak train horn, which blows at every single road crossing. All night, toot toooooooooooooot.

Twelve hours to go, then I'll be in Raleigh. Nothing to do but sit and sleep on the dark windows...

[allovertheworldblog]

Tampa and Jacksonville, Florida, USA

I think there was one hostel listed in Orlando. 

Tampa, though, was the first place in the States I stayed in a hostel.

I was kind of out of the hostel mode after staying in motels and hotels in Orlando.

I wouldn’t have my own room and would be sharing a kitchen and have to wait for the shower. 

It turned out fine as the place I stayed in was fine, but it was a bit of a shock to the system first off.

It brought me back to hostel mode, where you can meet all sorts of characters. 

There was a great Canadian couple;

two German guys who were touring the States;

an Australian girl who was a bit of a free spirit, her Australian schoolfriend and his friends who were keen on sticking to themselves but became a bit more cordial when they’d had a drink;

a couple of English guys who were on a grand tour of the States, they had a great story of a couple of American girls they hooked up with in Texas who brought them to a rodeo. 

Later a couple of Americans showed up as well. The girl was a hoola hoop fan, her friend who she met along the way from Omaha, reminded me of the brother in law from The Hangover movie.

It sure was a great cast of characters for such a comparatively small hostel. 

Tampa turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me.

I had no idea what to expect from the place.

It was my first touch with a more authentic America.

In Orlando I felt a bit disjointed from society.

Even though I was riding the city bus and checking out what there was to see I didn’t feel that I was ‘connecting’.

Maybe Orlando was a bit more 'unreal’ than Tampa, more fake?

In Tampa, when I was walking into town I would pass by shops, offices and houses and the people waiting around the Salvation Army office.

In Tampa I visited the Fire Department Museum

; and the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, well if it sounds pretentious I guess it was, they did have a good exhibition on African photos though.

Before long it was time to leave Tampa.

I was headed for Jacksonville. Why Jacksonville?

Well, why not.

No, the simple answer is that it was still Mardi Gras in New Orleans and the place was pretty much booked out, that’s why I settled on Jacksonville. 

I caught the train from Tampa to Jacksonville.

Only trouble was that the train was late, late to arrive in Tampa, late to leave Tampa and late to arrive in Jacksonville.

I’m not sure why the train was late or why it went slow at times when we were on the track to Jacksonville.

We slowed to 5miles an hour at times along the way.

The tracks in the States are owned by the freight companies and they have precedence over Amtrak trains, maybe that’s why.

Along the way we pass level crossings that seem superfluous, with their arms lowered to stop traffic that isn’t there, with flashing lights that flash for no one to see,

because its just us in our tin train for miles around as we go on through the Sunshine State and up the Atlantic seaboard. 

We get to Jacksonville around 12.20. I wait to collect my bag.

I grab a taxi. Only trouble is the taxi driver, a man in his 70’s, doesn’t seem to know the way.

I give him the address of the motel I’ve booked. 

He asks what’s the best way to get there.

I think that he’s just thinking aloud.

We cross the city and I’m treated to an unscheduled nighttime tour of the city with all the bridges lit up. 

Eventually the driver has to stop and ring someone for directions. He confides in me that he used to drive taxis years ago and is trying to get back in on it. 

He revises the meter fare downwards and I thank him when we reach my hotel.

I’m in Jacksonville for St. Patrick’s Day, they put on a good show in the city with a concert

and sort of beauty pageant of Hooters employees.

'Our troops overseas’ and 'my mom’ are among their answers to the question of who they admire most.

The judging panel for the contest has among others a professor on it.

Around me people are wearing green and t-shirts in honour of the day that’s in it: 'Born Lucky’, 'The Luck of The Irish’. 

After a couple of days I’m off again, this time to New Orleans.

[pattywagon2go]

Train Talk Tuesday

Train Talk Tuesday: Okay, time for an interesting one, this week I want to talk about Brightline, the intercity/commuter rail company that operates out of Florida. Brightline's gained quite a reputation as of late, so I figured why not do a post about it? For this post, I'll be talking about the history of Brightline, Brightline in general, from their business model to their trains and stations, and about Brightline's future. Consider this a mini "The Good, The Bad, and The Future" post, akin to what I did with Amtrak.

Let's kick things off with what exactly is Brightline?

