Railway company to build Miami-Orlando service

A Miami real estate and transportation company announced last Wednesday that it plans to go ahead with a $1 billion project to build a privately run passenger train service between Miami and Orlando to begin operations by the end of 2014.

Florida East Coast Industries said its “All Aboard Florida” project is financially viable without any need for federal and state grants or subsidies.

“After completing our due diligence we have decided to go through with it,” said Husein Cumber, vice-president of corporate development at Florida East Coast Railway, which operates the company’s existing freight line.

Construction would begin in early 2013, Cumber said, and when completed the new service would be the only privately run, non-subsidised passenger rail link between two major cities in the US.

A similar private scheme has been proposed in Texas to link Houston and Dallas.

Amtrak, the government-owned national rail corporation, currently offers a twice daily service between Miami and Orlando, taking five to seven hours.