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September 2015

WHY THIS PRIVATE PASSENGER RAIL FACES HEAVY OPPOSITION

DAVID Z. MORRIS - FORTUNE

All Aboard Florida, a subsidiary of Fortress Investment Group (FIG -3.06% ), will soon issue $1.75 billion in bonds to help finance the construction of a passenger railroad line stretching from Orlando, Florida south to Miami. If it stays on track for a 2017 opening, AAF will be the first private passenger railroad line built in the U.S. in decades.

FLORIDA COUNTIES FILE NEW CHALLENGES AGAINST TRAIN BONDS

SHELLY SIGO - THE BOND BUYER

Two south Florida counties launched new legal challenges against a private passenger train project within days of a scheduled $1.75 billion bond offering.

The private activity bonds were initially scheduled to price Aug. 25 to finance a portion of the $3.5 billion, 235-mile All Aboard Florida express train system linking Miami and Orlando.

The pricing was delayed, though the reasons are not clear.

EFFORTS OPPOSING ALL ABOARD FLORIDA JUST GETTING STARTED

In a recent column, Rich Campbell of Treasure Coast Newspapers threw in the towel and admitted defeat to All Aboard Florida.

If you believe Campbell, a longtime All Aboard Florida critic, it’s all over but the shouting — more trains are coming, and all of our efforts to protect public safety, access to medical care, navigable waterways and a better quality of life have been in vain.

The members of Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida believe All Aboard Florida’s misguided rail boondoggle is simply wrong. Let us count some of the ways.

RAIL BRIDGE GLITCH PREVENTS FIRE RESCUE CREWS FROM RESPONDING TO CRASH

PALM BEACH POST

For the second time in six months, Tequesta officials are calling onFlorida East Coast Railway to change its procedures, after the village said the company’s aging rail bridge over the Loxahatchee River malfunctioned, preventing fire rescue workers from reaching the scene of a serious car crash.

In a three-page letter to FEC officials, Mayor Abby Brennan said the 90-year-old Loxahatchee River Bridge and its “rapidly deteriorating operating mechanism” must be immediately addressed.

"QUIET ZONES" FOR PROPOSED ALL ABOARD FLORIDA PASSENGER RAIL NOT BEST OR SAFEST OPTION FOR MARTIN COUNTY

As Martin County continues its review of the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA's) Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the All Aboard Florida (AAF) passenger rail project and the many deficiencies and flaws within the 646-page document, the costs, and potential benefits, of creating "Quiet Zones" along the rail corridor have been receiving greater attention in the media.