Brightline is a private intercity train company that currently only operates in Florida, between Miami and Orlando. Brightline is very crucially NOT High-Speed Rail, as Brightline's fastest speeds top out at around 125mph (Around 177kph). Definitions of High-Speed Rail are varied, but generally speaking it's for trains that run at 150mph (Around 241kph) or faster. Brightline is more accurately Higher-Speed Rail, since it's slower than 150mph but faster than 90mph (Around 145kph). As a point of comparison, the Springfield Corridor for Amtrak is an example of Higher-Speed Rail.

Now, this was going to be the section where I talked about Brightline's history, but Marcus Nelson on Twitter did a fantastic thread detailing how did Brightline come to be, so I figured it would be best to just link to his thread instead.

Anyway, now that we know the history of Brightline, let's go more in-depth about Brightline itself.

Brightline is a very weird specimen here in the United States, being that it's the only fully private passenger railroad in the United States. Amtrak, by comparison, is not private, as it receives a large amount of government support. Brightline itself is under the wing of Florida East Coast Industries, a real estate company. Due to this, Brightline's business model isn't what you'd expect. Instead of trying to make a direct profit off of fares, Brightline instead makes money back using real estate investments. This method, while a bit strange for modern intercity rail, has allowed Brightline to function well for itself, though it does highlight Brightline's issues, which I'll talk about later.

In general, Brightline plays well to being very flash and modern. You won't find much stuff regarding past history with Brightline (which makes sense if you know the history with it). Stations are very much built to be modern and flashy, which definitely gives Brightline brownie points with the general public, since having trains feel flashy and modern helps with getting people to ride them. I will say at the Orlando airport station, having a baggage scanner is such a stupid idea. I get the idea that it's an airport and they have to be safe, but I don't understand exactly why does Brightline have to do something like this while other airport rail lines don't. All this does is just make riding the train more annoying in general. Brightline should honestly get rid of it.

By far Brightline's best attribute is the schedules. 16 round trip trains ensure that people can get wherever they want to go without having to worry about missing a train, which is incredibly important for Florida as Brightline can help service tourists who likely won't have any other source of transportation. Brightline has done very well in this regard and Amtrak can learn a lot from this.

But, Brightline is not without faults. Let's talk about those.

Due to what I can only assume is an attempt to reduce capital costs, Brightline has made the decision to use diesel locomotives to run their trains, being Siemens Chargers. While the Chargers are definitely up to the task and they don't emit as many diesel fumes as older locomotives, Brightline should have just bit the capital costs of electrifying the line instead of opting for diesels. This is just a fundamental issue with the United States and how we're still so happy to just continue running diesels since that's the status quo. I wish Brightline just bit the bullet and set up some catenaries.

Another problem with Brightline is that they have become infamous for crossing collisions with cars. This is down to two things, one being Brightline didn't have a lot of crossing gates for level crossings, along with Brightline not grade separating to begin with. I can only assume both of these were mainly to reduce capital costs, but it still doesn't excuse it whatsoever. However, as much as it's easy to just pin the blame on Brightline exclusively and call it a day, something else is at play here, and that can be seen by the grade crossings themselves.

Some pictures I took of grade crossings along the Brightline mainline in North Palm Beach, Florida using Google Earth.

How the roads that these grade crossings went over became so massive is largely due to the Florida Department of Transportation, who is the main culprit behind Brightline's consistent grade crossing accidents.

See, Brightline trains between Miami and Cocoa run on tracks owned by the Florida East Coast Railway, which was largely responsible for what now occupies South Florida to begin with. As more and more towns sprung up around the FEC in the 1900s, more grade crossings happened, due to the FEC not bothering to grade separate. Now back then, this wasn't as much of an issue, since roads were smaller and trains were slower, but then FDOT came knocking and they chose to let the roads get wider and wider, leading to these massive roads that had massive grade crossings as a result. And coupled with how Brightline trains are much faster than the trains that were running in the 1900s or even modern FEC freight trains today, you quickly see how things devolved. Coupled with how Florida drivers aren't used to how fast the trains are and how hard it is to stop one, and you have a concoction for disaster right in the palm of your hand. This is the reason why the Shinkansen in Japan is grade separated, so it doesn't run down cars stuck on crossings. So if anything, while Brightline does deserve flack for continuing the trend of not grade separating and refusing to add proper crossing gates due to costs, the issue of collisions occurring at grade crossings is mainly due to FDOT for allowing so many crossings to happen along with Florida drivers thinking they can beat a train that can go a top speed of 125mph.

So, what's the future of Brightline?

