Polk County Rail Hub

Governor Jeb Bush today announced a comprehensive plan to improve freight service and bring commuter rail to Central Florida. Under the agreement in principle between the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and CSX Transportation Inc. (CSXT), Florida will invest $491 million to improve infrastructure and expand capacity on two existing rail lines, one of which will be used to establish commuter rail service through a multi-county stretch in the region....

CSX Press Release

Metro Jacksonville recently completed a five part series on the benefits of commuter rail in Jacksonville and how it could successfully be implemented. The Central Florida Commuter Rail plan has unintentionally cleared a major hurdle for Jacksonville.

The Central Florida plan requires CSX freight trains to predominately operate on what is known as the S-Line, which runs from Baldwin to Central Florida. The only logical connection between the S-Line and the A-line is from Jacksonville to Baldwin, effectively shifting freight traffic patterns away from the Jacksonville to Orange Park line.

This plan has the potential to remove a significant amount of traffic currently operating on the A-Line in Jacksonville. With less freight traffic operating over this line, CSX may be much more receptive to hosting commuter rail on a line with available capacity. The State of Florida has now shown its commitment to bringing commuter rail to congested areas. It only makes sense to look at the unique situation this has created in Jacksonville.

This map clearly shows the rerouting of freight traffic in yellow and the affect it will have on Jacksonville. Most of the freight trains will head due west from Jacksonville, instead of the current route south on the A-Line. This will reduce the amount of freight trains scheduled to travel along Roosevelt Blvd and into Orange Park. The 61 mile segment being purchased by the State of Florida is highlighted in blue. -- MetroJacksonville.com

A plan to improve freight service and bring a commuter rail to Central Florida announced this week will have an impact on Winter Haven, if all the pieces come together.

The plan, announced by Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday, includes a $32 million investment by the state and CSX Transportation Inc. in Winter Haven to help pave the way for the planned CSX Integrated Logistics Center.

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In January, when plans for the ILC were announced, city officials said they would assist CSX officials in acquiring access to State Road 60 from the south side of the property.

That will require purchasing property or obtaining easements from private property owners, said City Attorney John Murphy.

"We're still in the process of getting what we need to do that," Murphy said Thursday. "Ulti-mately we need access. We're evaluating all options." -- The Lakeland Ledger

Ex-CSX Transportation employee Dave Nelson told WND the deal in Florida amounts to providing CSXT with a public subsidy. Money from the public purse will position the railroad company as a major freight carrier throughout Florida, transporting cargo containers filled with cheap goods coming into the NAFTA marketplace from China.

CSXT is positioned to receive millions in the deal. Under the terms of the agreement, the state of Florida will invest $318 "in partnership with CSXT" to improve the infrastructure and expand capacity on existing train tracks. According to CSXT, the breakdown of how the Florida subsidy will be spent is specified as follows:

* $198 million for projects on the CSXT rail line between Baldwin to Plant City, referred to as the "S" line;
* $ 59 million to build five road overpasses in Alachua, Sumter and Marion counties on this line;
* $ 52 million on other CSXT rail lines around the state; and
* $ 9 million to build access roads to the new Integrated Logistics Center in Winter Haven – the mother of all rail yards – which will be built by CSXT

Commuter lines, when opened, will only operate five trips at peak morning and afternoon rush hours, with the commuter trains running again only at two-hour frequency in non-peak hours. At other times, CSXT will use the commuter rail lines for transporting freight.

Dave Nelson told WND the Florida subsidy for CSXT reflects a nationwide trend. In 2005, the Bush administration passed through Congress a $286.4 billion transportation bill, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy for Users. The purpose of the legislation was supposedly to provide funding for federal highways and transit programs.

But Nelson told WND the bill was being used to provide a public subsidy for upgrading freight railroads such as CSXT on taxpayer dollars.

"This CSXT deal in Florida reflects a national strategy that falls in line with President Bush’s $286 billion transportation spending package for highways and railroads," he said. "What the federal government plans to do is to buy up unused and aging rail lines all across the country and to use taxpayer dollars to pay for upgrading the infrastructure. What is left unsaid is that the railroad freight companies CSX will get priority over mass transit for the use of the new rail lines."

Nelson also told WND that CSXT plans to over-charge the government for upgrading and maintaining rail lines.

"CSX will do the maintenance on the rail lines, but state and federal funds will fund the maintenance for CSX," he said. "As I have already proven to the U.S. Department of Transportation, companies like CSX in particular use a form of cost-shifting which permits CSX to take the cost of labor and materials and 'cost-shift' CSX responsibilities over to maintenance, which then will be paid by federal and state tax dollars. Instead of keeping this as a separate entity to improve transportation between two points, the Bush administrations nationally and in Florida are shoving this down the people's throat." --- World Net Daily