Purchase of the South & Central Florida Rail Corridors and the Development of Tri Rail & SunRail Commuter Rail Service Virginia Rail Policy Institute March 2021 South Florida Rail Purchase & Tri Rail Development 2 South Florida Rail Purchase & Tri Rail Development West Palm 1983 STUDY OF ALTERNATIVES Beach ▪ West Palm Beach to Miami ▪ Bus & Rail Options Atlantic Ocean ▪ CSX & FEC corridors Ft. Lauderdale Miami 3 South Florida Rail Purchase & Tri Rail Development Local Government Participation/ Governance ▪ Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) ▪ Tri County Commuter Rail Organization (TCRO) ▪ Tri County Rail Authority (TCRA) ▪ South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) 4 South Florida Rail Purchase & Tri Rail Development FDOT/CSX Access & Service Agreement ▪ Assumes Amtrak Operator ▪ CSX Maintains & Dispatches ▪ State to Set Commuter Rail Policies ▪ Schedules Established by Agreement With CSX and Amtrak 5 South Florida Rail Purchase & Tri Rail Development Sebring South Florida Rail Corridor Purchase ▪ CSX Announced Possible Sale of 200 Miles of West Palm its Miami Subdivision (Sebring – Homestead, Beach FL) ▪ FDOT Analysis of Miami-West Palm Beach Ownership Benefits Fort Lauderdale Miami Homestead 6 South Florida Rail Purchase & Tri Rail Development Sebring Sale and Purchase Agreement: May 11, 1988 West Palm ▪ 81 Miles/1150 Acres Beach ▪ $264 Million 81 Miles Fort ▪ CSX Retained Exclusive, Perpetual Freight Lauderdale Easement Miami Homestead 7 South Florida Rail Purchase & Tri Rail Development Operating and Management Agreement ▪ CSX Pays Per Car Mile Fee/Monthly Lease Fee ▪ Users Share Maintenance Cost (Proportional Use) ▪ Capital Improvements By Mutual Consent ▪ Operating Windows Defined ▪ Phase A- CSX Maintains & Dispatches ▪ Phase B- State Maintains & Dispatches ▪ Party Invoking Change Pays Costs of Labor Impacts ▪ Tri Rail Service Commenced January 1989 8 South Florida Rail Purchase & Tri Rail Development South Florida Operating and Management Agreement (SFOMA) ▪ 2007 Agreement Related to Central Florida Transaction ▪ State No Longer Responsible for Cost of Labor Impacts ▪ SFRTA Assumed Dispatch & Maintenance in 2015 9 South Florida Rail Purchase & Tri Rail Development Tri Rail Station Map 10 Central Florida Rail Purchase & SunRail Development 11 Central Florida Rail Purchase & SunRail Development CSX In Central Florida Callahan Jacksonville Baldwin Lake City St. Augustine Waldo Gainesville Palatka LEGEND Ocala Daytona Beach “A” Line DeLand “S” Line Wildwood Sanford Other CSXT Rail Line Longwood Orlando Existing Rail Yard Lacoochee Taft Kissimmee Other City Vitis Haines City Lakeland Auburndale 12 Central Florida Rail Purchase & SunRail Development 2005-2006 Negotiations with CSX (Agreement in Principle Reached August 2006) DeLand / Amtrak Jacksonville ▪ Agreement Reflected Tri Rail Lessons Learned ▪ FDOT Maintain and Dispatch the 61.5 Mile DeBary Corridor Sanford ▪ FDOT Not Responsible for Labor Protection of Lake Mary Palatka Longwood CSX Dispatch/Maintenance Employees Altamonte Springs Maitland ▪ CSX Agreed to Support FDOT Control of South Winter Park / Amtrak Advent Health Lynx Central DeLand Florida Dispatch and Maintenance Church Street Orlando Health / Amtrak Sanford ▪ CSX Assumes Labor Protection Costs for CSX Sand Lake Road Dispatch/Maintenance Employees Winter Park Meadow Woods Orlando ▪ Operating Windows Defined Tupperware Kissimmee / Amtrak Kissimmee Poinciana Poinciana 13 Central Florida Rail Purchase & SunRail Development Sale and Purchase Agreement (2007) DeLand / Amtrak ▪ 61.5 Miles, $150 Million Jacksonville DeBary ▪ Total Transaction Cost $432 Million With All Sanford Proceeds Invested In Florida Rail Lake Mary Palatka Improvements Longwood Altamonte Springs Maitland Winter Park / Amtrak Advent Health ▪ CSX Retained Exclusive, Perpetual Freight Lynx Central DeLand Church Street Easement Orlando Health / Amtrak Sanford Sand Lake Road Winter Park Meadow Woods Orlando Tupperware Kissimmee / Amtrak Kissimmee Poinciana Poinciana 14 Central Florida Rail Purchase & SunRail Development Operating and Management Agreement (2007) ▪ FDOT Controls Dispatch & Maintenance ▪ CSX Pays Car Mile Fee & Lease Fee ▪ Operating Windows Defined Poinciana 15 Central Florida Rail Purchase & SunRail Development DeLand SunRail Service Commenced on the Initial Operating Section (2014) Northern Extension DeBary ▪ 31 Miles (DeBary to Sand Lake Road) ▪ 17 Mile Southern Extension to Poinciana (2018) Orlando ▪ 12 Mile Northern Extension to DeLand (TBD) Sand Lake Road Poinciana Southern Extension 16 CENTRAL FLORIDA RAIL CORRIDOR 61-MILE Central Florida Rail Corridor ▪ In 2004, an Alternatives Analysis identified rail transit as a preferred solution ▪ Today, this portion of track is known as the Central Florida