History of High Speed Rail in Florida
Chronology of Events

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1976 Florida Transit Corridor Study 

• Is mandated by the Florida Legislature. 
• Feasibility for a High Speed Rail (HSR) between Daytona Beach and St. Petersburg 
• Concludes that implementation of this system is feasible if implemented in stages and recommended the joint use of the existing highway corridors 
• Capital cost of an advanced high speed rail system capable of speeds in excess of 150 mile per hour was estimated at $585 million.

1982 Governor Bob Graham Visits Japan 

• Governor is impressed with the operation of the Shinkansin high speed rail system and, upon his return to Florida he authorizes the creation of the Florida High Speed Rail Committee.

1984 Florida's Future Advanced Transportation Report

• The report is issued by the high speed rail committee. 
• It concludes that Florida's transportation infrastructure is inadequate to accommodate future growth and that an advanced high speed rail system is essential to Florida's mobility in the 21st century. 
• The report recommends that public/private partnerships be formed to proceed with implementation of the system and that existing publicly owned rights of way should be used.

1984 Florida High Speed Rail Commission

• The Florida Legislature enacts the Florida High Speed Rail Transportation Commission Act.
• The act includes strong legislative findings regarding the need for high speed rail in Florida.
• It creates a seven-member Florida high speed rail commission and charges it with the implementation of high speed rail in Florida.
• A franchise process is dictated and great emphasis is placed on the establishment of the system through a public/private partnership with extensive reliance on use of real estate development rights to fund the system therefore minimizing the need for public funding.

1986 Florida High Speed Rail Study Completed

• The final report for the high speed rail study is issued by Barton Aschman Associates.
• The report concludes that the State should proceed with the implementation of the system connecting Miami, Orlando and Tampa.
• The study estimates the total infrastructure costs at $2.3 to $2.7 billion.
• It estimates the ridership at 6 million riders per year
• It concludes that financing could be achieved through joint land developments, benefit assessment districts and tax increment financing.

1986 Commission Issues Request for Proposals (RFP)

1988 High Speed Rail Proposals Submitted

• Two proposals are submitted by Florida TGV Inc. and the Florida High Speed Rail Corporation.
  1. The Florida TGV Inc. proposal will use the French TGV train with speeds up to 170 mph.
  • The total system cost is estimated at $2.2 billion
  • Ridership is estimated at 5.8 million per year.
  • The TGV company insists from the start that the project could not be completed without public funding
  2. The Florida High Speed Rail Corporation proposes to use the Swedish built ABB X2000 train technology with tilt capabilities.
  • The total system capital cost is estimated at $1.9 billion
  • Ridership is estimated at 3.7 million riders.
  • The proposal suggests that extensive real estate development rights will be needed to finance the system and no other public investment should be needed.

1989 TGV Company Withdraws its Proposal

• With the lack of Commission support for public funding, TGV of Florida withdraws its proposal. 

1990 Florida High Speed Rail Corporation Revises its Proposal

• Following the Commission's staff assessment that utilizing the extensive development rights proposal offered by the Corporation is not tenable, the Corporation revises its proposal to include benefit assessment districts, tax increment finalizing, impact fees and new gas tax to help fund the system.

1991 Governor Chiles Rejects New Proposal, Florida High Speed Rail Corporation Withdraws from Further Consideration

1992 Florida Legislature Enacts the New High Speed Rail Act

• This act transfers responsibility of HSR from Commission to FDOT.
• The new law also streamlines the franchise and certification process and limited the use of real estate development for project funding.
• This act is still valid (F.S. 341.3201 to 341.386) and the Department retains authority for implementation of high speed rail in the State.

1992-1994 Statewide Ridership and Corridor Studies Conducted

• Extensive transportation and ridership surveys including largest ever intercity market surveys are conducted in the US.

1995 FDOT Announces Funding Commitment for HSR

• FDOT funding will be $70 million per year for thirty years to be escalated at 4%

1995 FDOT Issues Request for Proposals (RFP) Five Proposals Submitted

1995-1996 Review of Applications

• Extensive review is conducted by the Department, Citizens Advisory Committee, local governments and state agencies along with statewide public hearings.

1996 FDOT Selects FOX

• The FOX consortium is made up of Fluor Daniel, Odebrecht Contractors, Bombardier and GEC Alsthom.
• Fox proposal is to build new grade separated, fully dedicated high speed rail system connecting Miami, Orlando and Tampa.
• System capital cost is estimated at $6.1 billion
• Year 2010 ridership is projected at 8.5 million per year.
• FOX proposes to finance the system with mostly debt financing with bonds fully repaid from net system revenues and the State's annual contribution of $70 million.
• In addition, $350 million in equity funding is to be provided from the four FOX partner companies.

1997 Franchise and Pre-Certification Agreements Executed

• FDOT agrees to provide $70 million per year for 40 years escalated at 4% annually
• FOX agrees to contribute a total of $350 million in equity funds.

1998 FOX Begins Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Activities

• Approximately 10% of Preliminary Engineering and Environmental work is completed.

1999 State Funding for the Fox Project is Terminated

2000 Amtrak/FDOT Issue Intercity Passenger Rail Vision Plan

2000 Florida Legislature Authorized Coast to Coast Raft Feasibility Study

2000 Constitutional Amendment on High Speed Rail Approved by Florida Voters

• In November 2000, Florida voters pass a Constitutional Amendment directing the Florida Legislature to develop and operate a high speed ground transportation system capable in speeds in excess of 120 mph. The Amendment requires that construction begin on or before November 1, 2003.

