Could the Brightline reach Fort Myers in the near future? (Jacksonville: living in, price)

[wanderer34]

Just wanted to breach this topic. The Brightline from Miami to Orlando will be completed by December 2022 and this made me think what if Brightline could be extended into SW FL, specifically to Naples and Fort Myers. I believe that extending a line from Miami to Ft Myers is a great idea. There's currently no rail service of any kind in Lee County and this would help Ft Myers grow into a bigger city than what it is. What do you guys think?

[Marc Middleton]

Originally Posted by wanderer34

Just wanted to breach this topic. The Brightline from Miami to Orlando will be completed by December 2022 and this made me think what if Brightline could be extended into SW FL, specifically to Naples and Fort Myers. I believe that extending a line from Miami to Ft Myers is a great idea. There's currently no rail service of any kind in Lee County and this would help Ft Myers grow into a bigger city than what it is. What do you guys think?

When I drive across the alley each month, I always think about how great it would be if the median or 1 lane each way was a rail line. Prior to the Boom, people living in East Broward like Sunrise and Weston could move to Naples and 'commute' to Broward for work. Now Naples is more pricey than those areas so that idea is out. Brightline could have went from FLL to Weston to pick up passengers or something along those lines.

So much open land not to mention the road itself has so many bad accidents on it. Would be nice for a straight shot bullet-style train to go from Weston to Collier at 115MPH through the desolate wasteland

[logybogy]

The road is planned to go to Orlando and then Tampa. I could see it going south from Tampa to Naples someday and then looping across the everglades to Broward. It could also go up to Jax and hit Daytona, St. Augustine. That hits all the major metros in the state.

[wanderer34]

Originally Posted by Marc Middleton

When I drive across the alley each month, I always think about how great it would be if the median or 1 lane each way was a rail line. Prior to the Boom, people living in East Broward like Sunrise and Weston could move to Naples and 'commute' to Broward for work. Now Naples is more pricey than those areas so that idea is out. Brightline could have went from FLL to Weston to pick up passengers or something along those lines.

My plan would’ve used the Iris connection in Miami to Hialeah, then possibly through the Everglades via I-75 to Naples or US 27 to Clewiston and Ft Myers instead of having to go through much of inhabited Broward County. A Brightline station in Weston can also be doable along US 27 as long as the ROW is elevated. There would be two tracks going each way. It’s not too late to link SW FL to Miami with this plan.

Originally Posted by Marc Middleton

So much open land not to mention the road itself has so many bad accidents on it. Would be nice for a straight shot bullet-style train to go from Weston to Collier at 115MPH through the desolate wasteland

Weston could be the hub going to Naples and Ft Myers. Trust me, once Miami becomes a major world financial and corporate center, which is inevitable, people as far away as Naples and Ft Myers will commute to Miami within an hour meaning SW FL residents will be able to raise their families in Collier and Lee Counties while being able to go to work in Miami as well as play and other leisures.

[fajitajamboree]

On the east coast, Brightline has used the rail right of way owned by Florida East Coast Railways, who owns Brightline. From what I've seen, the Orlando to Tampa portion is going to use the ROW that was established when they widened I-4 and kept a transit envelope in the middle median. To my knowledge, there isn't anything like that ROW heading south from Tampa. Could it be done? sure. Cost effective, unlikely.

Also, anything in the Everglades is crazy expensive due to (real) environmental concerns in the area, making rail down there unlikely as well.

There are long term plans to have the train head up to Jacksonville, and FECR owns the right of way anyways, so that's a real possibility.

[wanderer34]

Originally Posted by fajitajamboree

On the east coast, Brightline has used the rail right of way owned by Florida East Coast Railways, who owns Brightline. From what I've seen, the Orlando to Tampa portion is going to use the ROW that was established when they widened I-4 and kept a transit envelope in the middle median. To my knowledge, there isn't anything like that ROW heading south from Tampa. Could it be done? sure. Cost effective, unlikely.

Also, anything in the Everglades is crazy expensive due to (real) environmental concerns in the area, making rail down there unlikely as well.

I've always felt that placing the Brightline as an elevated line along I-75 and US 27 was a cost effective way of building a line as opposed to draining a portion of the swamp just to build a ROW. It makes sense that there are some that will have environmental concerns but if the Birghtline can remove some of the cars from the road just to improve FL's carbon imprint the way the Brightline main line is doing between Orlando and Miami, then why not.

Plus not all of Southern FL is protected swampland. There's a lot of smaller towns nearby lake Okeechobee that could use the service as well (Clewiston, Belle Glade). I'm all for conservation of our natural forest and swamps as it provides a refuge for our wildlife as well as protecting our ecosystem, but if the high-speed train is not only faster and much more efficient than driving a car or taking theses, then why not place an elevated ROW along I-75 and US 27?

Originally Posted by fajitajamboree

There are long term plans to have the train head up to Jacksonville, and FECR owns the right of way anyways, so that's a real possibility.

It's going to happen once Brightline completes the southern segment between Orlando and Miami. The connection between Orlando and Tampa will soon follow and be completed around 2025 and Jacksonville should be completed at the end of this decade.

[wanderer34]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=belm4kDAHgM


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_dzK9ykGyc