IOS ID’d for All Aboard Florida debut

All Aboard Florida will launch service in late 2016 as planned, but initially will operate trains linking Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, on the southern section of its planned overall system.

All Aboard Florida on Tuesday, July 8, unveiled its plans for its downtown Fort Lauderdale station, and also to double-track the southern segment of right-of-way linking those three cities, as it continues planning to extend service north to Orlando. A future extension would run west from Orlando to Tampa.

Plans for the downtown Miami station were unveiled last month, emphasizing intermodal passenger connections with Miami’s Metrorail service, bus services, and Metromover, the downtown automated people mover.

Company President Michael Reininger repeated All Aboard Florida’s contention that service won’t compete with Tri-Rail because its trains will only stop in the three cities; Tri-Rail makes 16 stops between Miami International Airport and West Palm Beach.

“We don’t see this at all as a competitor to commuter rail; It’s complementary service,” Reininger told local media, echoing All Aboard Florida’s similar stance vis a vis Amtrak long-distance service in Florida.

The All Aboard Florida project, announced in March 2012, will stretch about 240 miles, using 200 miles of existing Florida East Coast Railway right-of-way from Miami and Cocoa, Fla., and 40 miles of new track to reach Orlando. Besides Tampa, a future leg north to Jacksonville, near the Georgia border, also has been proposed.