2001 FDOT Issues Coast to Coast Final Report

2001 Florida Legislature Enact the Florida High Speed Rail Authority Act

• The Legislature approves the Florida High Speed Rail Authority Act that creates the Florida High Speed Rail Authority in June 2001 and charges the Authority with planning, administering and managing the preliminary engineering and preliminary assessment of a high speed system in the State of Florida. The Act establishes that the Authority will be a nine member Board with three appointees by each the Governor, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. The Act also establishes the criteria for the system, including:

1. A system capable of traveling speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour with dedicated rails and separated from motor vehicle traffic.
2. A system with initial segments developed between St. Petersburg, Tampa and Orlando with future service to Miami.
3. A system whose model uses non-governmental sources of funding to the maximum extent feasible.

2001 High Speed Rail Authority Issues Vision Plan

• The Authority adopts a long term vision plan in November 2001 that anticipates a network that will closely parallel the intrastate highway system and serve communities, cities, airports and seaports throughout the State.

2002 Report to the Governor and the Legislature Issued

• A Report to the Governor and the Legislature is published in January 2002 as required by the Florida High Speed Rail Act. The report addresses the recommendations, Actions and Findings of the Authority through the previous year and includes, as an appendix, a technical report. The technical report addressed planning level rolling stock costs, infrastructure costs, train technology options, operating plans, and ridership for the St. Petersburg - Tampa - Orlando project. During the same month the Authority initiates the Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study for the Tampa to Orlando project. 

2002 High Speed Rail Website Published

• During February of 2002, the Authority creates a website in order to inform the public of all activities of the Authority and to give interested parties access to various documents published by the Authority. The website, www.floridahighspeedrail.org, has been widely used since it went live and has been a useful tool for documenting the projects progress. Also, in February the Authority issued an Invitation to Pre-qualify to which 11 responses were received. The responses provided great examples to the Authority of the willingness and desire by private entities to be involved in the project.

2002 The Authority published the Orlando - Miami planning level study in December 2002. 

• The study outlines possible routes, technology options, costs and planning level ridership estimates for various alignments between Orlando and Miami.
• Throughout the year the Authority, its staff and consultants, work to develop a Design, Build, Operate, Maintain and Finance Request for Proposal (RFP) for Phase 1 - Part 1, Tampa to Orlando, of the project. The RFP is issued on October 2002 and included various documents developed during the PD&E process including plans and profiles of the rail alignment, design criteria for the project, utility locations, and other useful information for the design of the system. The Investment Grade Ridership Study, which was initiated during the year, is completed during November 2002 and published as an Appendix to the RFP. The study provides potential Proposers with a base ridership number by which to develop potential ridership revenues resulting from the system. Early in January 2003 the Authority publishes the 2003 Report to the Governor and the Legislature. Again this report documents the recommendations, actions and findings of the Authority during the previous year. It also provides a brief discussion of each of the main activities of the Authority.

2003 Funding Vetoed by Governor Jeb Bush

• In June of 2003, Governor Jeb Bush vetoes funding approved by the Legislature for the High Speed Rail project and for the continuation of activities by the Board. The Authority is able to continue the PD&E Process and Procurement process with funds previously earmarked by the Federal government. 

2003 Four Proposals Received

• In response to a request for proposals issues by the Authority in October 2002, Four proposals are received in February 2003 from:

1. et3.com, Inc.
2. Fluor Bombardier
3. Georgia Monorail Consortium
4. Global Rail Consortium

• During the course of the year these proposals are evaluated based on the requirements of the RFP. Two of the proposals, Fluor Bombardier and Global Rail Consortium, are found to be responsive to the RFP. The Authority published a Proposal Evaluation Report in October 2003 and during the same month identified Fluor Bombardier as the preferred Proposer. At the October 2003 Board meeting the Authority also identifies the preferred route for the system which begins in the Tampa Central Business District, follows I-4 through Lakeland (with an intermediate station in Lakeland) until the Orange/Osceola County Line where the alignment then follows the Central Florida Greeneway (with an intermediate stop in the Disney area) until the end station at the Orlando International Airport. 

2003 Negotiations Begin with Flour Bombardier

• The Authority begins negotiations and discussions with Fluor Bombardier for the DBOM&F Contract and asks the team to look at the options for double tracking the system and to look at other technology options.

2004 Constitutional Requirement Is Repealed, but Progress Continues

• The Florida High Speed Rail Authority (FHSRA) continues working with its preferred vendor: Fluor-Bombardier to develop a contract to begin construction of the Phase One of the system.
• Fluor-Bombardier announces it has additional strength to its team: the Virgin Group, which operates successful high speed rail system in Europe and which is the primary air-carrier of European visitors to Florida, and Mears Transportation, which is the largest ground transportation operator in Florida.
• Gov. Jeb Bush and Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher lead a political campaign to repeal the constitutional requirement to build a high speed rail system. Using inflammatory and misleading anti-rail rhetoric predicting financial ruin for Florida, the campaign succeeds in removing the constitutional requirement. However, legislation creating the FHSRA and authorizing the state to begin building a system remains in place.
• The FHSRA adjusts its preference for track alignments in the Orlando area to follow the Beeline expressway, which would eliminate the proposed stop at Walt Disney World/Celebration and provide for a station at a new Intermodal center planned for the area near International Drive and the Orange County Convention Center.
• The FHSRA submits its draft Final Environmental Impact Statement to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for review, comment and approval.
• In its 2005 Report to the Legislature, the FHSRA recommends the state continue with development of Phase One (Tampa-Orlando) of the high speed rail system.