Brightline has some bold plans in terms of expanding, even beyond Florida itself. As an extension of California High-Speed Rail, Brightline is developing a proper High-Speed Rail link between Las Vegas, Nevada and Los Angeles, California, called Brightline West. I will say I am fairly optimistic about this project, but with Brightline at the helm, I'll have to see where it goes. It will be fully electrified, and trains will clock up to 186mph (~299kph), which will be quite impressive to see should it come to fruition. Domestically, Brightline has expressed interest to expand to Tampa, with a station being built at Disney World along with the expansion. Having a rail link to Disney World would be perfect for Brightline, due to the amount of tourists which could use the service, so I'm hoping to see Brightline expand to Tampa. At the same time, I do think Brightline should consider adding a few things to their future plans, being electrification and grade separation to lines running in Florida. Overall, my general take on Brightline is of cautious optimism, as it has the potential to be a true groundbreaker for proper intercity rail, but at the same time, some aspects do leave a bit to be desired.

[starrwulfe]

Good news everyone! Georgia has federal passenger train study funding!

In combination with some great news about funding a lot of sorely needed railroad projects and studies at the federal level, Georgia’s U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock announced new grants to explore three new Georgia passenger rail corridors, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The new rail routes would connect major economic centers in Georgia and neighboring states, providing additional public transit options, increased mobility, and a sustainable, clean-energy future.

Starting from Atlanta, the routes being studied are:

A route heading northward with stops likely in Marietta, Cartersville, Dalton and points north into Tennessee that would connect with Chattanooga and efforts in that state to create a line from there to Nashville.

Extending south and eastward, a route that would likely have intermediate stations in McDonough, Macon and end in Savannah with a connection to the Amtrak route linking Florida and DC on the east coast. There’s also the potential to create a branch that would go due south out of Macon, through Valdosta and link with Tampa or Orlando. It would be nice to get some two-state talks going with Florida on doing something together since Brightline is already plying the rails down there and its now a known quantity.

Perhaps the most interesting and likely first to get going is a high-speed line between Atlanta and Charlotte. The in-state routing on this one is not known, but it’d be very strange if Athens was missed. The growing South Carolina towns of Greenville/Spartanburg definitely and perhaps Anderson/Clemson would get stops depending on routing.

Another point of discussion is where exactly in Atlanta would these routes be emanating from; ATL’s current train station for Amtrak service on the thrice weekly Crescent service from DC to New Orleans is basically a glorified waiting room with rails and stairs that lead to Peachtree Rd just north of Midtown. There were some efforts to build a new multimodal station Downtown right across from the Five Points MARTA station, right where a bunch of railroad tracks pass through a trench. While we do need a world-class rail terminal for a world-class city like Atlanta (especially to help get a commuter rail service off the ground — more on that later,) let’s not ignore our 900-pound gorilla lying 8 miles south: Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Literally the World’s Busiest Airport for 20+ years definitely needs to be tied into any long-distance (and commuter!) rail options here. The catchment area of passengers includes not just the entire state but anything that would beat a car ride from an area of about 200 miles in diameter around us. Every time I’ve been in one of Hartsfield’s parking garages, I’ve seen cars with South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee tags that are definitely not rentals. With frequent enough service, it could be very possible to simply leave the car and take the train to the airport and catch a flight. Most Americans can’t realize this convenience right now but take it from me after living in Japan for almost 20 years, being able to just hop a train even in the most remote parts of the area and get to Haneda, Narita, Kansai and Nagoya Centrair airports without worrying about long-term parking or begging for a ride from friends is a great thing.

According to Axios, how much of the $8.2 billion will wind up in Georgia for its rail project — or the timeline for the project’s start and completion is a big question mark. One thing I’d like to know is does some of this money help look into a regional rail solution here around Atlanta that’s desperately needed. Just like NYC, LA and Chicago, whatever helps the commuter rail network, would ultimately be good for the longer distance trains as well since they could share the tracks. That ATL Trains idea is still the best idea I’ve ever seen and really, REALLY needs to be formally studied with this money. Check out the 146-page prospectus yourself, it’s that good!

Just like the Eisenhower Interstate Highway projects of the 1960s, the US really needs a rail renaissance in order to help face this brave new world of climate change, population and demographic shifts into sunbelt cities that didn’t keep up infrastructure-wise (building another lane isn’t cutting it Chief!) and the simple paradigm shift of decentralization in our metro areas in general– How many people do you know BEFORE the pandemic that worked “downtown?” OK, now how many people actually even go to an office every day? Our transportation network needs to be more dynamic and flexible to account for these shifts and overlaying a decent rail network, both nationally and locally, is paramount. This is in addition to dealing with improving road and air travel; those need to be sorted as well.