FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The South Florida East Coast Corridor Transit Analysis (SFECCTA) Study is sponsored by the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) and the Metropolitan Planning Organizations of Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. The study is managed by Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) following guidelines established by the Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Railroad Administration and recommendations by the U.S. Maritime Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Input is being sought from Miami-Dade Transit, Broward County Transit, Palm Tran, the South Florida and Treasure Coast Regional Planning Councils and the three county Leagues of Cities.

What technologies are being considered?

A broad range of modal technologies were considered during Phase 1. The technologies currently under study for all or part of the corridor are:

• Regional Rail (such as a Tri-Rail train or self-propelled railcars).
• Regional Bus (an over-the-road type motorcoach making limited stops within the region).
• Light Rail Transit (electrical or diesel-propelled railcars operating on their own alignment either at-grade or on aerial structures).
• Bus Rapid Transit. (modern, express buses operating in their own alignment); and
• Rail Rapid Transit (such as Metrorail, using trains of electrically-propelled cars on elevated tracks).

What alignments are being considered?

The Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway, extending the length of the tri-county corridor was selected during the Phase 1 study. The existing railway is wide enough in most places to accommodate at least one track for passenger service and would therefore require less additional right-of-way than some of the other corridors studied in Phase 1. In Phase 2 of the study, the FEC Railway alignment will be refined to determine where the transitway for each of the technologies would be placed within the right-of-way. In Palm Beach County, a combination of I-95, US 1 and local arterials also remains under consideration for one alternative to extend Tri-Rail service to Jupiter using Regional Bus.

What is an alternative?

An alternative consists of three elements: the type of transit services (technology or mode), the frequency of service to be provided, and the route, or alignment, which the transit service will take.

How soon could passenger service be operating?

Some transit along certain segments of the corridor could be in service as early as 2014 depending on several factors -- if consensus is reached, if there is a local, dedicated source of funding, how the FEC Railway Corridor is purchased, and if the project receives the appropriate federal or state funding approvals.

Can passenger service be extended north beyond Jupiter into Martin County and beyond?

The limits of the present study encompass the heavily urbanized areas of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Land use and travel patterns north of the present study area are significantly different north of the Palm Beach-Martin County Line so they warrant separate study. Nevertheless, every effort is being made in the present study not to preclude future transit options to or from Martin County.

How many tracks can be built in the railroad right-of-way?

There is generally enough room along almost all the FEC alignment for at least four sets of tracks—two for passenger rail and two for freight if necessary. How many are actually built will be decided during Phase 2 of the study when certain corridor segments are examined more closely. The question of whether the preferred alignment will include rail at all will be determined as the Alternatives Analysis process advances to the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA).

Won't passenger service on the FEC service just duplicate Tri-Rail service?

Transit along the FEC alignment will link to and enhance Tri-Rail service with more frequent stops closer to where people live and work. Phase 2 of the study will analyze the best ways to join the two services so they could operate as an interconnected system. Travel forecast models predict more than twice the number of transit trips on a combined FEC-Tri-Rail service network than for Tri-Rail alone. People who presently ride Tri-Rail are generally long-distance commuters who arrive at stations by car, bus or shuttle. Transit along the FEC has the potential of servicing other shorter trips as well, within easy walking distance of future transit stations.

Where would the Tri-Rail/FEC connections be?

The study team is analyzing connections in Miami, Pompano Beach, and West Palm Beach, as well as other locations.

Will freight trains be removed from the FEC alignments?

The potential of rerouting FEC freight trains was analyzed in Phase 1 and some opportunities were identified that may be subsequently pursued by FEC, FDOT and other study partners. Regardless of the outcome of those discussions, however, the necessity of servicing ports and local shippers along the FEC corridor means that some level of freight train service is likely on that alignment.

Will a transit service on the FEC run on time?

Every effort will be made, starting with the earliest stages of design, to ensure that passenger and freight services will safely and reliably co-exist in the corridor from the opening day of service. Transit services that do not share right-of-way during the same time of operation can run without interruption and offer a superior service without delays from other forms of traffic.

Who will manage construction and operation of the new transit service? Will it be FDOT, the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) that manages Tri-Rail, or another entity?

That decision will also be made some time in the future based on best practices drawn from examples around the county. The most likely solution will be a partnership between FDOT, Palm Tran, Broward County Transit, Miami-Dade Transit and the SFRTA—all of whom are also partners in this study.

How much will the project cost?

Cost estimates for the different technologies and alignments are being prepared now and are anticipated to be presented to the public at workshops in winter 2009.

Who will pay for this project?

There will likely be many funding sources – local, state and federal -- and service is likely to be built out in phases over many years due to the length of the corridor. The first step will need to be acquisition of the corridor by the state, since it is currently held by a private company.

How have station areas been determined?

