Commuter rail planning presses on in spite of snag; Volusia leaders
Although it
hit a snag
earlier this year when
the Florida Legislature
did not approve the
project because of liability
insurance concerns,
Volusia County
officials and supporters
remain upbeat that the Central Florida
commuter rail project eventually will
move forward.
With millions of dollars committed
and thousands of hours of prep time
invested, officials are optimistic that when
the Legislature meets next year, the issues
in question will be resolved and the commuter
rail project will earn the approval
necessary to stay on track.
“Liability insurance provisions must
be resolved by the Legislature next year
for the project to continue moving forward,”
said Lois Bollenback, general manager
of Votran, Volusia County’s public
transit system and a point person for
Volusia County Government on the commuter
rail project. “At this point, the Florida Department
of Transportation is working
to acquire right-of-way, and planning
and engineering for the project are ongoing.
Design and work for the platforms
and stations also are continuing.”
The first phase of the 61-mile, 17-rail
station system calls for the northern terminal
to be on Ft. Florida Road in Debary.
The second phase will extend the system
to DeLand on its northern end and to
Poinciana at its southernmost point. The
trains will run on existing track owned by
CSX.
While there was some heartburn in
the immediate aftermath of the impasse
following this year’s legislative session, and
there still is much work to be done in
resolving some complex issues, U.S. Congressman
John Mica, who championed
the commuter rail concept and fought for
federal funding, is encouraged and has
indicated the setback is temporary.
Volusia County Chair Frank Bruno also
expressed optimism. “Difficult issues of liability
and the effects on re-routing of freight
trains became hot-button issues in the Legislature
and simply were not resolved,” he
said. “But our leaders will lead, and that
means doing what is necessary to resolve
these issues and resume progress on commuter
rail for Central Florida.”
