State taking proposals for Tampa-Orlando high-speed railway
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FOX 13) - The sunshine state is one step closer to building a high-speed rail system.
Governor Rick Scott announced Friday the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has begun accepting bids that would allow for the construction of a high-speed railway connecting Orlando and Tampa.
The idea of high-speed railways in Florida has been kicked around several times, but the governor's office says an unsolicited proposal, from an undisclosed party, turned talk into action.
The undisclosed party asked FDOT and Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) to lease land along Interstate 4 for the construction of a high-speed railway.
In response, the state is offering anyone else interested in the same type of deal an opportunity to come forward. Gov. Scott's office said in a media release:
"Based on the unsolicited proposal, FDOT, on behalf of the State and CFX, is initiating an open, transparent procurement process so any interested private entities may apply. The request is for those interested in leasing FDOT and CFX owned rights-of-way to establish privately funded passenger rail service between Orlando and Tampa."
The governor has seemed against high-speed rail in Florida in the past, but he explained Friday that he was against using taxpayer dollars for such a project.
"When I became Governor, the Obama administration was trying to use federal taxpayer dollars to pay for a rail connection that had an extremely high risk of overspending taxpayer dollars with no guarantee of economic growth," Scott said. "Instead of placing taxpayers on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars, our goal is for the private sector to invest in this project."
In 2011, Gov. Scott rejected more than $2 billion in federal funds for an 84-mile train from Tampa to Orlando.
"Private intercity passenger rail service has been constructed and is currently being operated in Florida at no cost to taxpayers," the governor's office said. "This Request for Proposals (RFP) will provide an opportunity for the private sector to expand privately-funded passenger rail service in the state at a zero risk to Florida taxpayers."
The RFP period will last 120 days.