So far the study has just identified general areas for stations based on potential ridership, land use, and connections that need to be made to the east and/or west of the corridor. The locations of transit stations will be examined during the Phase 2 study as the operating plans are developed for each transit alternative and ridership projections are made. A series of public meetings will be held to refine the stations for each alternative. Specific station locations will not be selected until there has been ample consultation with the public, probably some time in 2009.

What are the criteria for station locations?

Conditions for likely station location within the 85-mile long corridor were analyzed during Phase 1 of the study. Approximately 97 general vicinities have been identified using as criteria • proximity to east-west highway corridors • density of surrounding residential or commercial development • potential for park-and-ride • connectivity to other transit ? future growth in the area • nearby facilities • benefits to people who are transit-dependent. During Phase 2 these areas will be studied in detail and more specific sites will be identified in partnership with the communities.

Will people’s homes be acquired to make room for stations?

Based on the choice of alignments, few, if any, homes will need to be acquired except perhaps for station development. In order to gain maximum ridership, station areas are generally located near commercial centers. However, every effort will be made to minimize impacts should a station need to be located in or near a residential area. Property owners will be compensated for any property acquisitions, if needed.

Some municipalities have put landscaping along the FEC tracks. What will happen to it?

Landscaping already in place will probably be eliminated by construction, but the project will include landscaping plans along the alignment and at stations. FDOT will work the local municipalities to replant landscaping.

Will FDOT build a noise wall along the FEC Corridor if a passenger train of some kind operates there?

If passenger trains are put into service on or alongside the FEC tracks, FDOT will conduct detailed noise studies to determine if a noise wall is warranted next to residential or other noise-sensitive areas, such as schools, churches or hospitals. Generally, passenger rail is quieter than freight rail and much shorter in length, causing less noise for a shorter period of time.

Will passenger trains be required to sound their horns at grade crossings?

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations currently require trains to sound their horns at all at-grade highway crossings for valid safety concerns. However, some crossings may be reconstructed to eliminate at-grade crossings. At others, new federal "Quiet Zone" regulations permit the elimination of train horns if certain safety improvements are added to a crossing. The applicability and funding of either approach will be considered in Phase 2 as well in ongoing parallel efforts by FDOT.

What will the impact be on street traffic when railway crossings are closed more often to accommodate passing transit service?

More frequent train service will mean more gate closings, although passenger trains are shorter and faster than freight trains so their impact on traffic is less severe. The study will analyze the need to raise either the roadway or the tracks in order to minimize delays to auto traffic. It will also consider closing some crossings altogether wherever practical. FDOT will work closely with each municipality along the FEC alignment and these issues will be studied in greater detail in Phase 2.

How will the rail lines cross waterways like the New River?

A number of environmental, aesthetics, engineering, and navigational issues need to be fully understood before a decision on how to cross each waterway can be made. The current phase of the study focuses on where an alignment should go to provide the best transportation improvement. The specific type of water crossing will be a decision that will be made during future engineering phases of the project.

With so much room in the alignment, is there any thought of creating a greenway for bicycles and pedestrians?

A greenway will be seriously considered, since it is already a part of bicycle/pedestrian planning by the Metropolitan Planning Organizations of the three counties and the technical team has been working with their respective Bicycle Coordinators. Transit service could be complemented by a greenway and it would likely be a widely used feature since the corridor passes through so many municipalities.

Would there be facilities for bicycle storage?

Accommodations for bicycles will be part of station planning. Some stations may have bicycle storage areas and whether those are racks, cages or lockers will be determined later in the study. The needs of bicycle riders will be taken into account, too, when specific types of transit vehicles are selected. Riders may also be able to cycle to a station, put their bikes on board, use transit part of the way and then continue on by bicycle.

How is the study being conducted?

The study will be conducted in accordance with Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and FDOT’s Efficient Transportation Decision Making (ETDM) process and guidelines. Depending on how the service and funding packages are structured, transit service along portions of the corridor could begin as early as 2014.

It seems many decisions will be made in Phase 2. Will the public be kept informed and have opportunities to comment on them?

Public involvement is a very important part of the process. There will be 14 Public Kickoff Meetings and 12 Public Workshops during Phase 2 so the public will definitely be consulted. At the start of Phase 1 the project database of property owners and business operators was compiled from tax rolls for sites within a two-mile-wide study corridor and along its 85-mile length. The result was a mailing list of nearly 230,000 individuals and companies.

A new, expanded database will be compiled for Phase 2 from the same sources but enlarging the area beyond two miles. Meetings will be announced in newspaper ads and meetings notices will be sent via U.S. Postal Service and transmitted via e-flyer to those in the project database. To be added to the project database, contact any member of the South Florida East Coast Corridor (SFECC) Study’s Public Involvement Team listed below, or log onto www.sfeccstudy.com and add your address and e-mail to our list.

How can I get more information about the study and receive notices of meetings?

Please see our website (below) or contact any member of the Study’s Public Involvement Team and ask to be included in the project database. That way you will receive all meeting notices and periodic updates as the study moves forward.

You can also visit the project website www.sfeccstudy.com.