Rail Corridor (CFRC) ▪ The concept of commuter rail was developed in cooperation with FDOT and local leadership CFRC Ownership Limits Ownership is clearly defined between FDOT for SunRail and station service and CSX rail industry yards and sidetracks FDOT Designated CFRC Operating Agency Florida Legislature Authorized FDOT To: ▪ Acquire the Central Florida Rail Corridor ($150 million) ▪ Pay the net operating cost of an eligible commuter rail system for up to 7 years, beginning from the open-to- service date ▪ FDOT is responsible for the design, permitting, and construction of the SunRail commuter system ▪ SunRail is funded in partnership with local, state, and federal funds (25:25:50) ▪ Total Capital Cost for Phase 1 and 2 upgrades = $567 million ▪ FDOT also governed by local SunRail agreements: ▪ Interlocal Funding Agreement with the Local Government Partners ▪ Interlocal Operating Agreement with Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission (CFCRC) SunRail is to be transitioned to local control by the CFCRC for future operations and maintenance in May 2021 Shared Corridor or Lease Dispatch ▪ Corridor ownership provides control over dispatch which impacts commuter and tenant use ▪ Dispatch has operational control over commuter service in which on-time performance is critical ▪ This balance is vital to a successful commuter service Shared Corridor Ownership or Lease Operating Windows ▪ SunRail has exclusive passenger only windows = 12 hours ▪ Freight only window = 5 hours ▪ Mixed windows = 7 hours ▪ CSX remains the designated freight common carrier over the CFRC ▪ CSX Freight Service Plan ▪ Amtrak operating agreement Shared Corridor O&M Agreements Responsibilities for Operations & Maintenance ▪ Prior to Revenue Service – governed by the Transition Agreement ▪ CSX creates CFRC temporary dispatch desk ▪ CFRC construction work & CFRC MOW ▪ After Revenue Service – governed by CFOMA ▪ CSX moves 9 freight trains to S-Line ▪ Passenger & Freight Operating Windows in effect ▪ CFRC NTP for O&M contractors, including dispatch Rail Traffic on CFRC An average of 40 SunRail trains per day operate in the limits of the CFRC ▪ Phase 1 – 32 miles, 12 stations, revenue service May 2014 ▪ Phase 2 South – 17 miles, 4 stations, revenue service July 2018 ▪ Phase 2 North – 12 miles, 1 station, pending CSX, Amtrak, and FCEN operate daily as tenant railroads on the CFRC ▪ 6 Amtrak passenger trains ▪ 10 local freight trains ▪ 4 through freight trains ▪ There are three CSX freight rail yards within the corridor alignment Emergencies and Indemnification ▪ The owner of the corridor maintains over $295 million in liability insurance which is a requirement of the agreements and industry standard ▪ CSX and Amtrak indemnification for loss, damage, destruction of property, or death to a person on state property ▪ Trespass ▪ Pedestrian and vehicle collisions ▪ Significant incident tracking, analysis, and mitigation through robust hazard analysis and community outreach programs ▪ Hurricane Preparations and Recovery ▪ Hurricane Plan coordination/communication is critical ▪ Preparation/restoration of grade crossing gates, timing of cessation of operations and recovery efforts ▪ Late runs and early start-up for freight trains ▪ Restoration of power Relationships with Tenant Railroads ▪ Excellent collaborative relationship built on good communication and coordination ▪ Freight Service Plan updates ▪ Number of trains, type of train, destination, day or night ▪ Train lengths ▪ Train routing onto corridor from north or south Daily Operations Report ▪ Daily reporting of CFRC statistics for passenger and freight traffic are critical to safe and efficient operations ▪ On-time performance (OTP) is a vital reporting tool for passenger service for SunRail and Amtrak Why It Works ▪ The goal is not movement, but the connection of people and betterment of a region ▪ Every station is an opportunity to create micro- hubs of local commerce ▪ Benefits go far beyond delivering people: ▪ Increase in property value and taxes ▪ New transit-oriented development ▪ Increase local commerce ▪ Seniors are outliving their ability to drive safely by 7 – 10 years (AAA) ▪ Rideshare is expected to grow more than 20% between 2019 - 2025 (Reuters) ▪ By 2030, micromobility market potential in the US is $200 - $300 billion (McKinsey & Company) A Bright Future ▪ Recover/grow SunRail ridership, but maintain balance with tenant Railroads ▪ Capital upgrades – capacity improvements to eliminate bottlenecks ▪ Meet the needs of a continuously growing leisure rider community ▪ Address the growing demand for late night and weekend service ▪ Closed the gap between midday trains to meet growing leisure rider community ▪ Occasionally add a later train to accommodate evening events ▪ Safety and security