James Moore: The Train That Never Was

We were bound for glory. The hard work was completed. Environmental scoping had found the least disruptive route for a high-speed train from Miami to Orlando and then over to Tampa. We had branded the project FOX for the Florida Overland Express. A sleek red-tail in full stride was to be painted on the side of each power unit. Nothing had been easy because the public was so indoctrinated to the notion that the only answer to congestion was more roads. Florida, though, was just about out of stretches of land to pave. I-95 could not be widened in Dade County. There was no remaining right-of-way and double decking costs even in the late 90s were estimated at about a billion dollars a mile. A number of corporations came together to form the FOX consortium, which included GEC Alsthom, the manufacturers of France's famed TGV. The TGV has the world record for speed at 360 mph but was only going to run about 160 rolling between Miami and Tampa. Florida state legislators had agreed to a ... (link)